2021 Pac 12 Thread

[CatsbyAZ]

“Kelly has two years remaining on a contract that includes a $9-million buyout expiring Jan. 15, 2022, terms that would make it difficult to dismiss the coach at a time while other top candidates were available without absorbing that massive payout. Jarmond wouldn’t comment on possible extension talks with Kelly that could include a revision of his buyout clause except to say he had “no news to report on that front.” – Michigan extending Harbaugh’s contract in order to lower(?) his buyout is something I suspect a LOT of ADs (especially in the PAC 12) also want to do because it lowers the financial fallout of firing a coach while also providing not only an appearance of internal stability (especially for the sake of recruiting) but giving an impression of a positive relationship between the AD and the Coach. It’s thus good business sense for Jarmond to publicly praise Kelly despite a 10-21 record in Westwood. Same scenario is going on at USC.

Gonna quote myself this specific point ^^^ to see if anyone maybe wants to talk football? (Michigan is even mentioned.)

If not no worries. It’s fitting for the PAC 12 Football thread to diverge into anything and everything else – buying liquor on Sundays, alligators, boating – because for the past decade the PAC 12 powers that be also care about anything and everything else.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Alright, back to the Pac South. 

You have USC and UCLA duking it out for the top spot. You have Utah and Colorado right behind them as the dark horses, most likely in that order. So you must not be high on either of the Arizona schools. 

So why are the Devils supposed to be so bad this year? Has Herman gone stale? Will your Wildcats be able to defeat them on the gridiron? 

[FearlessF]

Former Husker assistant Mike Cavanaugh is reportedly joining the Arizona State staff as O-line coach.

[CatsbyAZ]

Alright, back to the Pac South.

You have USC and UCLA duking it out for the top spot. You have Utah and Colorado right behind them as the dark horses, most likely in that order. So you must not be high on either of the Arizona schools.

So why are the Devils supposed to be so bad this year? Has Herman gone stale? Will your Wildcats be able to defeat them on the gridiron?

This is how the pecking order in the PAC 12 South should look compared to the rest of the nation:

USC: Top 25

Arizona St, Utah, Colorado, UCLA: 35 - 55

Arizona: 65 - 75

None of these teams would do better than 7-5 in the Big Ten East.

[FearlessF]

Nebraska football has reportedly found its new director of player development, and he is a face familiar to head coach Scott Frost.

Frost has hired Marcus Castro-Walker away from Arizona State to take the job the fourth-year head coach recently described to the Journal Star as “an all-encompassing” role, according to a FootballScoop report Monday evening.


_________________________________________________ _________________

any comments about this guy???

[Brutus Buckeye]

CFB in the MTZ is rough. 

Only 4 P5s, all in the Pac South along with the LA twins. The pecking order there is probably Arizona St, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. 

Then there's BYU; too big time for the Mountain West, but not big time enough for the Pac 12. 

Then there is the Mountain Division of the Mountain West, headlined of course by Boise, along with Air Force, Colorado St, Wyoming, Utah St and New Mexico. 

Then there is New Mexico St, who is the bad kind of FBS Independent in that nobody wants them in their conference. 

Bringing up the rear is UTEP, whose inclusion in the MTZ is more of a trivia question than anything else. Perennial CUSA-W doormat. 

After that you are down to the FCS Montana schools, and it only gets worse from there. A lot worse. 

[CatsbyAZ]

Crazy story out of USC's Spring practices (from Scott Wolf's Inside USC blog):

"A guy showed up off the street who wanted to be a walk-on and found his way inside the McKay Center. He got ahold of a helmet and jersey, etc., and went out to football practice.

He was actually catching punts when someone finally wondered who this guy was. Some USC staff detained him and then called campus security, which came and picked him up."



"I’ve had several conversations with a USC campus security source the past 2 days and was told the following based on conversations with the imposter:

1.) The imposter actually shared a jacuzzi at the McKay Center with other football players.

2.) He ate at the football dining facility without issue.

3.) He also slept for some time at a suite in the Coliseum. He was known to USC security because he was caught at the soccer field (McAlister Field) on 30th Street and Hoover."


https://insideusc.blog/2021/04/02/if-its-friday-its-time-for-a-usc-notes-column-103/

https://insideusc.blog/2021/04/08/24427/

[CatsbyAZ]

https://twitter.com/InsideUSC/status/1382108446334406657

[CatsbyAZ]

Yesterday UCLA blew out an overmatched Todd Graham coached Hawaii squad 44-10 in a mostly empty seated Rose Bowl to kick-off the Pac 12’s 2021 season.

I'm putting UCLA's over/under win total at 8.5. Bruins have 10 or 11 SRs starting on defense and return nearly all of their skill position production from the past two seasons.

‘Bout time Chip Kelly delivered in Westwood.


https://twitter.com/EmptySeatsPics/status/1431764597384560643

[847badgerfan]

The student section in the end zone was very well coordinated by shirt color. It almost looks like a tarp.

[CatsbyAZ]

Stanford only amassed 233 yards of total offense in a 24-7 loss Vs Kansas State last weekend. They were pushed around by K-State on both sides of the trenches. At this point the Cardinal looks pretty lifeless under David Shaw. With a tough schedule looming - their first four conference games are currently ranked USC, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona State teams. Shaw only 8-11 since the start of 2019. Least Stanford wasn't losing to Montana last weekend.

[CatsbyAZ]

Lots of letdown and underachieving across the Pac 12 this past weekend. Five more nonconference losses, four from non-P5 schools.

Starting with Colorado getting shutout by Minnesota 30-0.

In the late games Arizona State lost to BYU 27-17 in a game which was largely decided by two Jayden Daniels INTs, sixteen penalties, and ASU's defense getting gassed in the 4th quarter.

San Diego State beat Utah in overtime, 33-31.

Worst of all Arizona lost to Northern Arizona.

And in what might be the most exciting game of the day, Fresno State pulled out an unlikely late victory against UCLA, 40-37. Bulldogs QB Jake Haener had a game for the ages, throwing 39/53 for 455 yds against a Bruins pass rush that served him quite a beating.


https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1439496085215580160

With #13 UCLA losing, Oregon is the only Pac 12 program left to make national noise.

[CatsbyAZ]

This is how the pecking order in the PAC 12 South should look compared to the rest of the nation:

USC: Top 25

Arizona St, Utah, Colorado, UCLA: 35 - 55

Arizona: 65 - 75

None of these teams would do better than 7-5 in the Big Ten East.

I oversold the South, and by extension the North too.

To recap, USC is NOT Top 25, not even close. Not after getting blown out by Stanford and shelled by Oregon State 45-27 last weekend.

I was strong on UCLA after they gave LSU a beat down in a game powered by experienced quarterbacking and a defense starting 10 seniors. Chip Kelly was back, except it turns out LSU might not even be a Top 50 program, and besides, UCLA no sooner lost to Fresno State at home. Still, after controlling and eventually holding off a pesky Stanford squad last weekend, UCLA has the South’s inside track to Vegas.

Utah, along with Arizona State, are largely listless against anyone with a pulse. Their wins coming against overmatched programs. And in ASU’s case it’s worth wondering how much their investigation is keeping their season under the weather because it’s definitely put a dent in recruiting. The Sun Devils have recently lost THREE 4-star commits and are now down to a class of only 5 commits, ranked last in the Pac 12, and 95th nationally.

It’s barely worth mentioning how hopeless Arizona and Colorado are, with their mid-October matchup quite likely the last chance either program has at a win the rest of the way. I’m not sure either the Wildcats or the Buffaloes would do better than 4-8 if in the Mountain West.


https://twitter.com/realBJP/status/1441844229882351618

[Brutus Buckeye]

Sounds like UCLA will run away with the Pac South. The rest of the division is a trainwreck. 

Does the Civil War decide the North? Or does Stanford get their rematch with the Bruins?