2021 Pac 12 Thread

[CatsbyAZ]

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

Dating back to their Karl Dorrell tenure, UCLA has failed my fair expectations time and time again. The Bruins have both the conference’s most experienced defense and QB, along with a stud RB, and were ranked at home last Saturday night when they came out lifeless in the Second Half and laid down to an inconsistent Arizona State team.

Now Arizona State is in the driver’s seat at 2-0, but I wouldn’t be surprised if by this time next week, should an also hit-or-miss Stanford team win in Tempe this Friday, a Utah team with losses to BYU and San Diego St is in the forefront for the South.

And with previously #3 Oregon making mental mistake after mental mistake on their way to last Saturday’s loss to Stanford, it’s almost by design that the Pac 12 disqualifies itself from any practical chance at the CFB by Week 2 of conference play.

For any Pac 12 fans whining about how “unfair” it is for the SEC and Big Ten to get so much more attention, how about filling a stadium for once? Over the weekend’s two premier conference matchups, there’s acreages of empty seats in Palo Alto featuring the 3rd ranked Oregon visiting on an 80F afternoon. And in Pasadena the highly ranked home Bruins were playing for rare control of the division where half the stadium went unfilled. There hasn’t been a single sellout across Pac 12 this season. Show up to your games before fussing about other conferences.


https://twitter.com/ByPatForde/status/1444387135792971776


https://twitter.com/AthensLuke/status/1444495259614863373

[847badgerfan]

Jeez. That is horrible.

[utee94]

Are California/West Coast mandates allowing full stadiums?

I mean, I know the PAC has a big problem with attendance anyway, dating back well before pre-COVID, but I'm not sure THIS season is the one to gauge them on.  

[betarhoalphadelta]

Are California/West Coast mandates allowing full stadiums?

I mean, I know the PAC has a big problem with attendance anyway, dating back well before pre-COVID, but I'm not sure THIS season is the one to gauge them on. 

A quick search from the googles suggests that UCLA has a mask mandate but doesn't mention capacity restrictions. Stanford appears to have a mandate for proof of vaccination or a negative test within the past 72 hours, but I didn't see capacity restrictions.

However, I'd highlight from local knowledge that LA County and the entire Bay Area collection of counties are about the most careful areas of California, and probably the country, when it comes to COVID. The Bay Area was first to announce lockdowns when this happened [before it occurred statewide], and has consistently been extraordinarily restrictive. LA County has been less so, but with the case numbers they have, are significantly more restrictive than anywhere in CA except the Bay. Both areas still have indoor mask mandates regardless of vaccination status. 

So I agree--this isn't exactly the season to gauge this on. The argument that you can make is that in some areas of the country, college football is more important than COVID, and obviously in LA and the Bay, that's simply not the case. Maybe that speaks to the apathy of fans out here, but I'd still argue that this is more about COVID than apathy.

[CatsbyAZ]

Was surprised to see ASU handle a Stanford team that can usually rally the horses and play smart. ASU felled the Trees in the same fashion as everybody else on their way to a 5-1 start – by outplaying them in the second half. ASU has outscored every opponent in the 2nd half, including in their losing effort to BYU. Credit the Sun Devil coaching staff’s proactive halftime adjustments for outscoring opponents 92-23 in 2nd halves.

At 3-0 ASU shares the top of the division with 2-0 Utah, with whom they play Saturday night.

In the North, 2-1 Oregon State leads the rest of the division by a half-game default: 2-2 Stanford, 2-2 WSU, #9 1-1 Oregon, and 1-1 Washington.

Cowherd says it all:


https://twitter.com/ColinCowherd/status/1444502267353128962

[Brutus Buckeye]

Who would win a three way tie between Ucla, Utah and Arizona St, whereby all three teams went 1-1 against each other? 

[Mdot21]

USC finds the right coach they could take over in a jiffy. Great job because of tradition, location/proximity to crazy talent pool, and it's in what has to be maybe the easiest conference to come in and shake things up and dominate.

[Brutus Buckeye]

Gruden to USC?

[CatsbyAZ]

Who would win a three way tie between Ucla, Utah and Arizona St, whereby all three teams went 1-1 against each other?

In ACC news, Mack Brown is taking no responsibility for why his 3-3 North Carolina squad is the most disappointing squad in the nation:

From Outkick: “According to Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown, UNC football’s not to blame for the 35-25 loss on Saturday; rather, the media deserves to get the finger pointed at them for setting high hopes on the Heels’ season. Brown spoke with the media following the loss and gave an asinine excuse as to why the focus of the day’s loss should not be placed on sub-par coaching, or even poor player development by the coach. “My expectation is to win every game, so three times we’ve met it and three times we haven’t,” shared Brown, acknowledging his infamous string of losses (0-8) against his alma mater. “The national media’s expectation, the expectation for us to be a top-10 team, were wrong. So I guess we should all be critical of the media for picking us that high.”


https://twitter.com/Outkick/status/1447011520223793160

[Brutus Buckeye]

Oh, I meant the rock paper scissors scenario where UCLA, Utah and Arizona St all go 8-1; so ASU beats UCLA, Utah beats ASU and UCLA beats Utah. 

[Brutus Buckeye]

Well we are a UCLA win over Utah away from the three-way rock paper scissors tie in the South. 

The Civil War looms large in the North, with Oregon and OSU3 tied atop the standings. Wazzou is one game back. 

[CatsbyAZ]

After my Arizona alma mater lost 34-0 to another bottom feeding Colorado team last weekend I haven't felt this hopeless about a team since Arizona’s 2011 road loss to Oregon State dropped the Wildcats to 1-5 (10 years ago to the week). Arizona had no DL, offense was disorganized, and the schedule offered no breaks. But the second half of the season still gave wins over UCLA and ASU and by next season the stadium was full again and the team was going to bowls and a lot of fun to watch.

It’s more and more likely Arizona doesn’t win another game this year, going 0-12 despite a Pac 12 continuing to be worse by the year and cannibalize itself at every chance. Arizona is down to fielding a wounded third stringer at QB, losing their first and second QBs in consecutive weeks. This is the most talent stricken Pac 10/12 team I’ve seen since Washington State’s Paul Wulff years.

[CatsbyAZ]

With control of the South at stake, UCLA played like dog logs on the road Vs Utah last Saturday. Lost 44-24 or something like that. Fell to 5-4 and loses grip on what was an attainable division title. Yet somehow year 4 of the Chip Kelly era is the Bruins' best so far. Football purgatory despite 10 seniors on defense and fielding among the nations most experienced and productive backfields.

Of course the last of a few beat writers who cover Bruins football are calling for Chip Kelly’s job. What doesn’t get through to Bruins fans, who along with the Washington Huskies are the conference’s whiniest fans, demanding 10 wins seasons, is that a 5-4, overpaid Chip Kelly is what Westwood DESERVES.

When UCLA (and the rest of the conference) can’t come close to filling a stadium (see below), when the LA Times only publishes a single UCLA Football article per week (usually offputtingly negative), when the state’s high school population is more interested in playing soccer, and when your TV deals and game ratings are dwarfed by the SEC and Big Ten’s, a 5-4 season is what’s DESERVEDLY just in the college football world.

Expecting a title contending coach overnight is as clueless as my DJ friend, who after months performing sets around LA (fittingly) telling me “my first vehicle that I’m going to purchase is a G-Wagon but I want it to be neon green.” This despite having no way to pay her $500 phone bill or overdue rent.


https://twitter.com/MarcKulkin/status/1454581703247237120

[Brutus Buckeye]

Utah and Oregon are each up a game, but November could obviously turn the whole thing on its ear.