CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: CatsbyAZ on January 06, 2022, 11:12:35 AM
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Let’s start the Pac 12 offseason with the idiocy of Chip Kelly and UCLA. First, the Bruins backed out of playing in the Holiday Bowl with no warning just hours before kickoff, bucking Chip Kelly’s promise the day before: “If someone comes down with symptoms later on this afternoon they will get tested. We will test kids up until game time. We have our fingers crossed... our mindset is if we have 11 we will play.”
The eager conspiracy theory here is that Chip Kelly was more than happy to end up not playing North Carolina State because in his four seasons at UCLA, the Bruins have yet to beat a team that finishes the season with a winning record. A loss to ranked North Carolina State would’ve dropped UCLA to 8-5 and damaged the goodwill built up not only by three straight wins to end the regular season, but in notching UCLA’s first winning season since Chip Kelly took helm.
Chip Kelly needs this goodwill because as of now UCLA and Chip Kelly have yet to agree on terms to a necessary contract extension.
From FootballScoop.com: “On top of all this, the Kelly tenure is at a point where it really could go either way. On the one hand, Kelly is 18-25 (16-18 Pac-12) -- a far cry from the days when Kelly ran the Pac-10 at Oregon. On the other, Kelly's 2021 season was his best in Westwood thus far. The Bruins went 8-4 and won their final three games. Is that enough to sign Kelly to a massive new deal? Probably not. Is that enough to simply let him go? No, it's not.”
https://twitter.com/zach_barnett/status/1476970231700541440
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The older he gets, the weirder it is that he goes by Chip
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The older he gets, the weirder it is that he goes by Chip
i have clients that are rural farmers in alabama. it's so weird to me everytime when i talk to them and a 70+ man is named chip or bubba or something. we got several of them though.
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I've gone by my middle name all my life, and decided to take the first name for a test drive at my current job. So when someone calls out my name it sometimes takes a moment to realize that they are talking to me. So if he's always gone by Chip I can kind of see why he would keep it.
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Odds are Chip Kelly will coach next year, but if UCLA dumps him it won’t be until after January 15th, when his buyout is set to drop from $9M to $0. By then it’s too late in the Coaching change cycle to hire anything other than leftovers. Without some kind of extension, Chip Kelly could walk away insulted or be the only coach in quite some time to coach through the last year of his contract, given the risk of negative recruiting.
With home attendance and fan interest way down and the local media market moving on from UCLA, especially now that USC has hired Lincoln Riley, I’m convinced Chip Kelly recognized he could skate by with mediocrity for quite a while before UCLA ran him off. Which is why avoiding the Florida job and their more demanding fans and conference scheduling was smart.
Barely winning seasons were all Chip Kelly needed to drag along his seven figure job that also employed his deadbeat friends, like DC Jerry Azzinaro, who in no way would’ve lasted at Florida.
As it stands UCLA has pretty much scheduled themselves a winning season next year starting with three home games Vs Bowling Green, Alabama State, and South Alabama, all before needing to find only three more win in the weakest P5 conference.
(https://i.imgur.com/VqgjQBn.jpg)
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I’m starting to think the Washington Huskies will have another down season made worse due to a sharp wave of roster hemorrhaging. Under their new coach, Kalen DeBoer (hired from Fresno State), a half a dozen would-be returning starters have fled to the transfer portal since Coach DeBoer’s November 29th hiring, with several already finding landing spots at rivals UCLA and USC. Another starter, DT Taimani, is expected to transfer to rival Oregon.
Those transfers are on top of four Husky underclassman declaring for the NFL, three of whom are starting defensive backs.
However, what’s widely viewed as the most painful defection isn’t even a transfer. It’s the one-two punch of losing WR Coach Junior Adams to Oregon and by consequence losing the gem of their 2022 signing class, WR Germie Bernard to Michigan State after the Las Vegas native requested a release from his letter of intent to Washington. A big pickup for Mel Tucker.
https://twitter.com/StoneLarry/status/1478887531710062592
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I’m starting to think the Washington Huskies will have another down season made worse due to a sharp wave of roster hemorrhaging. Under their new coach, Kalen DeBoer (hired from Fresno State), a half a dozen would-be returning starters have fled to the transfer portal since Coach DeBoer’s November 29th hiring, with several already finding landing spots at rivals UCLA and USC. Another starter, DT Taimani, is expected to transfer to rival Oregon.
Those transfers are on top of four Husky underclassman declaring for the NFL, three of whom are starting defensive backs.
However, what’s widely viewed as the most painful defection isn’t even a transfer. It’s the one-two punch of losing WR Coach Junior Adams to Oregon and by consequence losing the gem of their 2022 signing class, WR Germie Bernard to Michigan State after the Las Vegas native requested a release from his letter of intent to Washington. A big pickup for Mel Tucker.
https://twitter.com/StoneLarry/status/1478887531710062592
And we travel out to Seattle next September
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So what's the back story here?
Obviously a coaching change can spur transfers, that makes sense. Especially for recruits, when the coach that recruited them is fired or chooses to leave to go somewhere else they might leave to follow that coach (or in this WR case, maybe go to their 2nd-choice school instead). And I can understand leaving UW to go to USC with their new coaching staff getting a lot of hype... But leaving UW to go to Chip Kelly at UCLA? With rumblings about his future there? Especially if you're already a starter or presumptive starter at UW? UCLA seems like jumping off the Titanic and landing on the Lusitania.
I don't even remember the name of UW's departing coach, and I don't know anything about DeBoer and his system... So maybe it's a style-of-play thing where the transfers out believe they don't have a spot in DeBoer's system? But I've never heard anything bad about DeBoer, and would find it odd if a new incoming coach just started rubbing half the starting lineup in completely the wrong way and lost the locker room before he'd ever coached a down. So I can't see why starters / presumptive starters would jump ship...
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So what's the back story here?
The minor exodus playing out in Seattle is likely overdue from the brief, abruptly ended Jimmy Lake era. Those transferring were likely already leaving whether Jimmy Lake was retained or not. Combine the season ending along with the new hire failing to unexpectedly change the minds of players with one foot already out the door, and here we are. DeBoer likely needs two seasons to stabilize the Husky roster.
Stay tuned for more Chip Kelly news soon expected from UCLA.
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I'm interested in Oregon for some reason.
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Stay tuned for more Chip Kelly news soon expected from UCLA.
Ahh yeah, I forgot about his buyout dropping to zero tomorrow.
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4 year extension for Kelly.
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So what's the back story here?
...
But leaving UW to go to Chip Kelly at UCLA? With rumblings about his future there? Especially if you're already a starter or presumptive starter at UW? UCLA seems like jumping off the Titanic and landing on the Lusitania.
I don't even remember the name of UW's departing coach, and I don't know anything about DeBoer and his system... So maybe it's a style-of-play thing where the transfers out believe they don't have a spot in DeBoer's system? But I've never heard anything bad about DeBoer, and would find it odd if a new incoming coach just started rubbing half the starting lineup in completely the wrong way and lost the locker room before he'd ever coached a down. So I can't see why starters / presumptive starters would jump ship...
The kid going to UCLA was medicaled off the roster in the spring. So he couldn't play for them even if he wanted to.
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4 year extension for Kelly.
For context, UCLA’s beleaguered DC, Jerry Azzinaro “resigned” prior to Chip Kelly’s contract extension terms were settled. Thinking UCLA’s AD made it an unwritten condition of extension that Chip Kelly rid the program of his longtime, underperforming drinking buddy:
“Jerry Azzinaro has resigned as UCLA football’s defensice coordinator after four years in the position, Bruin Report Online reported (https://www.si.com/college/ucla/football/reports-ucla-defensive-coordinator-jerry-azzinaro-resigns). Azzinaro has headed up the Bruins’ defense ever since coach Chip Kelly arrived prior to the 2018 season, and Kelly hasn’t coached without him since 2008.
“UCLA ranked No. 104, No. 116, No. 103 and No. 73 in scoring defense across Azzinaro’s four seasons. Even when the Bruins improved to 8-4 in 2021, they did so despite the defense regressing from 66th to 79th in the country in points allowed per drive.”
In related news, several outlets confirmed Panther’s Coach Matt Rhule had sent out “feelers” to gauge Chip Kelly’s potential interest in taking the Carolina’s open OC spot.
https://twitter.com/ThePanthersWire/status/1483666262576222215
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Last week Cal Football re-upped Justin Wilcox through 2027. Wilcox will be heading into his sixth season as HC with a middling 26-28 record. Why might you ask, does a 26-28 warrant an extension? Perhaps Cal sought to match Wilcox’s unusual show of loyalty once it was confirmed he turned down an offer from the Oregon Ducks.
I’m wondering if, in the win at all costs world of college football, Cal is the first program we’re seeing long letting off the gas of a football program that anybody can see isn’t the competitive focus for a University whose ambition is social action and expanding an international academic presence.
A Cal blogger states Cal’s consent to football mediocrity the following way: “To start with, some of the institutional support Wilcox is starting to receive is the kind of thing that would be considered standard operating procedures for most P5 schools. But Cal’s recent history, budgeting reality, and increasingly academic focus means that this kind of support must be earned . . . but not necessarily via wins and losses. No, Justin Wilcox appears to tick every single box a Cal coach can for administrators and big money donors tick outside of that most important box [(winning)]. He’s largely drama free and doesn’t spend time complaining about the kind of Berkeley-specific logistical hurdles that certain other Cal coaches have complained about. He’s connected to the glory days of Jeff Tedford. He’s displayed a level of loyalty to Cal that, quite frankly, Cal hasn’t earned.” (https://writeforcalifornia.com/p/2021-season-review-wrap-what-will)
And looking at it from the side of Wilcox, at what point is it worth avoiding the demands of running Oregon if you make $3.4M to deliver .500 seasons without facing discontent from Bay Area beat writers more focused on the Niners or a Cal fan base who increasingly won’t fill half of Strawberry Canyon?
To keep in mind Cal’s obstacles of budgeting, declining fan interest, aging facilities with no planned upgrades, declining local recruiting pipelines, and their difficulty of finding coaches, Cal committing to their match in Wilcox is about the most I’ve seen a football program coming to honest terms with an increasing unwillingness to compete in college football,
https://twitter.com/BR_CFB/status/1484302103489122306
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Final Pac 12 Recruiting Class Rankings:
Stanford finishes first with prep signees (Table 1) although USC did so well pillaging the Transfer Portal those additions put the Trojans on top overall (Table 2).
Most notable are the Arizona schools, with Arizona finishing second with quite possibly its strongest class since early in the Stoops era, while Arizona State signed arguably their lowest rated class in program history, finishing last. Overall, ASU hitting the transfer portal hard lifts the Sun Devils to 10th, however it’s clear their pending NCAA investigations and the resulting firings and resignations of 5 total assistants is limiting ASU’s recruiting appeal.
(https://i.imgur.com/mwkqTiZ.jpg)
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(https://i.imgur.com/KS4LJ9K.jpg)
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Under looming Arizona State football sanctions, plenty of despair abounds on the Sun Devil boards:
“Has there ever been a period this dark in the history of ASU? I guess the sanctions coming out in the late 70s were the worst single event. Truly boggles the mind that nothing is being done other than firing some assistants who likely were following orders. I have zero interest in attending any athletic event at ASU.”
:o
“Take your pick: Running Back Loren Wade shooting to death a former football player behind a night club in Scottsdale? The 1994 ASU point shaving scandal which is now can be enjoyed as a Netflix doc? Numerous sanctions against the baseball program?”
:o
“The BB scandal was bad for an individual sport, and its impact. But overall the investigation into football, mass exodus in BB, and the Smith debacle in Baseball, it's pretty low right now. The fan base is numb with mediocrity. We just participate; and that's simply not good enough for a place like ASU. Whispers of AD sexual harassment cover-ups, Coaches and players can't even communicate, dumpster fire no doubt...which in the end comes from the top. Athletic Director and even President, who is embarrassing the entire university by ignoring all the dysfunction inside ASU Athletics.”
:o
“This is legitimately the worst I’ve ever seen the athletic department as a whole in my entire life. When was the last time we won a tournament game? Went to Omaha? Were invited to a New Years caliber bowl game? How’s attendance? How’s local fan interest? Any metric you use, ASU athletics are a complete dumpster fire right now.”
:o
“ASU athletics gets around 30m a year from the school (highest in the PAC), mostly in the form of student fees it makes everyone pay whether they like it or not. Overall the annual budget for athletics is around $100m. It's amazing that for that kind of dough ASU is totally irrelevant in pretty much all sports in the PAC on a national basis. The AD is one of the highest paid too.”
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Negative momentum continues building at Arizona State.
Starting QB Jayden Daniels’ recent bailing for the transfer portal is made worse by his season ending commitment to finish his productive college career in Tempe, which in the interim prevented ASU from pursuing a replacement from the top QB transfers, namely Spencer Rattler, a Phoenix native.
News of Daniels leaving wasn’t taken well by teammates:
https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/1494696721896648708
Meanwhile, in a case of the fish rotting from the head, ASU President Michael Crow is the latest University official to deflect blame for the exodus of assistant coaches resulting from the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into ASU’s rampant recruiting malpractices, all while somehow praising Herm Edwards on a local radio show: “…where you have people who decide not to play by the rules, those people are gone. Now we are looking at what went wrong and why that happened and so forth…Coach Edwards has done an outstanding job of upgrading our overall program. We've got this collision of people that decided to not play by the rules…but coach Edwards is responsible for all of the actions of his people but these are not things that he asked them to do. These are not things that he was a part of so we're looking at everything possible. He's brought a lot of talent and a lot of energy and a lot of creativity.”
Hours after ASU President Michael Crow insisted on Coach Herm’s innocence, news broke of Herm meeting with numerous recruits during strict dead periods:
https://twitter.com/ChrisKarpman/status/1496580553520259074
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How can they possibly keep that guy?
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And we travel out to Seattle next September
Found an article hyping Washington’s early season matchup Vs Michigan State as a “benchmark game” for the Huskies first year coach. It’s your typical offseason beat write up with lots of hope as hyped by several historical parallels that Washington fans are hoping repeat in their favor.
“To begin with, Michael Penix, meet Sonny Sixkiller.”
How, “Fifty-two years ago, a heavily favored Michigan State team arrived in Seattle fully expecting to have its way with a UW football team that the Spartans had beaten 27-11 the year before in East Lansing. They ran smack into a new quarterback in Sixkiller and his college debut and corresponding passing magic, and lost 42-16 when the guy with the great football name threw for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns. Sonny killed them with sixes. The Spartans haven't been back to Montlake since.”
I had to look up who Sonny Sixkiller was, if that was even a real name – from Wikipedia: “On the advice of Willis, head coach Jim Owens recruited Sixkiller and offered him a scholarship to the University of Washington in Seattle. Due to his name, he was given uniform number 6. Sixkiller became the starting quarterback for the Huskies as a sophomore in 1970, and led the Huskies to a 6-4 record, a vast improvement over the 1–9 record in 1969. He completed 186 passes for 2,303 yards and 15 touchdowns in what many called the Year of The Quarterback, in which Jim Plunkett of Stanford passed for 2,715 yards on the year and broke his own conference record. Plunkett won the Heisman Trophy in 1970, beating out Notre Dame's Joe Theismann and Archie Manning of Ole Miss.”
(I know almost nothing of college football before the 1990s.)
Now for the Penix parallel: “While Sixkiller is now a 70-year-old man and will occupy a prime seat high up in the stands for this long overdue Seattle rematch, Penix, an Indiana transfer and an odds-on favorite to become DeBoer's starter behind center, comes to Seattle with valuable intel. He knows how to beat Michigan State. In 2020, Penix led the Hoosiers to a resounding 24-0 victory in East Lansing in Tucker's first season as the Spartans coach. This happened on a sunny day. In an empty stadium. During pandemic peak times. Penix completed 25 of 38 passes for 320 yards and launched touchdowns of 16 and 65 yards to some guy named Ty Fryfogle, who sounds like a cook at Burger King. It was shades of Sixkiller.”
https://www.si.com/college/washington/football/why-michigan-state-is-benchmark-game-for-deboer-winnable
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I mean just cancel the season now, it's over
https://twitter.com/ColinCowherd/status/1506387354075873282?t=BmmKFV84GNNQA5hUPXQVlQ&s=19
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Cowherd
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It is acknowledged how Cowherd’s fan boy fixation with USC is reaching levels of creepy.
From Petros Papadakis this week on Fox Sports Radio:
“I think the Colin Cowherd thing is become like a joke…so many people on his staff made fun of him for the way he acts about USC. And this is second or third attempt to become like a USC guy. And USC has not cooperated by winning.”
“I remember the year Sark got fired…so there was a Thursday night early in 2015. Chris Petersen was just at Washington…and they went down to USC on a Thursday night and…ran over USC. Sark’s personal secretary had a panic attack on the sideline and had to be gurney-ed out. And Sark had his meltdown the next day. That day on the radio Colin Cowherd proclaimed Washington Football to be dead; USC Football to be back. Washington ended up eventually in the college football playoff and everybody knows what happened to Sark.”
“Colin Cowherd is a great radio talent but he has been trying to link himself to USC every since he got to LA. Now that Lincoln Riley is there he acted like such a girl at a One Direction concert when Lincoln Riley came in to do the carwash when USC hired him. And Cowherd said ‘hey if I can do anything for you, please let me know,’ like off the air. And his staff was so…creeped out by it that now instead of just saying well I was just acting creepy he’s doubled down and is making a joke out of it. So I’m trying not to overreact to Colin’s tweets about USC’s greatest practice ever. But I don’t think the level of competition of the West Coast is really there…to say USC is back.”
Rumor has it Cowherd was given his own personal key to the guesthouse of Riley’s recently purchased LA property:
https://twitter.com/FOS/status/1501971624777637899
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gotta be a better house than the old place in Okie land
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I'm interested in Oregon for some reason.
Why might you ask, does a 26-28 warrant an extension? Perhaps Cal sought to match Wilcox’s unusual show of loyalty once it was confirmed he turned down an offer from the Oregon Ducks.
Unsurprisingly there’s more to the story as to why Justin Wilcox surprisingly turned down the Oregon gig – from ESPN:
“The search initially steered toward Cal's Justin Wilcox, with the hope that he could blend the old ways and the new.”
“A well-regarded defensive mind, Wilcox's mediocre win-loss record at Cal (26-28) could be defended by the challenges of winning in Berkeley. Plus, he had extensive knowledge of the program and the Pac-12. There was a feeling inside the Oregon athletic department, multiple sources told ESPN, that if Wilcox was paired with an innovative offensive coordinator and a staff of talented recruiters, it would be close to an ideal succession from Cristobal.”
“A move to Oregon made sense for Wilcox, and from the outside, it appeared to be a dream job for the 45-year-old. Until it wasn't.”
“Sources close to Wilcox said the Oregon job initially came with some conditions related to the recruiting philosophy and possibly assistants to retain or hire. Those "spooked" the coach, one person said. Even when Oregon relaxed on some of those items, Wilcox didn't feel he could run the program like he wanted. He turned down Oregon's offer to become coach, sources said.”
Football Coaching is full of Type A, demanding personalities, a la Jim Tressel. The all-consuming involvement of coaching promotes a control freak’s approach toward every last detail in their program.
But on the other hand, there are scenarios where a coaching tenure could’ve been boosted if an AD stepped in and took more stake in, say, the flailing defense of a program surviving on the high octane success of its offensive minded coach.
Arizona under Rich Rodriguez would’ve greatly benefitted had a frustrated AD fairly or not wrested control of RichRod’s awful 3-4 defense and removed the defensive recruiting, scheming, and player development from his hands.
This isn’t realistic given the military commander’s mindset of control head coaches expect over their program, but in theory I like the Oregon AD’s idea of delegating specific veto powers according to coaching strengths of individual staffers within the football program.
https://twitter.com/wyattgladden/status/1495897274903265280
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In an interview this week with 247 Sports, Jayden Daniels responded to former ASU teammates trashing his locker after his untimely transfer to LSU:
“I always enjoyed my time at Arizona State. I love coach Herm and those guys over there, but just for my career, my future, I decided to go somewhere else just so I can reach into that untapped potential. They did a great job at ASU, but coming here to LSU, I get to showcase my talent on a national stage. A lot of people back home don’t really get to see our games. Coming here and competing at the highest level with all these weapons here and all these resources, it’s really intriguing for me.”
The “untapped potential” comment takes its cue from Brian Kelly who during press conferences last month criticized Arizona State’s development of Daniels:
“I think he brings more than extending plays, actually. He was in an offensive structure and system which was really built towards ball control this past year, playing to a very good defense. We think that there’s a lot that has not been tapped into with his ability to be a dual-threat quarterback. He’s got arm talent, he’s got a high I.Q. and he can run the football. He’s a talented runner of the football. He wasn’t asked to do that (at Arizona State). He was more of an extender of plays. We think there is much more to that than what he’s brought over the last couple of years.”
As someone who watches ASU games, I agree with Kelly. ASU’s coaches did not improve Daniels’ play; he was the same QB from freshman year through last year, and maybe even a regressed passer.
https://twitter.com/Jeremy_Cluff/status/1513894551093579778
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More roster hemorrhaging at ASU, from two highly contributing players no less: https://twitter.com/ChrisKarpman/status/1517173661601452035
Which I guess helps Arizona if they don’t want to outdo last year’s 1-11 season by going winless, as this guy is convinced: https://saturdayblitz.com/2022/04/10/will-the-arizona-wildcats-go-winless-for-the-2022-23-season/
“Going winless in college football is relatively rare, as it requires an especially-potent combination of mediocrity and strength of schedule to occur. However, it is quite difficult to argue against the Arizona Wildcats having such a combination in store for them next season, and that is why they will go 0-12 in 2022.”
I haven’t season a Pac 12 program as down and out since Washington State’s Paul Wulff years – 9 – 40 from 2008 to 2011.
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There is absolutely no excuse for both of those programs to be dumpster fires.
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There is absolutely no excuse for both of those programs to be dumpster fires.
ASU’s situation is mostly self-inflicted these days, right?
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ASU’s situation is mostly self-inflicted these days, right?
One decision that isn’t helping the Sun Devils retain their roster, NCAA investigation or not, is the ASU athletic department’s reluctance to engage with the NIL reality, meaning their latest additional transfer announcements, all just last week – two DTs, an OL, and a WR if I’m keeping track – are leaving because of higher potential NIL opportunities elsewhere. Their AD was on local radio last month advocating “no intention of being in an arms race…we can’t do that,” and they don’t expect to be a “heavy hitter with NIL deals.” Well you know what, Ray Anderson, College Football is more of an arms race than ever before.
As for how the rest of the conference is adapting to the new realities of transferring and NIL deals, as of last week, “243 football players have passed through the transfer portal on their way out of or into the Pac-12” (see link below).
Of note is Stanford, who, losing the strength of their already lagging offense by the loss of both starting tailbacks, highlights what might be the disadvantages the transfer portal will cause Stanford for the foreseeable future: “We feel confident predicting Stanford will never be a transfer portal winner — the admissions standards pose a major challenge for both undergraduate and graduate students. (Fields is the Cardinal’s only newcomer in this cycle.) Peat stands as the most significant departure instead of leading rusher Austin Jones, who left for USC, because of his big-play speed and success as a kick returner. But the combination is a major blow to a running game that struggled even with both players in the lineup.”
Finishing a listless 3-9 last season (to go along with 11-19 the past 3) fans aren't wrong to wonder whether Stanford has lost their trademark stability under David Shaw, made more uncertain by the new age of the Portal and NILs, though the Cardinal are still signing among the conference’s top rated recruiting classes.
https://twitter.com/mercnews/status/1518590959642193923
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The big drama in the Pac 12 lately has been USC’s potential inducement to lure Pitt’s Biletnikoff-winning wideout Jordan Addison through the transfer portal on an NIL deal of upwards of $3 Million. Apparently it’s all a radio rumor started by Colin Cowherd. The $3M bidding war is, anyway. And Lincoln Riley is getting scapegoated for potentially tampering with Addison before Addison left Pitt for the transfer portal where his name finally appeared last week. “A source told ESPN that Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi caught wind of USC as a potential destination and called Trojans coach Lincoln Riley multiple times on Friday to express his displeasure. Pitt officials suspect that tampering could have occurred.”
Now it looks as though there’s an arms race between Texas, USC, and potentially Alabama hosting Addison this month.
https://twitter.com/TrojansWire/status/1524751427431772160
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SI did a preseason Pac 12 power ranking.
https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-pac-12-power-ratings-2022-season#gid=ci029be7a210002795&pid=12-arizona-wildcats
The Utes are first, and then the other three MTZ teams are bringing up the rear. Didn't realize ASU and Colorado were supposed to be so putrid.
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https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-pac-12-power-ratings-2022-season#gid=ci029be7a210002795&pid=12-arizona-wildcats
Didn't realize ASU and Colorado were supposed to be so putrid.
Colorado lost around 20 players to the portal, including many top performers from their secondary and skill positions. Gone is pretty much the entire Buffalo’s roster from the success of their winning 2020 Covid shortened season that ended with a trip to the Alamo Bowl.
As bad as the Pac 12’s cellar is, take a look at the midsection – 9. Cal 8. Stanford 7. Washington 6. Washington State 5. Oregon State. Putting OSU at #5 is only by default since they are the most likely bowl certainty after the conference’s top 4, and a likelier 6-6 bowl qualification at that. Outside of the projected top 4 – USC, UCLA, Oregon, Utah the rest of the conference, #5 – #12 are no better than good for 3 or 4 win finishes in the Big 12, Big Ten, SEC, and maybe that bad for the ACC too.
https://twitter.com/ESPNRittenberg/status/1483552180552540165
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SI did a preseason Pac 12 power ranking.
https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-pac-12-power-ratings-2022-season#gid=ci029be7a210002795&pid=12-arizona-wildcats
The Utes are first, and then the other three MTZ teams are bringing up the rear. Didn't realize ASU and Colorado were supposed to be so putrid.
The Colorado fall has been something. It doesn't help to have a coach leave in March and then having to go with Karl Dorrell, a true journeyman's journeyman.
Still, that team had an 8-year stretch without a bowl, snapped it with that 10-win MacIntyre team and then crashed back. Since the early 2000s, they've had two coaches fired amid controversy (aided by lagging records), two coaches with winning percentages below .330, one coach leave after a year, and hired a coach who went 13 years between head coach jobs and was unremarkable in that decade-plus (peak was either coaching Matt Schaub on a 12-4 NFL team, before going 2-14 the next year, or coordinating a Vandy offense that averaged 17.2 points per game)
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Colorado was pretty damn great for a while under McCartney. Was he cheating?
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The big drama in the Pac 12 lately has been USC’s potential inducement to lure Pitt’s Biletnikoff-winning wideout Jordan Addison through the transfer portal on an NIL deal of upwards of $3 Million. Apparently it’s all a radio rumor started by Colin Cowherd. The $3M bidding war is, anyway. And Lincoln Riley is getting scapegoated for potentially tampering with Addison before Addison left Pitt for the transfer portal where his name finally appeared last week. “A source told ESPN that Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi caught wind of USC as a potential destination and called Trojans coach Lincoln Riley multiple times on Friday to express his displeasure. Pitt officials suspect that tampering could have occurred.”
Now it looks as though there’s an arms race between Texas, USC, and potentially Alabama hosting Addison this month.
FFS they've went and ruined college football - 3 Million?Might as well start following Soccer,Rugby or Australian Rule Football
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After the NCAA chose last Wednesday to relax restrictions on conference championship games, giving determination to each conference on how teams will participate in title games, the Pac 12 wasted no time in changing up how spots in its Las Vegas conference championship will be earned.
“The Pac-12 announced that they would be changing the format for teams to get into the conference championship game, starting in 2022, now based on win-percentage vs. other conference teams, rather than the winner of the north and south divisions.”
“The Pac-12 says that the current 2022 schedule, with matchups based on divisions, will remain in place, but things will be re-evaluated after the season. There is a feeling that the conference could do away with divisions in the near future.”
https://twitter.com/VoxQUINDARO/status/1527092517082218497
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Doesn't seem like the problem was inequitable divisions
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What was he thinking? As though losing his brains while playing and coaching for the Huskies wasn’t enough, former Washington player and coach donates his brains to the program too!
“It is 3:23 p.m. on Friday, May 13, and the Buster Alvord Laboratory for Neuropathology Research is hosting a family reunion. “This is him,” UW Medicine Division of Neuropathology and Fellowship director C. Dirk Keene says, removing a blue towel to reveal Jim Lambright’s brain.”
“Kris and Eric donated their dad’s brain to the UW Medicine Brain Repository and Integrated Research (BRaIN) laboratory following his death, in hopes it could assist medical research and improve treatment of brain injuries.”
https://twitter.com/SeaTimesSports/status/1527689480890720258
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Arizona State Labeled as Losers in Pac-12 Post-Spring Grades:
Poor offseason continues for ASU, this time summarized in the form of portal transfers - from the Athletic:
"It’s been almost a year since word of the NCAA’s investigation into Arizona State became public, and the hits to the program haven’t stopped coming since. Herm Edwards has seen five assistants be fired or leave for other jobs, and his roster has felt the effects of the uncertainty through the transfer portal."
"The Sun Devils have lost their starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, two of their top three receivers from 2021 (Ricky Pearsall and LV Bunkley-Shelton) and two talented defensive standouts, lineman Jermayne Lole and Eric Gentry. All have landed at Power 5 programs: Daniels picked LSU; Pearsall and Bunkley-Shelton ended up at Florida and Oklahoma, respectively; Gentry went to USC and Lole chose Louisville. That has made for quite the talent drain in Tempe.
"But it hasn’t been all bad for Arizona State in the portal this offseason. The Sun Devils recently brought in former Florida starting quarterback Emory Jones, on top of the earlier lauded additions of Wyoming running back Xazavian Valladay and Miami defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera. Keeping Omarr Norman-Lott, who briefly entered the portal but chose to return to the program, was another positive. But it’s hard to argue those additions will offset the losses the Sun Devils have suffered. No other program in the conference has lost as much since the initial portal wave ended."
edit: adding the below from Athlon's preview:
https://twitter.com/BradPowers7/status/1535735753694597120
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As we discussed in the other thread, should be an interesting P12 race this year. The contenders in my mind:
1) Utah (my pick)
2) USC (the popular pick)
3) Oregon (strange to call them a darkhorse)
4) UCLA (an actual darkhorse)
And with no divisions, who knows what kind of interesting title game matchup and possibly rematch we may get. Any other teams I should be thinking about as dangerous? ASU would normally be one of those teams, but they've had a bad offseason. Does Stanford have anything in the tank?
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Colorado was pretty damn great for a while under McCartney. Was he cheating?
I loved Colorado in the 90s. They were my adopted "west coast" team. Enjoyed them having that one good season a couple years back
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As we discussed in the other thread, should be an interesting P12 race this year. The contenders in my mind:
1) Utah (my pick)
2) USC (the popular pick)
3) Oregon (strange to call them a darkhorse)
4) UCLA (an actual darkhorse)
And with no divisions, who knows what kind of interesting title game matchup and possibly rematch we may get. Any other teams I should be thinking about as dangerous? ASU would normally be one of those teams, but they've had a bad offseason. Does Stanford have anything in the tank?
This is interesting to me. Shaw had it rolling for a number of years, and then it seemed like as his recruiting (STARZ) picked up, there's been a drop off.
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As we discussed in the other thread, should be an interesting P12 race this year. The contenders in my mind:
1) Utah (my pick)
2) USC (the popular pick)
3) Oregon (strange to call them a darkhorse)
4) UCLA (an actual darkhorse)
And with no divisions, who knows what kind of interesting title game matchup and possibly rematch we may get. Any other teams I should be thinking about as dangerous? ASU would normally be one of those teams, but they've had a bad offseason. Does Stanford have anything in the tank?
As we discussed in our own league, I think that eliminating divisions should come with a schedule shift to avoid likely CG matches in the seasons' final week. The Pac looks better situated here for this than we do. Using SI's power rankings, here are the PAC's final weekend games:
- #10 ASU vs #12 Zona
- #3 UCLA vs #9 Cal
- #2 Oregon vs #5 OrSU
- #1 Utah vs #11 Colorado
- #7 Washington vs #6 WSU
- #8 Stanford and #4 USC have OOC games vs BYU and ND respectively
The only final-weekend game between two teams in the top-half of the preseason rankings is the Oregon/Oregon State game so the chances of a CG rematch one week after the first meeting are pretty slim. That is good, IMHO. FWIW, last year when Stanford instead of USC hosted Notre Dame the final weekend the Trojans hosted BYU so at least at present those two seem to be simply swapping ND/BYU.
By way of comparison, here are the B1G's final weekend games with SI's preseason Power Rankings (https://www.si.com/fannation/college/cfb-hq/ncaa-football-rankings/college-football-rankings-big-ten-power-ratings-2022-season-ohio-state-michigan#gid=ci029be61080032795&pid=14-northwestern-wildcats):
- #8 UNL vs #5 IA
- #11 IL vs #14 NU
- #7 MN vs #4 UW
- #9 PU vs #13 IU
- #12 RU vs #10 UMD
- #3 MSU vs #6 PSU
- #2 M vs #1 tOSU
Not only does the B1G have the obvious problem of having #1 play #2 in the final weekend, but there are also possible CG rematches in MSU/PSU, MN/UW and UNL/IA.
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Does Stanford have anything in the tank?
This is interesting to me. Shaw had it rolling for a number of years, and then it seemed like as his recruiting (STARZ) picked up, there's been a drop off.
Stanford’s time in the mud is entering into year 4. Probably too long at this point to believe David Shaw can lift his program from the mire. This despite all the positives indicating a stable program on paper. Recruiting consistently finishes among the best in the conference: #2 2022, #7 2021, #3 2020, #3 2019. Stanford also is one of the best at retaining their players through their senior years. This season’s starters boast 7 SRs on Offense and 8 SRs on Defense, most of whom are developed from their 2019 signing class.
Despite this solid groundwork there’s no making up for the total lack of energy around Stanford’s program. 11-19 overall and 9-15 in conference play these past 3 seasons, with no life on offense to speak of. Last season’s 3-9 team closed the season losing their last seven games, including by an average of 32 points to their last four opponents.
The roster experience and draft-able talent is there to win most any game on the schedule (last season beating #3 Oregon), but in the overall picture it will be difficult to gain early season traction with an early schedule opening with USC, @Washington, @Oregon, Oregon St, @Notre Dame and later including road games against the other two better South teams – UCLA and Utah.
(https://i.imgur.com/qO9fPpl.jpg)
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CincyDawg linked this story in another thread, but in short, Pac 12 commissioner George Kliavkoff isn’t happy with how slowly the joint venture between the ACC, Pac 12, and Big Ten are when it comes to scheduling football games with each other.
“The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC announced the formation of "The Alliance" — an agreement between the three conferences to work together on key issues amid the rapidly shifting landscape of college sports — last August in wake of the SEC's move to add Oklahoma and Texas to the league no later than the summer of 2025. A key part of The Alliance is the intention for schools from the three leagues to actively schedule non-conference games against another, though it's been easier said than done approaching a year since its formation.”
My question is why let SEC aggressiveness prompt anybody to form some sort on-paper bond that sounds nice but ultimately doesn’t accomplish much. Especially if the SEC starts cannibalizing itself by adding Texas/Oklahoma. I mean what substance is there to the following language from their joint statement?
"The three conferences are grounded in their support of broad-based athletic programs, the collegiate model and opportunities for student-athletes as part of the educational missions of the institutions.”
How does scheduling North Carolina State to play Colorado or Iowa State further anybody’s “educational missions?” That wouldn’t otherwise be furthered with any other home-and-home series?
The whole thing is a Pac 12/ACC overreaction against feeling threatened by the SEC’s advantages. Not sure why the Big Ten bothered with this partnership when, if anything, the Big Ten has similar fan support, brand recognition, and on field success as the SEC.
https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1538870824249307141
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It's a rather weird thing to me.
I still think the B1G is gonna go to 16 soon.
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I don't get this years in advance thing. I thought the advantage of the alliance would be that we would get flexibility with scheduling. Each team has 1 slot locked in each year for an alliance matchup and we could decide in April who you might play that year. You could do a big schedule release to reveal that hey Clemson plays Ohio State and USC is playing Wisconsin. Instead, they are still thinking ok let's talk about who to schedule against Michigan in 2035. Big opportunity wasted here.
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My Dad had heart surgery at the University of Utah hospital a few years ago. As part of his out-patient care they gave him a pillow that I’ve only recently seen. Reminds me of the PAC 12 equivalent of something rare that would end up on that B10 Network’s Treasure Hunters show from like a decade ago where the American Pickers dupe would try to buy Big Ten memorabilia collections.
(https://i.imgur.com/h2xNAkz.jpg)
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I don't get this years in advance thing. I thought the advantage of the alliance would be that we would get flexibility with scheduling. Each team has 1 slot locked in each year for an alliance matchup and we could decide in April who you might play that year. You could do a big schedule release to reveal that hey Clemson plays Ohio State and USC is playing Wisconsin. Instead, they are still thinking ok let's talk about who to schedule against Michigan in 2035. Big opportunity wasted here.
I agree 100%.
In the fast-changing world of CFB, talking about schedules a decade or more in advance is not the way to go. A decade ago Clemson hadn't won an NC in 30 years.
IMHO, the alliance should be simple. Each year half of each league travels and half hosts. Thus you'd have:
- 7 ACC teams traveling
- 7 B1G teams traveling
- 6 Pac teams traveling
- 20 total
And:
- 7 ACC teams hosting
- 7 B1G teams hosting
- 6 Pac teams hosting
- 20 total
Now all you need to do is decide which traveling teams visit which hosts and done.
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much too logical
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The only red tape that got easier during the pandemic was college football scheduling. Teams scheduled games like 4 days out. Rutgers called their team back from semester break to go play in a bowl
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:sign0085:
https://twitter.com/wilnerhotline/status/1542559346453729281
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:sign0085:
https://twitter.com/wilnerhotline/status/1542559346453729281
The Athletic confirming
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Colorado, Arizona, ASU to the B12.
Just kidding.
Probably.
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unfortunately, that would be an upgrade
in TV revenue
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I was wrong about the 5 conferences whittling down to 4. I thought it was Big 12 vs ACC in a battle to the death. But it looks like it's the PAC vs Big 12. Hmmph.
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you were wrong???
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We're all wrong often enough.
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agreed
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Add the following six teams; BYU, Texas Tech, Boise, UNLV, San Diego State and Hawaii. Gobble up every major market and recruiting hotbed from W Texas, to California, to the Pacific Islands (minus LA, of course).
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It's a rather weird thing to me.
I still think the B1G is gonna go to 16 soon.
Dadgummit 847Badgerfan. How in heck did you know this? You are an insider? I thought you were a hydrologist, or something like that.
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something like that
he's spends a lot of time on the water
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Does Stanford have anything in the tank?
This is interesting to me. Shaw had it rolling for a number of years, and then it seemed like as his recruiting (STARZ) picked up, there's been a drop off.
To put it another way David Shaw went 73-22 from 2011 to 2017 winning 3 Pac 12 titles and making 3 Rose Bowls. Since then Standard has sputtered along with a 20-23 record with only a Sun Bowl to show for it, and all while Shaw's salary has increased to $9M.
Though Stanford is notably patient with their coaches, many are proclaiming this as a hot seat year for Shaw, starting with Sports Illustrated: “The Cardinal have had two losing seasons in the last three years, and have consistently ranked towards the bottom of the country in just about every major statistic. Some people view it as a lack of development of recruits, as the Cardinal consistently recruit top 25 classes, while others believe the staff's refusal to change with the times in college football is what’s hurting them. Clearly…this is a make or break season for Shaw, but Stanford's schedule will not make it easy on him at all. The Cardinal have an absolute gauntlet of a schedule that ranks as the toughest in the conference, playing at the very minimum, six ranked opponents.”
https://twitter.com/AllCardinal/status/1543313510309892097
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Dadgummit 847Badgerfan. How in heck did you know this? You are an insider? I thought you were a hydrologist, or something like that.
Early chatter out of LA, actually. I have rather wealthy family out there, and they are heavy donors to their Alma Maters athletics and academics, which are UCLA, USC and Stanford.
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yup, academic liberal tree hungers think football is barbaric and for mouth breathers
they think it adds nothing to higher society
Why is Colorado so down in CFB?
Colorado was pretty damn great for a while under McCartney. Was he cheating?
As to why Colorado is down (To follow up on comments here and in the Lindy’s 2001 Preview Thread), maybe Colorado isn’t really down given the limits of Boulder’s platform for sports? Maybe it’s more like Colorado was always meant to be a 4 or 5 win program with a few breakout seasons here and there?
Take Cowherd’s assessment as stated 15 years ago in response to Colorado’s coach Dan Hawkins’ famous tirade:
“Dan Hawkins coaches the University of Colorado. A place that drives committed, ambitious football coaches crazy. It drove Bill McCartney into religion. It drove Rick Neuheisel out of town. It drove Gary Barnett crazy. And Dan Hawkins is the newest coach facing the weird libertine hippie culture of Boulder Colorado, the People’s Republic of Boulder. And this is what he said in front of the media - he just kind of snapped: “IT’S DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL! IT’S THE BIG TWELVE! IT AIN’T INTERMURALS! You got two weeks after finals, you got a week for July 4th, and you got a week before camp starts. THAT’S A MONTH! That’s probably more vacation than you guys get! And we’re a little bummed out that we don’t get THREE WEEKS! GO PLAY INTERMURALS BROTHER! GO PLAY INTERMURALS!”
“Dan Hawkins got an anonymous letter from a parent of a player saying ‘you only gave ‘em two weeks off – they usually get three!’ And Hawkins said we did give ‘em three. We moved a week around…and then that outburst. Here’s the first thing: Boulder Colorado is hippy central. The reason same Cal Berkeley will never be USC football, Colorado will never be Texas, and Oregon will never be Oklahoma. You know why? Because the hippie ratio is too high. And hippies don’t commit to anything. Hippies are dabblers. They dabble in literature, politics, the web, cinema, drugs. [Strung out hippie Voiceover]: Dude I’ve dabbled in real estate. But I don’t like working weekends. It cuts into my social life. You can’t dabble in college football!”
raw link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6t3VKLL-OY
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Colorado will never be Texas,
Keep Austin weird!
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Former Oregon State defensive lineman Elu Aydon arrested in connection with two armed robberies of corner stores outside Tacoma.
(https://www.q13fox.com/news/former-osu-football-player-arrested-for-pierce-county-armed-robberies)
“On April 15, Pierce County deputies were searching for Aydon after an armed robbery at the Handy Corner Store at 8009 112th Street East in Puyallup. Detectives said Aydon had a silver semi-automatic handgun, entered the store and demanded cash. After getting the money, the suspect got into a red sedan and fled with $200. Six days before, deputies said there was an armed robbery at a convenience store on Golden Given Road in Tacoma. Investigators said Aydon was the suspect in this robbery.”
“Tacoma police said Aydon was in a stolen car at a motel on Hosmer Street when he was arrested. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle. Aydon was a former defensive lineman at Oregon State University from 2015-2019.”
(https://i.imgur.com/unJ4MXp.jpg)
Looks like Aydon has lost some muscle since his playing days. Or maybe waving a gun around on camera subtracts a few pounds?
https://twitter.com/PierceSheriff/status/1517217901031350273
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For all of UCLA's upward trending to finish on a much needed upswing last season, along with the hype going into this upcoming season, Chip Kelly and Staff are getting completely out-recruited right now by USC, Stanford, Washington, and Oregon. Three of those schools are fielding new coaches and the other (Stanford) is an uninspiring 11-19 these past three seasons.
Sure there’s plenty of time left in the recruiting cycle, but when so many of your prime targets are already off the board and committed to your rivals, it begs questions over how committed and/or able Chip Kelly’s staff is. There's a lot that this current coaching staff is failing to sell on the recruiting trail. Currently ranked 10th in the conference.
So far not the caliber of players you want to trot into Columbus in mid-November. Or Madison. Or East Lansing. Or Iowa City...
https://twitter.com/SI_AllBruins/status/1553859167667904512
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https://twitter.com/SI_AllBruins/status/1553859167667904512
To dive further into UCLA's recruiting setbacks, here's the standout content:
"But even if UCLA was able to secure commitments from all five of those targets, that would still only leave them with 11 players in their 2023 recruiting class. After only signing 11 recruits in 2022, that would be back-to-back very small classes for Kelly."
"The 2023 roster is set to be gutted by graduating players, with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, running back Zach Charbonnet, receiver Jake Bobo, receiver Kazmeir Allen, tight end Michael Ezeike, offensive lineman Jon Gaines II, center Sam Marrazzo, offensive guard Atonio Mafi, offensive tackle Tyler Manoa, defensive lineman Martin Andrus Jr., edge rusher Bo Calvert, linebacker Ale Kaho, linebacker Shea Piits, cornerback Azizi Hearn, safety Stephan Blaylock and defensive back Mo Osling III all set to leave next winter. Add in the ones who declare early for the NFL draft and the ones who leave via the transfer portal, and a rebuild appears to be just over the horizon."
"Instead of stockpiling young players, Kelly seems content to go year-by-year, patching up holes with transfers in favor of building out a consistent, growing program. It almost feels like it's too late for him to turn things around on this front, with only about 15 real targets left for him and his staff to go after. Kelly will have to commit to changing his philosophy for the 2024 class, and hope that he can win enough in 2022 and 2023 to keep his job that long."
After the likelihood of a terrible 2023 season given the roster, it's worth looking ahead to when UCLA joins the Big Ten for the 2024 season and wondering whether the Bruins will not only have a new coach but a very ill-equipped roster. Even when the Bruins are winning they do not have the meat on the lines to match the muscle of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State, to name a few.
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So what will happen with the PAC? Can it survive, or will the Big 12 absorb the viable members?
Colorado, Utah and the AZ schools to the 12 maybe?
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I think they can survive if they don't lose any more. It once was the Pac Ten. I think the B12 of course is eyeing the members you cite of course.
They could add SDSU and BYU, perhaps, later.
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BYU is in the 12 now.
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take Utah and Colorado with them
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The BYU fans prefer the Big 12 over the Pac 12 out of spite, but I'm not sure the bean counters would agree
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I think they can survive if they don't lose any more. It once was the Pac Ten. I think the B12 of course is eyeing the members you cite of course.
They could add SDSU and BYU, perhaps, later.
In my lifetime it was also the PAC-8. (Arizona does not have a Pacific Coast shoreline, nor do Utah or Colorado).
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If California went the way Lex Luther wanted, the AZ schools might be oceanfront. :)
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(https://i.imgur.com/wsYQrLj.png)
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Given last year’s Supreme Court ruling limiting vaccine mandates, Rolovich has a worthwhile case:
“Former Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich has filed a claim against the university seeking $25 million for wrongful termination after he was fired last year for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Rolovich’s attorney did not return a telephone message left at his office Wednesday. He has previously indicated Rolovich would take legal action, claiming religious discrimination.”
“Rolovich, who is Catholic, was denied a religious exemption from Gov. Jay Inslee’s mandate requiring state employees to get the vaccine. He was fired in October after he had coached just 11 games with the Cougars over two seasons, going 5-6. Assistant coach Jake Dickert was temporarily elevated to interim head coach and then was named Rolovich’s replacement after leading the Cougars to the Sun Bowl.”
https://twitter.com/usatodaysports/status/1557546845592854528
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I think that case will be settled very quickly, given the CDC's current position.
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Images of pink uniforms Oregon is rumored to be wearing Vs UCLA this season. Can’t find an official source for this photo; emerged on a message board, likely photo-shopped before upload. But hey, knowing Oregon’s fetish for uniform flair it’s on brand:
(https://i.imgur.com/YdIi7xe.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/uDkGyO6.jpg)
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As expected, Washington names Indiana transfer Michael Penix as starting quarterback.
After several seasons of disappointment, and before a single game into new coach Kalen DeBoer’s tenure, Washington’s offseason went as well as an offseason could, to the point it looks like things are already turning around in Washington.
There was no mass exodus of players despite the coaching change, the under rated receiving corps should respond well to Penix’s experience, the new staff’s Xs-n-Os approach should establish missing fundamentals from Jimmy Lake’s underwhelming tenure, and this year’s recruiting class is going very well.
I’m thinking the Washington Huskies are a solid #5 in conference behind the given Top 4 of Oregon, Utah, USC, and UCLA. Meaning Michigan State might be in for a tougher road trip to Seattle (Sept 17) than I initially bet on.
https://twitter.com/seattletimes/status/1562489438961565696
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good luck Michael
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After Nebraska’s uninspiring Zero Week loss, USC’s biggest fan blog, Trojan Wire, is leaning in on creating parallels between Scott Frost and Clay Helton:
“The reluctance and inability to take ownership of specific problems and fix them with a “whatever it takes” mentality? This is the world USC lived in through the 2021 season, going back not just to the Clay Helton years, but to Steve Sarkisian and a much less mature version of Lane Kiffin.”
https://twitter.com/TrojansWire/status/1563915781393600512
“Helton annoyed USC fans to no end by expressing optimism when the reality of the situation was terrible. Fans don’t mind optimism in itself; they do mind optimism when not accompanied by accountability and honesty, and an ability to accurately evaluate situations.
You can see the lack of gut-level honesty at Nebraska. You can see that players still don’t hate losing. Players are extensions of the head coach. To that extent, it’s clear that Scott Frost has not taught his players to absolutely despise the thought of losing football games.”
https://twitter.com/TrojansWire/status/1564070394012762112
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so, Clay Helton is available and interested in moving to Lincoln?
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Images of pink uniforms Oregon is rumored to be wearing Vs UCLA this season. Can’t find an official source for this photo; emerged on a message board, likely photo-shopped before upload. But hey, knowing Oregon’s fetish for uniform flair it’s on brand:
[img width=298.997 height=500]https://i.imgur.com/YdIi7xe.jpg[/img]
Were it not the far Left Coast, I'd say that there's no way in Hell that they are actually doing this. But it is the far Left Coast, so the only surprise is that they haven't done it already.
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As an Arizona alum, you take your wins however few and ill-gotten they come. Such as last season’s only win – a 10-3 washout Vs a California team missing 30 players thanks to Covid. But yesterday the Wildcats smacked around 12-win San Diego St Aztecs team to launch their new stadium, 38-20, ringing in what might be as jumpstarting of a win as most anyone else had over the weekend.
Arizona racked up 461 yds Vs SDSU’s 232. SDSU’s only TDs were gifted by TOs deep on Arizona’s side of the field. Arizona’s new QB, Jayden de Laura, a transfer from Washington State and the Pac 12’s Freshman of the Year last season, slung it around like a pro behind an OL that played miles improved from last year. New weapons emerged downfield, particularly with Cowing and McMillan, and a committee of three RBs emerged as production for tough yardage.
Next week’s home opener Vs Mississippi State will likely bring spirits a bit back down to earth, but this win is as important as Arizona has had in a while. Despite expected losses against the Utahs and UCLAs, yesterday’s win puts a blue print in the mind of the roster that this is how you win going forward. And with enough winnable fluff across the Pac 12 schedule, I never thought I’d say the Wildcats might be able to push for a 2022 bowl.
https://twitter.com/ArizonaFBall/status/1566197722306080768
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Duck unis might be pink due to red and abrasion
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UCLA football set a program low for single-game attendance at the Rose Bowl during its 45-17 win over Bowling Green in Week 1. Only 27,143 fans purchased a ticket for the game, snapping a record that has stood for roughly 30 years.
The previous low point for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl came on Nov. 7, 1992, when 32,513 fans were in attendance for a 26-14 win over Oregon State in a game followed a five-game losing streak. However, the listed attendance on Saturday was roughly 5,000 fans lower than the previous mark. Attendance is typically calculated by tickets purchased, meaning that there were likely many fewer fans actually in the building.
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UCLA football set a program low for single-game attendance at the Rose Bowl during its 45-17 win over Bowling Green in Week 1. Only 27,143 fans purchased a ticket for the game, snapping a record that has stood for roughly 30 years.
The previous low point for the Bruins at the Rose Bowl came on Nov. 7, 1992, when 32,513 fans were in attendance for a 26-14 win over Oregon State in a game followed a five-game losing streak. However, the listed attendance on Saturday was roughly 5,000 fans lower than the previous mark. Attendance is typically calculated by tickets purchased, meaning that there were likely many fewer fans actually in the building.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1566181277081804800
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Ouch.
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C'mon, no one is going to sit end zone seats in a nearly empty stadium. Let's see what the crowd looks like, 20 to 20.
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After Nebraska’s uninspiring Zero Week loss, USC’s biggest fan blog, Trojan Wire, is leaning in on creating parallels between Scott Frost and Clay Helton:
“The reluctance and inability to take ownership of specific problems and fix them with a “whatever it takes” mentality? This is the world USC lived in through the 2021 season, going back not just to the Clay Helton years, but to Steve Sarkisian and a much less mature version of Lane Kiffin.”
“Helton annoyed USC fans to no end by expressing optimism when the reality of the situation was terrible. Fans don’t mind optimism in itself; they do mind optimism when not accompanied by accountability and honesty, and an ability to accurately evaluate situations.
OPPONENT WATCH: GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Eagles won their first game for new coach Clay Helton in commanding fashion, beating Morgan State 59-7. Georgia Southern owned the game but especially poured it on with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Known for being a run-the-ball program for many years, Georgia Southern put it up 46 times with QB Kyle Vantrease throwing for 367 yards. The Husker defense saw Vantrease last year when he was the QB at Buffalo, with Nebraska winning that game 28-3. Definitely an impressive score. Tough to know what to make of it. Morgan State was 2-9 last year with a lot of lopsided losses.
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Duck unis might be pink due to red and abrasion
To split the hairs over whether Georgia’s bludgeoning of Oregon was more about how Georgia is really good or more about how Oregon was really terrible, I’m going with the latter. No matter how well Kirby Smart’s recruiting and player development is, Georgia was still fielding a lot of inexperience and new starters. No way should Oregon have looked that awful given how much future NFL size and talent is studded across the Duck’s roster.
Georgia’s mass destruction of the Ducks reinforces my suspicion of Oregon’s eager hiring of Dan Lanning. Oregon wanted to be Georgia when they hired Lanning on the basis of his position as the Bulldog’s defensive coordinator, which is a terrible line of reasoning for going about ever hoping to become as elevated as Georgia. It’s the same fatal mistake numerous NFL teams make when hiring Bill Belichick’s young assistants with the delusion his assistants are copy/pasted bit-by-bit file transfers of Belichick himself.
Dan Lanning’s recruiting thus far is great, but the holdup with this is that too many of these fresh faced coaches, when they are first hired young – Sarkisian, Kiffin, Lincoln Riley, Tom Herman, Marcus Freeman, Jeremy Pruitt – make initial recruiting splashes before stubborn deficiencies later take hold in the way of insufficient player development, hapless game-planning, and getting out-coached. The Ducks will run off Lanning like Helfrich, and it’s just as well. If Dan Lanning is going to pull off any success at Oregon he’s heading back East the first chance he gets. Just like Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal before him.
Live Look at the SEC's talent edge over the Pac 12:
(https://i.imgur.com/UuExCb2.jpg)
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That defender is Malaki Starks, a freshman, of whom more will be heard I suspect. Oregon has good talent based on recruiting rankings. Just not as good.
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UCLA football set a program low for single-game attendance at the Rose Bowl during its 45-17 win over Bowling Green in Week 1. Only 27,143 fans purchased a ticket for the game, snapping a record that has stood for roughly 30 years.
Chip arrived to UCLA amidst a Bruins attendance collapse fitting of Earnest Hemingway’s description of bankruptcy: “Gradually, then suddenly.”
Bruins fans will easily find blame with Chip Kelly, who kicked off most of the team during the first three seasons in which UCLA went 10-21. But larger forces than Chipocrit are causing UCLA’s decline both in attendance and to the program:
1. Home attendance was in decline before Chip Kelly’s arrival, dating back to the latter half of Jim Mora’s tenure – the “gradual” half of “gradually, then suddenly.” Still, USC knows success following Lincoln Riley’s hiring will translate to a full stadium in no time.
2. Local coverage for both UCLA and USC is way down. Radio and newspaper outlets devote noticeably less segments and articles than before. Still, USC is able to force the headlines and media promotions they want.
3. California's recruiting pool isn't as robust anymore. Still, USC is determined to adjust, especially intending to counter Oregon's success signing the state's prime targets.
4. One point never openly discussed is how the changed demographics of the UCLA student body might be translating to lack of interest in UCLA football. At UCLA there's almost no undergrad interest in going to the football games. The population is not just Asian-American heavy, but it's also boasts large foreign Asian numbers that culturally never grew up with football. UCLA casts a global admissions net resulting in the type of highly competitive undergrad, even within the US, that doesn't see the college experience as also rooting for the campus teams. Still, USC heavily promotes the football program and game day experience across its campus, and even during the lower attendance of Clay Helton's last few seasons, tailgating was still a huge campus event.
(https://i.imgur.com/KSZsOnP.jpg)
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LA market.
Yay.
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and USC delivers it
trade the bruins for the Huskies
grab the Seattle market
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Best win of the week for the Pac 12 – Washington State over Wisconsin in Madison.
The physical, grinding game looked like what you’d expect of a Big Ten game, but who knew Washington State’s softer-footed roster could hold up Vs Wisconsin’s size, especially on the lines? At some point the damn was supposed to break for Wisconsin and it never did. Wisconsin’s reputable OL was never able to wear down Washington State’s 280-lb tackles.
In fashion uncharacteristic of Wisconsin’s power reputation, the Cougars ended the game on a drive that began with 5:14 left in the fourth. Wisconsin never saw the ball again, giving up 4 first downs as Washington State ran off the clock.
Washington State improves their W/L record Vs Big Ten teams to 1-13 all-time.
https://twitter.com/WSUCougarFB/status/1568734604819046402
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Washington State improves their W/L record Vs Big Ten teams to 1-13 all-time.
Wow, didn't know that
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I'm never opening this f'ing thread again.
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Arizona State is planning to "part ways" with Herm Edwards after last night’s home loss to Eastern Michigan, 30-21.
After a rocky offseason of high coaching turnover, key starters lost to the transfer portal, and the ongoing NCAA investigation cooling off the past two recruiting cycles, I was waiting for ASU to collapse at some point this season, though I didn’t think it would be Vs Eastern Michigan. Not with ASU playing better than expected to open the season with a drubbing of NAU as well as hanging with higher ranked Oklahoma State into the 2nd half last week. The lines played well, the front seven was disciplined and strong, and overall the Sun Devils looked like a six win type of bowl team.
https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1571611038642049026
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Another NFL flop in college.
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Cincydawg was the one calling for his head after losing to E Michigan.
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Didn't realize ASU and Colorado were supposed to be so putrid.
With Herm Edwards canned, many are betting Karl Dorrell is next up on the Pac 12 chopping block. So far he’s giving Colorado all the reason to fire him. Through three blowout losses to TCU, Air Force, and Minnesota to start the season, the Buffaloes rank 127th in total offense (245 yds/game) and 119th in total defense (452 yds allowed/game).
The Buffs have lost all three games to start the season by more than 25 points, prompting the athletic director to reluctantly reaffirm Colorado’s commitment to Dorrell’s coaching.
So far Colorado looks every bit as bad as the recent Pac 12’s worst teams to include 1-11 Arizona last season, 0-12 Washington in 2008, and Washington State under Paul Wolff 2008 – 2010.
The Buffaloes play 3-0 UCLA next (and after what should be a layup for UCLA, the similar fire under Chip Kelly’s coaching seat will become apparent once the Bruins’ schedule toughens up after Colorado with games Vs three consecutive ranked opponents going into October – Washington, Utah, and Oregon).
https://twitter.com/1043TheFan/status/1571285945194016768
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In response to the Ducks student section’s anti-Mormon chantings throughout last Saturday’s home game Vs BYU, during which a visiting LDS recruit walked out of Autzen stadium, the Oregon admins are no doubt doing damage control considering they actively recruit LDS players across the West, Hawaii, and the Polynesian Islands.
From CNN: The University of Oregon has issued an apology after some students yelled a bigoted chant during Saturday's football game against Utah's Brigham Young University (https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/19/sport/university-of-oregon-football-game-mormon-chant/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_content=2022-09-20T12%3A18%3A10&utm_source=twCNN&utm_term=link)
https://twitter.com/thecomeback/status/1572304359396089859
“High school quarterback TC Manumaleuna II of Salem, Oregon seems like a no-brainer to end up playing for the Oregon Ducks one day. However, following an incident at this weekend’s game against the BYU Cougars and a derogatory chant towards Mormons, he may now think twice.”
“Manumaleuna has an offer from Oregon and has spoken with the staff at BYU so it seems logical to attend this past Saturday’s game. He and his family belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so it must have been quite the disturbing experience when the Ducks student section started chanting “F*** the Mormons” at the BYU players.”
“I’ve always been an Oregon fan, but it’s the first time I’ve seen something like this,” said Manumaleeuna, who added that while the incident wouldn’t stop him from potentially attending Oregon, “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t have some kind of impact on me.”
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Sounds like overkill for Salt Lake City authorities to arrest a University of Utah student for last week posting outlandish bomb threats if Utah were to lose Vs San Diego State.
Then it turns out: Police noted that the student does have knowledge of the nuclear reactor and "is aware of where the reactor is located and attends class in the same building where the reactor is housed."
“The arrest comes just a few weeks after a 19-year-old U. student was arrested for investigation of the same crime after he also allegedly used the Yik Yak app to make a bomb threat directed at the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building.”
https://twitter.com/KSLcom/status/1572778336480546816
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UCLA is 3-0 and has zero poll votes, so far.
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why does the Big Ten want UCLA?
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why does the Big Ten want UCLA?
To ensure they get LA? I can't imagine USC would have held out if the Big Ten offered them and Oregon
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To ensure they get LA? I can't imagine USC would have held out if the Big Ten offered them and Oregon
I'm not so sure. Oregon is far away from USC. UCLA is not.
When you're switching to a distant conference, you want a close dancing partner. They're going to be traveling a TON. And I'm talking about ALL sports. Assuming they play half their games in any sport at home, getting ONE MORE in the same city, is a pretty big deal. Traveling across town is a lot easier than traveling way up the coast.
And then there's also the faction of USC people that are angry that Oregon comes to Southern California and steals their recruits. Freezing them out of a lucrative and high-exposure move to the B1G and leaving them left-for-dead amongst the PAC dregs, is a highly advantageous strategic move for them.
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doesn't USC deliver LA and southern Cali?
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doesn't USC deliver LA and southern Cali?
As much as any west coast school can "deliver" any market, I suppose. Nobody out there really cares about or watches college football, so it's sort of silly to talk about.
I think the strategic factors I mentioned are more important to USC's planning.
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delivering the basic CATV customers is still a thing
and those subscriptions to the BTN
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delivering the basic CATV customers is still a thing
and those subscriptions to the BTN
Less and less of a thing with every passing day. BTN won't get the same penetration in the forced subscriber model, that it would have a decade ago. Carriers aren't going to just line up and eat a shit sandwich, anymore.
We've already seen carriers in the northeast dump BTN in recent years, as well as carriers in the same state as your beloved NU.
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less and less of a shit ton is still quite a bit of a reason
anyway you slice it, UCLA doesn't add much that USC doesn't already bring
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Arizona State is planning to "part ways" with Herm Edwards after last night’s home loss to Eastern Michigan, 30-21.
More drama from Arizona State. From longtime Tempe beat writer Doug Haller's report on the end of the Herm Edwards era: "An opposing coach recently told The Athletic that it wasn’t hard to get intel on this season’s team because some within Arizona State athletics wanted a coaching change."
There isn't much details yet, but my question is whether the "Arizona State staffers" suspected of the leaks are from Herm's own (assistant) coaching ranks or from admin support ranks within the Athletic Department, who had access to coaching materials?
If the culprit turns out to be an assistant coach I can't see how college football would ever want to employ this individual again.
https://twitter.com/OJPhilly/status/1573269544000528386
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If the culprit turns out to be an assistant coach I can't see how college football would ever want to employ this individual again.
depends on their motivation and how Herm is viewed for his time at ASU
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I wouldn't hire them, whoever did it, GA on up.
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With Herm Edwards canned, many are betting Karl Dorrell is next up on the Pac 12 chopping block....
Colorado cans Karl Dorrell after the Buffaloes 43-20 loss to Arizona last night. His buyout will be $8M.
https://twitter.com/CUBuffs/status/1576662068786188288
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Colorado fired Dorrell not so much because of losing to Arizona, who, though improving from last year, is a bottom-third program in the conference. But more so, the beat down Arizona handed to the Buffaloes was what forced Colorado’s hand – some stats:
QB de Laura 33/46 484 yds passing
Team rushing 178 yds
Two WRs +150 yds receiving
1st downs 36
Total Yards 673
TOP 35:17
Arizona improves to 3-2, a clear improvement over the past few basement season, but the sense of success looks to be hitting a wall this coming weekend when the Wildcats start a stretch of 5 straight ranked opponents:
Vs #12 Oregon
@ #15 Washington
Vs #6 USC
@ #11 Utah
@ #18 UCLA
https://twitter.com/AZATHLETICS/status/1576439660963778560
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UCLA finally gets ranked ... they face Utah and Oregon in successive weeks though.
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With Herm Edwards canned, many are betting Karl Dorrell is next up on the Pac 12 chopping block.
So with Dorrell now gone where’s the Pac 12’s potentially next open job?
Well, all of Stanford's preseason optimism has fizzled after a 1-3 start to include a third straight blowout loss, this time to Oregon 45-27 last Saturday.
Through 4 games the Cardinal are 67th nationally in Total Offense, which is hindered by an average of 3 Turnovers/game, a number of which lost in the red zone. There’s plenty of NFL potential on this side of the ball – QB McKee, along with several OL and WRs are likely draft picks – but they have yet to gel, and it’s made all the worse by the mounting injuries to the Running Backs.
The problem of gelling goes entirely back to coaching where Stanford doesn’t have the ‘transfer portal’ excuse because they hardly ever dip into the TP. These guys have played together for several years now.
In the larger picture, Stanford’s recruiting has remained as strong as ever but once on campus the player development has fallen off. Gone are the years of results like Zach Ertz, Christian McCaffrey, and Andrus Peat. Just more evidence their decline goes back to David Shaw and Staff expiring past their coaching shelf life.
Stanford’s defense is 110th nationally in Total Yards Allowed.
Won’t be surprised if David Shaw is fired should the streak continues with another 2 or 3 conference losses.
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UCLA finally gets ranked ... they face Utah and Oregon in successive weeks though.
The strange feeling that the Pac 12 is playing Big Boy College football in October. Not only were five teams ranked going into this past weekend – USC, UCLA, Oregon, Utah, and Washington – but most were the traditional conference powers with both of the LA schools undefeated.
With all that said #18 UCLA’s methodical home win over a dependably sturdier #11 Utah felt like watching the type of top ranked matchup usually delivered by the SEC or Big Ten, and to date is the most impressive win of Chip Kelly’s tenure. If you're a Bruins fan there's a lot of positive signs to take away:
-UCLA’s playmakers broke open plays all game
-QB Thompson (passing for 18/23 299 yds 4 TDs) looked the part of a legitimate Heisman contender
-RB Zach Charbonnet rushing for 198 yds on 22 carries
-8 different WRs contributed with catches
-Bruins offense strung together long, calculated drives matching how Utah’s offense overpowers lesser opponents
-UCLA never allowed Utah to fully establish momentum by 4 different times answering a Utah FG (1) or TD (3) with a TD of their own, which all four times put the Bruins up by either 10 or 11 until pulling away in the 4th with a 42-25 lead
-UCLA made sure Utah paid for their 2 turnovers; one an interception in the end zone and the second run back to the Utes’ 1 yd line and setting up a TD that put the game out of reach for Utah, 42-25
Next up for #11 UCLA (6-0) is #12 Oregon (5-1) in Eugene with #7 USC their only ranked opponent left.
https://twitter.com/TPortalCFB/status/1578878174506590209
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In the season’s best finish nobody watched, Oregon State pulled off a thrilling road comeback during last Saturday’s Pac 12 After Dark hours.
Beleaguered Stanford was finally controlling a game, heading into the 4th quarter up 24-10 Vs Oregon State in Palo Alto.
The Beavers methodically chip away on two long drives to cut the lead to 24-22 with 5:43 left, topped by a 43 yard TD run. Down 2, Oregon State fails to convert the 2 pt try.
With the ball back at 5:35, Stanford takes the ball at their own 23. The Beavers give up three first downs bringing the Cardinal across midfield with 2:44 left. After another first down, Stanford connects on a 46 yard FG with 0:58 left for a 27-22 lead.
Oregon State takes the ball, and only gaining on short passes, the clock works down to 0:27 left at their 44. Then, in a play Beavers will remember for a long time, WR Harrison takes an over-the-shoulder pass along the sideline for a 56 yd TD with 0:13 left for the 28-27 final score.
https://twitter.com/NvictusManeo/status/1578997955746725890
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The strange feeling that the Pac 12 is playing Big Boy College football in October. Not only were five teams ranked going into this past weekend – USC, UCLA, Oregon, Utah, and Washington – but most were the traditional conference powers with both of the LA schools undefeated.
With all that said #18 UCLA’s methodical home win over a dependably sturdier #11 Utah felt like watching the type of top ranked matchup usually delivered by the SEC or Big Ten, and to date is the most impressive win of Chip Kelly’s tenure. If you're a Bruins fan there's a lot of positive signs to take away:
Good Post,if you would have told me 4 yrs back Chip would be the only one left from him,Frost,Manny Diaz & Mullen I wouldn't have believed it.Given his exit from Eugene then short unproductive,rocky stops in Philly & SF i thought he lost his mojo.Took his 5th season to right the ship,correct mistakes and get things pointed in the right direction but this he's done.Getting recruits to Westwood shouldn't be too much of a problem moving forward
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In another wild Pac 12 ending that nobody watched over the weekend, Colorado, fresh off firing Karl Dorrell, pulled off an overtime victory over Cal. It’s a particularly bleak loss for Cal, because at going into the game 3-2 and hoping for a run at a bowl, this was supposed to be one of easier wins left.
Instead, for the second year in a row, California loses a game to a winless team deep in the season; last year the Bears served as the Arizona Wildcat's only win, 10-3, the ugliest in-person game I’ve ever attended. Though embarrassing, losing to Colorado wasn’t quite as ugly.
Cal’s big flubs were inability to handle Colorado’s relentless pass rush AND failing to finish drives in the red zone. Late in the game Cal twice settled for tying field goals which ultimately gave way to overtime and a 20-13 loss, capped by a dramatic TD catch by Colorado.
https://twitter.com/avinashkunnath/status/1581395611563139073
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For the record Stanford is 3-4, on the heels of two straight wins, first over Notre Dame and last Saturday over Arizona State, a game ending the Cardinal’s 10 game conference losing street, and a game the Cardinal almost choked away worse than their earlier collapse Vs Oregon State. Arizona State heaved a hail mary caught at the 1 yard line with 3 ticks left to set up a game-winning FG. But upon review, the ASU receiver’s foot is ruled out of bounds.
Now to get fans in the stands – from Outkick (https://www.outkick.com/stanford-cardinal-football-free-tickets-offer/):
“People can now get free tickets to the final two home games against BYU and Washington State to test out potentially locking in season tickets for next year. “Get free tickets to our final two homes of this season, and lock in those same seats for the entire 2023 home schedule, which features games against Cal, Notre Dame, Oregon and more,” the Cardinal announced.”
“While it’s an interesting move, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. This past weekend, Stanford Stadium was pretty much empty when the Cardinal played Arizona State. The stadium has a capacity north of 50,000, but only filled a tiny fraction of the seats. The Cardinal have to do something in order to get butts in the seat, and offering a free trial run is certainly an interesting option.”
https://twitter.com/ChrisKarpman/status/1583916549907234816
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brutal
no wonder USC wants out
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This is the core and I think unsolvable issue with the Pac, apathy overall outside a few places.
UCLA Football Had Its Biggest Crowd Of The Year, It Was Still Nonexistent (outkick.com) (https://www.outkick.com/ucla-football-fans-attendance-washington-kicker-viral-slide-tackle-crowd-size/)
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After the Big 12 signed a new TV deal with Fox/ESPN for over $2 billion through 2030, the pressure is on the Pac 12.
From Outkick:
“Jason Scheer reported PAC-12 ADs are being told Big 12 schools are expecting a total revenue payout of $55 million under the new deal. That number includes media revenue and any splits from March Madness and bowl games. The PAC-12 is expected to tap out at no more than $45 million. That means Big 12 teams will be cashing in an extra $10 million annually.”
“PAC-12 teams are gambling on whether or not the Big Ten comes calling for more teams. If the B1G poaches Oregon and a few other teams, the conference could quickly crumble. That might incentivize some teams to leave sooner than later. It’s better to be on the lifeboats before the ship is sinking than be left scrambling to find room in one.”
https://twitter.com/Outkick/status/1587031627393384452
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“People can now get free tickets to the final two home games against BYU and Washington State to test out potentially locking in season tickets for next year. “Get free tickets to our final two homes of this season, and lock in those same seats for the entire 2023 home schedule, which features games against Cal, Notre Dame, Oregon and more,” the Cardinal announced.”
This promotion did not go well – from USA Today: “That free trial quickly became a clown show on social media as the promotion quickly disappeared just about as soon as it was posted, meaning either there was a rush and those tickets were quickly scooped up or the administration saw the backlash it generated and came to their senses.”
“Either way, fast forward to Saturday when the Cougars came calling to Stanford Stadium – and you could see why anyone in their right mind would want to stay away. The Cardinal found themselves down 42-7 at halftime en route to a 52-14 beat down in front a listed 26,000 in attendance.”
As a sideshow of how poorly Stanford’s season is going (not surprised if Shaw is fired this month) Stanford’s student’s war with the administration over their restriction of campus celebration and parties has spilled over to the football bleachers:
“Student concerns are also not going away: one month after Eurotrash was postponed, four students, including mascots from both Stanford and Arizona State University, walked a 40-foot banner with the same “Stanford Hates Fun” slogan into the middle of a football game during Reunion Homecoming.”
https://twitter.com/RedditCFB/status/1587055327542919168[/i]
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Over the weekend, 2 of the Pac 12’s last 3 teams with playoff hopes were upset, leaving only USC with any odds left.
#6 Oregon was upset at home by #25 Washington and #12 UCLA was likewise upset at home by Arizona.
Arizona came into the game as a 20 point underdog and with a four game losing streak, all in order to the rest of the Pac 12’s ranked teams – Oregon, Washington, USC, and Utah.
All in all, I like the Wildcats improvement over last year’s more than forgettable 1-11 season. Arizona is beating the teams they are supposed to (North Dakota St & Colorado), splitting with teams that could go either way (California, San Diego St), and managed one upset among more proven teams (Miss St, Oregon, Washington, USC, Utah, and UCLA). At 4-6, Arizona has their bowl hopes barely alive, with Washington State and Arizona State rounding out the season’s schedule.
https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1591681519822651392
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PASSING YARDS
Through games November 12, 2022
1 Michael Penix Jr. Washington 3640
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Transitive property, eat your heart out.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FhfiTaHUoAAhqFd?format=jpg&name=small)
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It's the Pac 12's world, and the rest of us are just living in it. It's them, then everyone else.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FhqBPY0VIAAPsa0?format=jpg&name=small)
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Whether you follow market news, you’re probably hearing about the FTX Exchange collapse rattling beyond highly speculative cryptocurrency trading. As the world’s third largest exchange and valued at $32B early last week, its sudden collapse and resulting bankruptcy has resulted in both wiping out existing customer funds and prompting a run of customer withdrawals from other exchanges. Not to mention the devaluing of a number of venture capital firms whose assets were exposed to crypto holdings, especially within FTX.
Included in the fallout is FTX losing a number of it’s sports naming rights deals most notably a $135M deal for the Miami Heat’s arena to be known as FTX Arena. FTX also bought the naming rights to Cal Memorial Stadium for $17.5 million.
Deadspin best sums the fallout: “The California Golden Bears signed a $17.5 million, 10-year naming rights deal with FTX in 2021, which expanded their reach into the college football sphere. Right then, we should have known that FTX was bound to collapse because any billion-dollar company worth their salt would have known that naming rights on the football field at a public Ivy that isn’t Stanford is throwing money into a black hole. Cal football hasn’t been watched in years. Perhaps it was supposed to be subliminal messaging for students on the outskirts of Silicon Valley, but there had to be a better way.”(https://deadspin.com/ftx-s-collapse-cost-a-who-s-who-of-pro-athletes-sport-1849781199/slides/4)
https://twitter.com/dsmithBerkeley/status/1592238922502877185
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What better way to ring in this Saturday’s LA Crosstown rivalry between #18 UCLA and #7 USC than for the Bruins to beg USC to split charter flights to cut costs on lengthier travel to play their new Big Ten opponents.
When it comes to UCLA joining the Big Ten: “One of the obvious concerns student-athletes had — as did anyone with common sense when this move was announced — was travel, with UCLA now playing against schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in games often on weeknights for many sports. But don't worry, UCLA has the solution: it's going to share flights with USC.”
“UCLA intends to mitigate the travel impact on student-athletes by increasing access to charter flights and minimizing the number of days spent away from campus. After conducting a detailed cost estimate of charter flights to Big Ten schools, calculation the number of additional charter flights needed for each team and days spent away from campus, UCLA estimates that it will spend between $4.62 and $5.79 millions per year on increased travel expenses. These costs may be significantly reduced through efficiencies such as neutral site tournaments, shared flights between UCLA teams and USC teams, and other accommodations that can further reduce travel and travel costs to the Midwest and East Coast.”
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1592951902286782464
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Seems like they could help mitigate the travel thing if they limit weekday contests against any school East of Chicago. Save the other schools for weekend travel.
LA to Seattle is 3 hours. LA to Chicago is 4. LA to Lincoln is 3.
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38-35 Arizona wins back the Territorial Cup. It's been a few years since attending a game as stressful as the Arizona-Arizona State game I just got home from. And I've never attended a sporting event where there were so many fights breaking out on the field. Maybe in the tunnel, yes, but not the field. The refs let too much of the cheap stuff go to the point both teams lost composure against each other during the second half.
It was so bad even the Sun Devil and Wildcat mascot got into it. And with about 1 minute left, the refs and coaches were fortunate to calm down what would've been their entire rosters going at it after an ASU player crossed the field and tried to take on the entire Arizona sideline.
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1596283005672521728
https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1596295370228699136
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After last night’s loss to BYU, dropping the Cardinal to 3-9, the David Shaw era at Stanford is voluntarily over:
https://twitter.com/StanfordFball/status/1596784333611683840
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Arizona State names Oregon OC and Scottsdale native Kenny Dillingham as Head Coach. At 32 years old Dillingham not only becomes the youngest HC in the nation, but the first one born in the 1990s. (I remember when the community college I started at similarly noted their first student born in the 1990s.)
By all accounts Dillingham is a good, hardworking guy, but in taking the ASU opening he’s set up for failure given the looming NCAA investigation and the two straight seasons of rock bottom recruiting. ASU might turn into a lengthy rebuilding job, and if so, if the admin knows this, Kenny Dillingham is the type of hire made if both parties know this is a lame duck hire.
Instead of the usual dynamic of an interim acting as a head coach, Dillingham's hire is the reverse - a head coach hired to act as a functional, place holding interim until the potential NCAA penalties and aftermath resolve.
I say that, but don't think it's exactly the case because I have zero faith in ASU AD Ray Anderson attributing this much complexity to his decision. He's too obtuse. RA more likely believes he's hiring a bright young gun while Dillingham - "hey, why not!" - is waking up feeling like Jeff Saturday.
https://twitter.com/ASUFootball/status/1596882029555027968
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Coach Prime lands in Boulder.
So goes college football following college basketball's recent hiring trend of going gambling on the brash, former famous player - Patrick Ewing, Juwan Howard, Anfernee Hardaway. Expect a recruiting splash but a learning curve at best and a whiff at worse when it comes to the Xs/Os scheming.
https://twitter.com/CUBuffsFootball/status/1599243035518197760
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never really liked Deion, never really liked Ralphie
good match for me to root against
here's to hoping like heck it's an epic fail!
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https://twitter.com/BrianHowell33/status/1599551116131602432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1599551116131602432%7Ctwgr%5E74065cb41fe853a4d1a0c61bbee7b388663c6933%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsaturdaytradition.com%2Fbig-ten-football%2Fcolorado-ad-has-a-bizarre-response-to-how-buffs-got-the-money-to-pay-deion-sanders%2F
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Stanford Football hires Troy Taylor as Head Coach from Sacramento State where in three seasons his teams went 30-8.
https://twitter.com/StanfordFball/status/1601673354892652546
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and probably saved some $$$
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Remember Rudy Carpenter, ASU QB from about 15 years ago? He sounds of with insights into the limits ASU Football is facing - from an interview with Compare.Bet: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:_Nc-36jy7h4J:https://www.compare.bet/en-us/news/ex-qb-rudy-carpenter-im-rooting-for-kenny-dillingham-but-arizona-state-athletic-department-will-hold-him-back&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
"...Carpenter stresses multiple times that he’s “rooting for Kenny Dillingham” and hopes he can turn the Arizona State football team around."
“I’m someone who wants this program to really do well; I want to see ASU succeed,” Carpenter said. “I’m happy we have someone young in there — fresh ideas, innovative, understands the kids a little bit better. But I think ASU and that program is going to continue to struggle until they make a lot of changes at the administration level. And that’s not just the athletic director spot. That’s one spot."
“At ASU it’s been a bunch of the same old people who were there well before I went there who are just ecstatic about collecting checks. As long as they are getting their checks and their benefits and everything else that comes with it, that’s fine. And if ASU is 7-5 every year, who cares? To me, that’s not acceptable. To them, it has been. And to the president of the school (Michael Crow) it’s been acceptable for sure.”
"Carpenter does not see a department willing to push the envelope, and he would love to see a Dillingham-like shakeup at the administrative level that would “reinvigorate that entire building with young, talented, capable people, not a bunch of administrators that are happy to collect checks while saying the politically correct things every day.”
"A strong push by Arizona State’s most wealthy donors could be the most realistic way to get it done, but Carpenter isn’t holding his breath. “It’s really difficult,” Carpenter said. “Why? Because who do those boosters love the most? Those administrators. Why? Because the administrators give them carte blanche for everything and anything they want to do. They kowtow to them. It is what it is, but personally I’d like to see an entire shakeup. Again, I’m rooting for Kenny. I love (newly-hired assistant) Charlie Ragle. I hope that staff does well. But to me it’s very similar to NFL teams. When you have a terrible ownership group, it’s really, really difficult.”
“You hear so much that it’s a sleeping giant and yada, yada, yada. They’ve never been able to really get it off the ground, and there are a lot of reasons for that. I think someone who has been a fan here for a long time understands some of what the limitations are. I think Kenny understands that. I think it’s a good hire. He’s super enthusiastic and he really wants to be successful in this job. I’m happy for him.”
Can't say I disagree with anything Carpenter says!