104 Comments
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James Bailey's avatar

Mariota Missive: SO DAMN FUNNY! I listened to the audio. You delivered it better in writing. 🤣

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RW's avatar

How did either WSU or OSU get a raw deal? They had opportunities to find a landing spot, just the same as every other team. Nobody wanted them. It sucks for them, but they didn’t get a raw deal. Now they’ve got all the power in the world and what they do with it will tell a lot...but the reality is they were both pretty much Mountain West teams to begin with.

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Brian M's avatar

Yep, an 11th ranked MWC team. Right. Then again, Boise State was a Top 5 team before NIL and the portal. Who knows, maybe $100M in the bank will help the Beavs get there. Its all about money. Did you donate a $100M to the Ducks? Or are you riding on PK's coattails. Amazes me how Ducks fans take credit for Phil's money and what it buys.

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The Real Rich's avatar

How do you know RW is a Ducks fan, Brian? Your astrology skills kick in again.

BTW - I think OSU and WSU did get a raw deal...and I couldn't be happier with the Washington Supreme Court's decision. On the other hand, life hands out a lot of raw deals. Some people whine about it all day long. Not naming names, here, in the name of the Christmas spirit, but you get my drift, I'm sure. Others, adults like Barnes and Chun, pick themselves up and carry on.

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Craig Anderson's avatar

The Duck is in RW's avatar.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

Well, sure. But besides that....

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Brian M's avatar

LOL! I didn't have the heart to let Real Rich know that.

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Brian M's avatar

If you don't think Barnes has been pissed and bitching to friends over what happened, you are high. But I am good with what happened. I know there is karma. And I am happy with the Beavers playing in the MWC. It is all just good Saturday fun. No one's life hinges on the Beavers getting into the CFP

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The Real Rich's avatar

You're coming along, Brian...baby steps...good progress.

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DEAN COUNTS's avatar

I hope he is not a Duck fan, if so we need to vote him out, every Duck fan I know personally was rooting for OSU to win that case, right is right and wrong is wrong.

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Brian M's avatar

Get your ballots ready. His avatar is Puddles. No Beaver fan would ever have that

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Jean Southworth's avatar

Yes, RW, it's totally their fault that these land grant schools exist in less-populated markets! How dare they! And they really should just shut up about how they've been screwed--hearing of others' hurt it just so darn inconvenient and annoying!

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Great statement. I was hoping to conjure something like that in my writing brain 👂 but it just wasn’t happening. Great take sir!

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Edward Schwallie's avatar

Really? You are in the same conference for over 100 years and all your "collegiate" peers leave you. Then as you say nobody wants them but that is NOT a raw deal. Do you think it was a sweet deal? As a Duck season ticket holder they deserve all they can get.

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Dan Euhus's avatar

Just curious, what is your basis for that statement? What makes a school Power versus Mountain West - besides the hubris that your statement displays?

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Timothy E Larson's avatar

Avail yourself to Sportico college financial database it should answer that question.

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Great one, Dan!

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Ed Hill's avatar

Meth and your mind are a bad combo.

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Ouch!

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Gayle Renne's avatar

Angry, much? Still smarting from the UW games? Glad my Duck friends don't have your mindset.

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Craig Anderson's avatar

This is the dumbest thing I have seen on Canzano's comment section. Congratulations.

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Kent Crawford's avatar

Right on and thank you for putting in words what 100's of us are thinking Craig!!!

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Kent Crawford's avatar

Thanks and Merry Christmas DT!

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Jeff Erickson's avatar

🤡 comment. You’re clueless.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

Ouch

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DEAN COUNTS's avatar

Sadly John has not put a down vote button on comments, I suspect your comment would get hundreds of down votes. People like you is why the world sucks, no sense of right or wrong, no empathy for others.

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David Hopkins's avatar

You have got to be kidding us. Geez!

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Donald von Weller's avatar

We had the honor of hosting Mariota at the high school where I coach football - Silverton High. He gave a fantastic presentation. His knowledge, class, wit, sense of humor were on full display.

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Why is it not surprising that a decent guy like Marriotta is like this? It’s always a privilege to witness good people achieve things so well. He suffered(s) from the Heisman curse, I think.

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Bill's avatar

I think most of us want what’s fair, even if our primary team is not one of the two left. All of us were big fans of the PAC-12 as a division and hated what happened. I do hope that the PAC-2 will do what’s necessary for their survival, but also do it with integrity.

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Jim Roakd's avatar

Golly, nice to read an objective post rather than one colored. I may be wrong but I understood that everyone thought PAC 10 was going to survive but everyone was a bit blind sided when Washington

And Oregon flipped at last second.

Did I get it wrong?

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Bill's avatar

Well, we need to go back further than Oregon and Washington’s last minute flip. It starts with an out of touch Commissioner who let USC & UCLA slip away, then his overconfidence (and lies) about a great forthcoming media deal, then letting Colorado get away, then the presentation of a genuinely bad media deal, then the Oregon & Washington jump, then all the south schools jumping off the ship. It was just a very bad calculation on the part of the commissioner and the college presidents asleep at the wheel. There is plenty of blame to go around for sure. But now the 2 schools left have to sort out what’s best for them.

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Tre Hester's avatar

Start the blame with the Presidents that hired Larry Scott. Then blame Larry Scott. Then blame Michael Crow and Ed Ray who were Larry Scott’s biggest enablers. The PAC-12 was in peril the day the Presidents hired Larry Scott.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

+1,000

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RhinoDawg's avatar

and 8 other schools

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Ed S.'s avatar

You pee on my logo you are never forgiven. I don’t care how many toilets you clean—it’s not enough.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

If u let someone pee on ur logo, that’s on you.

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Ed S.'s avatar

I’m pretty sure nobody let him do it. It was a sneak attack.

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Don’t forget the Civil War where Ducks players and fans lit a fire on the Beaver logo after a victory.

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gre's avatar

Still laughing - my colors are purple and gold but I always loved that kid - Herbert too - if he’d gone to Washington, Pete and Jonathan Smith would’ve gotten him the Heisman - it’s a shame how Cristobal under developed him.

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Turbo's avatar

Thanks for making me laugh John!

You are correct that not many are feeling bad for the departed schools-I have yet to find even one fan that doesn’t bemoan the demise of the Pac12- we all wish it would have stayed together to reap the next incarnation of football playoff!

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Shazbot's avatar

I would agree that it was tragic that OSU and WSU got left holding the bag. I feel absolutely zero sympathy for the Bitter Beav fanbase, however. And that includes their AD and President. New sports logo for them in 2024 - "STOP THE WHINING!!!"

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Gayle Renne's avatar

Easy enough for you... STOP READING!

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EA Flash's avatar

They're not whining. They're winning, in court at every turn.

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David Hopkins's avatar

Unbelievable!

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jon joseph's avatar

Raw deal? The Pac-2 rode the Pac-10 for decades.

I get why New Mexico is pissed off and so am I. The Pac-2 got the deal from the market that both deserved.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

Under rated comment

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JML's avatar

Speaking of Kellen Clemens, I remember a radio interview with Kellen after he committed to Oregon out of Burns. He said he was he was really excited, but was a little concerned about moving to the big city.

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BackDoor's avatar

The Frost story was well told. It was also well told the first time I heard it about 30 years ago and it didn't involve Hawaii or Mariota. I think then it was a story about a player in Mississippi or Louisiana.

I do think a lot of fans feel empathy for OSU and WSU. But, a lot of those same fans do not feel sympathy. OSU, WSU, Cal all contributed to their own difficulties/position in being in a spot that so far has not been attractive to the Big12 or BigTen. The so-called "leavers" had something to sell themselves, and in a dog-eat-dog world did not owe it to OS or WS to thwart their own futures just to keep the whole band together. We'll likely see another round in this saga in a few years and some of today's "leavers" will be left on the sidelines. We likely won't feel sympathy then either when the same actors at ESPN, Fox, etc. cause the demise.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

There is some truth in that. The blame game is tired. Programs did what they had to do to protect their future and competitiveness. It’s not like the B1G would take O or UW had they demanded OSU and WSU be a package deal.

After the elite tier breaks off into its own conference, none of this will matter anyway.

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Dan Euhus's avatar

What will be interesting is if W and O are part of the "elite" tier. They may be today, but is it sustainable when the limited number of booster that each have that pay the big money today pass on. . .

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Timothy E Larson's avatar

Curious Dan do you know how to spell endowment?

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Dan Euhus's avatar

I do. I can also spell market crash. An endowment churns out cash at a set rate if done correctly. BUT, we are assuming a rich get richer world. So, sustainability is defined by continuously having more of those entrepreneurial people pooring into your program at greater and greater levels. You can't rest on your laurels. . .

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Dan Euhus's avatar

An interesting thought study, if we presume that success in "college" football in the future will be entirely based on money, is which teams will have the advantage. Oregon is good today in large part because of massive investments by Phil Knight. The same can be said of other programs. But, which is sustainable in the long run. Which schools will have the largest pools of money to pay for the best football. And, I don't think some of today's "blue blood" programs make the list. I would put my money on Texas and Texas A&M. Rich schools, rich alumni, prosperous state that is business friendly and a LARGE pool of players who are crazy about football. Who would your picks be? The REAL question is how sustainable is the obscene amount of money being thrown at College Football today. My opinion is that it not sustainable. What do you think?

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RhinoDawg's avatar

It’s as sustainable as the people paying the bills.

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Dan Euhus's avatar

I think it has more to do with advertising. If advertisers see fewer people watching games, it will reduce what they are willing to pay. The die-hards aren't going anywhere, but they are a small percentage of viewership.

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BackDoor's avatar

I don't think they would be in a 20-team elite, though it would largely depend on TV ratings at that time. (Not dissimilar to dollar decisions Fox and ESPN made in the most recent round of realignment)

A 30-team? Probably.

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RhinoDawg's avatar

Excellent point

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EA Flash's avatar

"Programs did what they had to do to protect their future and competitiveness. "

Exactly. So quit complaining when OSU and WSU employ the same strategy.

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Brian M's avatar

I can think of a couple of Walt Disney movies that celebrate the "bad guy". For those older than 65, like me, you might remember "The Scarecrow" (aka Dr. Syn, highly recommended for those of you under 65). Another example is "Blackbeard's Ghost", where a vicious pirate was celebrated (and became the theme for "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at the parks). If I work at it, I can think of a few others. Disney saw the value of featuring anti-heroes

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Ed S.'s avatar

The Scarecrow was my hero when I was a kid. Loved the spooky laugh and the masks!

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Scott's avatar

Might get to see Mariota start tonight. So much about the success of a QB is about the situation they land in. We are all finding out that Atlanta was going to have trouble with Tom Brady starting. Hope Marcus gets a chance tonight on MNF.

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Jen GH's avatar

Have you read Yellow River? It’s written by I.P. Freely. Sorry, I just took a walk back to the 6th grade.

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Monte Olsen's avatar

Wow! That’s an old moldy. Really old with mold but it was great to see it after so many. My personal favorite boolk was, “Under the grandstands” by Seymour Butts.

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Jen GH's avatar

Love that one too!

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Jeff Erickson's avatar

Que the “you can’t make fat jokes” comments. 🤦‍♂️

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Howie Stalwick's avatar

GREAT stuff! Thanks, John.

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