Hey John: Another great article by you to start the week-end. Looking forward to what you experience in LA this week! Pray Chip Kelly will speak with you, and Lincoln Riley too. As you know, I am a life long Duck fanatic, who has loved the Pac-12 since it was the Pac-8. I respect the Chipster a lot. I saw his arrogrance emerge, when he was in Eugene, but do not fault him at all. He got rescued from back east at a small school, he had a new offense, and Mike Belotti offered him a job. While he ran the Ducks, we had a super team, and I thank Phil Knight and Belotti for their huge contributions to the Ducks. Chip grew in Eugene, and I see now that it was just Chip being himself, and with Nike and so many behind him, and his super play calling out the side of his mouth, with a shield over his face, I just loved to watch our offense so much. His salary only went up a little from his former job, and any coach who did what he did, would change some. Could it have been the salary increase? Sure that was part of it, but Chip showed me new things from jump street. No huddle, always in a shotgun, plays coming in from huge cards on the sidelines, held up by players, and so much more. He did well in his first two years at Phily in the show. He was my first choice after we dumped Mario. I knew the odds were against him coming back, but now I am super excited with our new head coach. A quality family guy who is young and smart. An SEC guy who ran the defense for a national champonship at Georgia. To me, he has all the tools to be a big time winner in Eugene. Defense still wins the big games, and I know Oregon has some great players. I do not get super excited about new recruits who have not played in a real game in Eugene. They all said Mario was a super recruiter before he came to the Ducks, John, you or I could have won the same award Mario did while he was at Alabama, as recruiter of the year. If Nick Sabin gives you a job in his super program, and tells you to go hit the road, for new players, you just go do it. Much like if Uncle Phil offers you a position; you take it and be thankful and put in 100% effort and show respect. Mario and slick Willy were not proven coaches when the Ducks gave them a job. I said publicly before either of them even coached one game here, that they were not the right guy for the position. On facebook I got bashed real bad by some real experts from all over. I do know football, and I think Oregon will have a good season this year, with the new men running the team. I have met the athletic director, Rob Mullens. about 12 years ago at a baseball play-off game after the pac-12 regular season. That morning, from Portland, I had tried to buy a ticket for the game online, and it did not go smoothly. I told Mr. Mullens that afternoon at the game my small plight, he wrote down my name, and he was very cordial. The next day a staffer of his called me, got everything in order, and I was very pleased to once again be a Duck! I have nothing but good things to say about all I know about the current AD in Duckland. I was beyond happy when Mario ran off to Miami. I thought because he beat Ohio State, won some games, we were stuck with him. Sure glad I was wrong. Most Ducks I know thought he and Willy were two super people, and I was sure neither one of them had my support. Mario was beyond horrible at clock management. He was a lineman in college and the NFL, and he just could not see past his ego. Recruits are like pipe dreams, and just because he knew the trenches well, and how to instruct the guards and tackles, and other big men, when the game started I watched him like a hawk. Sure glad Willy and super Mario are back in Florida! I admire and respect what UCLA and USC have done by deciding to join the Big 10 in two years. Major sports are run by tv. The rich get richer and the others stuggle to remain competitive. This move has shook up the pac-12, and i am glad. Larry Scott buried the pac-12 and am glad he is gone too. Since the "final four" started in college football, the Pac-12 has had only two teams, UW in 2016, and the Ducks of Chip in 2014, make this elite group. The SEC had had ten appearances, and the Big 10 has had six. Gee, do you see the pattern here John? I know you and I both do. In my opinion, the pac-12 is about five years away from the big boys in football and basketball. These two sports, with their tv revenue, their brand, their absolute superiority across the board, are what all schools would love to have. We have a super guy in Uncle Phil. who has given some one billion to the Ducks in recent years. We have a great brand and uniforms and top flight facilities. We have a coach who I hope will stay in Eugene. Lanning is intelligent, and he puts his family and faith at top of his list. along with his new job. He invites players to his house for bbq and outdoor games. His wife survivied cancer, the whole family loves Eugene, and the Ducks were very lucky to get him. He may not beat Georgia in Atlanta in Septemeber in a already sold out game. He will have a great first year in Eugene. The players respect him; he treats the kids as they deserve to be treated. He has a fresh, very positive attitude. He has brought in some new coaches who will instantly make a big impact. He is the quality of coach we have not had since Chip left. I predict the Ducks will not lose more than two games for 2022. With Nike and we life long fans, a good schedule with quality teams coming to Autzen for most games, a proven qb from the SEC in Bo Nix, and at least one other good qb, the sky is the limit. I remember still the old days when the Ducks did not have the facilities of today, and Rich Brooks did a great job working with what he had. It rained many Saturdays, and I got so wet at some games, that the losing was made a little worse. When Don James and his Huskies were coming to Eugene, I shuddered all the way driving down I-5 from Portland for the game. Huskies would see my Duck colors, and honk and wave, and do all sorts of things. I knew we were overmatched and James only won like 19 of the 21 games he played the Ducks. Then, by a divine miracle and lots of hard work, the football Ducks beat Washington 13 or so games in a row. We Ducks were reborn, and to this day, beating UW in any sports makes me very pleased. The new Husky stadium got a huge many million dollar retrofit. I went there last fall for my first view of the new digs. For first time ever, you could buy a beer in a can with your hot dogs! It rained pretty hard most of the game. I was in a Duck section and nobody wanted to sit down as the seats were beyond wet. We stood and cheered, and it was my first victory in Seattle with my Ducks! The tall beer, which was only 12 dollars, very cold, tasted like honey nectar. We dominated the Huskies that day, and I saw the Husky coach jump one of his palyers on the sideline in disgust!! I laughed so hard, and felt so good to watch the puppoes that day show their true colors, and had to point out to my other Ducks by me, the disturbance on the Husky bench! The rain increased, it was windy and cold, and I sure was a proud Duck that day! I could not help but be very happy! The dogs come to Eugene this fall, and if there is one game I cannot miss in person at Autzen, this is the one. I will see all the SEC and Big 10 games on my comcast, while I wait for the pac-12 games and their late starts. With three tvs, voice activation of all remotes, and one large tv mounted on my living room wall, an electric recliner,and a black kitty who likes sports, in my mind football is almost here! Have a great time in LA John, and please tell Chip that there is at least one Duck you know who wishes the Bruins a good season, and who understands very well why they are leaving the pac-12. My hat is off to the Trojans too, who were very smart to make the same move. I still love the pac-12 a lot, dream of playing with the big boys before my days are gone as I am 70, and am so glad I have a subscription to the Bald Faced Truth! God Bless You and family John, and I hope to cross your path soon! My special Nike air Pegasus model number 38s, in Duck colors, are the best shoes I have ever had. They are like slippers,and I got them in September of 2020; they were hard to find before they sold out. Besides the two no shows the Ducks pulled last season against Utah, these shoes have been very successful! My black cat has brought me nothing but great luck, and I am so blessed that we chose each other at a shelter in Sherwood, Oregon almost three years ago. His name is Shadow and it fits him to a t. He plays with his shadow, any shadow, my shadow, he catches insects in mid-air, and we follow each other around pretty much 24/7. Love my kitty, my family, my faith, the Ducks, and a few friends. Once again John, am so honored to be part of the Canzano group! GO DUCKS
Thanks John, PSU story was really heartwarming, good for them. To say USC and and UCLA will be met with a little hostility may be the understatement of the year.
John, Thank you for your reporting, much appreciated! Why is it that the Sacramento TV market is not considered to be part of what Cal and Stanford bring to the table? People who live in the Bay Area typically consider Sacramento to be part of "Northern California". If included, the tv sets grow from 2.6 million to 4.0 million for the Bay Area teams, if I remember the numbers correctly.
Great stuff, JC. I am keen to see what unfolds at Pac media days. It's hard to believe no one is going to let loose with some unfiltered spray with a hot mike nearby.
For the first time, I went out to watch all the kids have fun (the young ones and the players). It was a blast to see the players interact with the campers. I could tell that the kids were warming up to the PSU gang--and that was only Monday morning. I can only imagine the high spirits and camaraderie that was created by Friday.
John: you are doing a terrific job with this new column. Thanks for providing content that only one other writer on the West Coast can come close to matching when it comes to the PAC-Whatever.
I, too, laughed a bit at the thought of USC and UCLA being treated harshly on the road. Nothing new for the former and I suspect a mediocre UCLA team will take the venom out of opposing fans. Although leave it to Chip Kelly to spin a 7-5 or 8-4 team as overperforming.
I’m a ‘73 PSU grad (after a stint in the Army in SE Asia) and a proud alum of The PSU Viking Vets Club. I loved your comments about the athlete/counselors, please pass along my thanks to the athletes for their contributions and making me proud. PSU was a great place to finish my education and I profited by being a part of an older, urban student body. I attended law school at U of O and loved it too, but the maturity level of my peers did not match that of those at PSU. I had PSU football tickets during the Mouse Davis/Pokey Allen days-great fun. When we retired we moved to Florida to be close to grandkids and winter sun. I kept in contact with Oregon and Pac12/Duck sports through your work at the Big O (I worked there part time while at PSU). I am now probably one of your few Florida subscribers. Love your work, keep it up.
Is there any reason that some sort of equitable - not *equal* - arrangement if media revenues couldn’t used a weighted formula to determine the amount each university will get? Screw brand and all that. I’d do something like this:
- 50% of the total is split equally
- 25% of the total is split using a formula based on TVs in market (apportionment) - more TVs, more $ - and the smallest market never gets less than X% of the largest market for this component
- 25% of the total is split using a formula based on university enrollment (apportionment); this is a proxy for size of budget but more stable; the smallest market never gets less than Y% of the largest market for this component
You’d negotiate the percentage of each category, as well as X and Y.
This would result in smaller schools and markets getting a bit less and larger markets getting a bit more, and it’d be in relatively good proportion to the size of the school and market.
Might be better than UO and UW getting the same amount (UW’s budget is 6x that of UO), for example.
Love your personal insights into your life and your family. The PSU story gives me great hope that football can be and is a positive and loving social sport.
Now… How about those UTES! Would love to see you break down the teams ! I promise to keep it civil!! I got kicked off the Athletic by trolling ASU. I will not do that here!! Promise!
In the long run hyper-inflation is not sustainable. College football programs cannot continue to overexpend trying to compete and be in the top 30. The sharks will consume 90% of the revenue and the crumbs will be left for the remaining 300 teams (including FCS) . By the way because so many teams compete for a spot in March Madness, how much tv money is distributed to an FCS basketball program? In the FCS model, the football budget is much smaller than FBS and thus more economically sustainable. And the FCS championship football games are much more exciting than watching a Tidy Bowl game with two 6-6 teams playing. Why not bite the bullet and drop down to FCS football. You can still be an NCAA top 10 team in basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastic etc.
Six out of the ten remaining teams believe they have a case for unequal revenue sharing? That's simply not sustainable. What keeps CU (Denver) and UU (SLC) in the fold? That would leave the Big Six with only the carcasses of OSU and WSU to carve up. How does that work?
Hey John: Another great article by you to start the week-end. Looking forward to what you experience in LA this week! Pray Chip Kelly will speak with you, and Lincoln Riley too. As you know, I am a life long Duck fanatic, who has loved the Pac-12 since it was the Pac-8. I respect the Chipster a lot. I saw his arrogrance emerge, when he was in Eugene, but do not fault him at all. He got rescued from back east at a small school, he had a new offense, and Mike Belotti offered him a job. While he ran the Ducks, we had a super team, and I thank Phil Knight and Belotti for their huge contributions to the Ducks. Chip grew in Eugene, and I see now that it was just Chip being himself, and with Nike and so many behind him, and his super play calling out the side of his mouth, with a shield over his face, I just loved to watch our offense so much. His salary only went up a little from his former job, and any coach who did what he did, would change some. Could it have been the salary increase? Sure that was part of it, but Chip showed me new things from jump street. No huddle, always in a shotgun, plays coming in from huge cards on the sidelines, held up by players, and so much more. He did well in his first two years at Phily in the show. He was my first choice after we dumped Mario. I knew the odds were against him coming back, but now I am super excited with our new head coach. A quality family guy who is young and smart. An SEC guy who ran the defense for a national champonship at Georgia. To me, he has all the tools to be a big time winner in Eugene. Defense still wins the big games, and I know Oregon has some great players. I do not get super excited about new recruits who have not played in a real game in Eugene. They all said Mario was a super recruiter before he came to the Ducks, John, you or I could have won the same award Mario did while he was at Alabama, as recruiter of the year. If Nick Sabin gives you a job in his super program, and tells you to go hit the road, for new players, you just go do it. Much like if Uncle Phil offers you a position; you take it and be thankful and put in 100% effort and show respect. Mario and slick Willy were not proven coaches when the Ducks gave them a job. I said publicly before either of them even coached one game here, that they were not the right guy for the position. On facebook I got bashed real bad by some real experts from all over. I do know football, and I think Oregon will have a good season this year, with the new men running the team. I have met the athletic director, Rob Mullens. about 12 years ago at a baseball play-off game after the pac-12 regular season. That morning, from Portland, I had tried to buy a ticket for the game online, and it did not go smoothly. I told Mr. Mullens that afternoon at the game my small plight, he wrote down my name, and he was very cordial. The next day a staffer of his called me, got everything in order, and I was very pleased to once again be a Duck! I have nothing but good things to say about all I know about the current AD in Duckland. I was beyond happy when Mario ran off to Miami. I thought because he beat Ohio State, won some games, we were stuck with him. Sure glad I was wrong. Most Ducks I know thought he and Willy were two super people, and I was sure neither one of them had my support. Mario was beyond horrible at clock management. He was a lineman in college and the NFL, and he just could not see past his ego. Recruits are like pipe dreams, and just because he knew the trenches well, and how to instruct the guards and tackles, and other big men, when the game started I watched him like a hawk. Sure glad Willy and super Mario are back in Florida! I admire and respect what UCLA and USC have done by deciding to join the Big 10 in two years. Major sports are run by tv. The rich get richer and the others stuggle to remain competitive. This move has shook up the pac-12, and i am glad. Larry Scott buried the pac-12 and am glad he is gone too. Since the "final four" started in college football, the Pac-12 has had only two teams, UW in 2016, and the Ducks of Chip in 2014, make this elite group. The SEC had had ten appearances, and the Big 10 has had six. Gee, do you see the pattern here John? I know you and I both do. In my opinion, the pac-12 is about five years away from the big boys in football and basketball. These two sports, with their tv revenue, their brand, their absolute superiority across the board, are what all schools would love to have. We have a super guy in Uncle Phil. who has given some one billion to the Ducks in recent years. We have a great brand and uniforms and top flight facilities. We have a coach who I hope will stay in Eugene. Lanning is intelligent, and he puts his family and faith at top of his list. along with his new job. He invites players to his house for bbq and outdoor games. His wife survivied cancer, the whole family loves Eugene, and the Ducks were very lucky to get him. He may not beat Georgia in Atlanta in Septemeber in a already sold out game. He will have a great first year in Eugene. The players respect him; he treats the kids as they deserve to be treated. He has a fresh, very positive attitude. He has brought in some new coaches who will instantly make a big impact. He is the quality of coach we have not had since Chip left. I predict the Ducks will not lose more than two games for 2022. With Nike and we life long fans, a good schedule with quality teams coming to Autzen for most games, a proven qb from the SEC in Bo Nix, and at least one other good qb, the sky is the limit. I remember still the old days when the Ducks did not have the facilities of today, and Rich Brooks did a great job working with what he had. It rained many Saturdays, and I got so wet at some games, that the losing was made a little worse. When Don James and his Huskies were coming to Eugene, I shuddered all the way driving down I-5 from Portland for the game. Huskies would see my Duck colors, and honk and wave, and do all sorts of things. I knew we were overmatched and James only won like 19 of the 21 games he played the Ducks. Then, by a divine miracle and lots of hard work, the football Ducks beat Washington 13 or so games in a row. We Ducks were reborn, and to this day, beating UW in any sports makes me very pleased. The new Husky stadium got a huge many million dollar retrofit. I went there last fall for my first view of the new digs. For first time ever, you could buy a beer in a can with your hot dogs! It rained pretty hard most of the game. I was in a Duck section and nobody wanted to sit down as the seats were beyond wet. We stood and cheered, and it was my first victory in Seattle with my Ducks! The tall beer, which was only 12 dollars, very cold, tasted like honey nectar. We dominated the Huskies that day, and I saw the Husky coach jump one of his palyers on the sideline in disgust!! I laughed so hard, and felt so good to watch the puppoes that day show their true colors, and had to point out to my other Ducks by me, the disturbance on the Husky bench! The rain increased, it was windy and cold, and I sure was a proud Duck that day! I could not help but be very happy! The dogs come to Eugene this fall, and if there is one game I cannot miss in person at Autzen, this is the one. I will see all the SEC and Big 10 games on my comcast, while I wait for the pac-12 games and their late starts. With three tvs, voice activation of all remotes, and one large tv mounted on my living room wall, an electric recliner,and a black kitty who likes sports, in my mind football is almost here! Have a great time in LA John, and please tell Chip that there is at least one Duck you know who wishes the Bruins a good season, and who understands very well why they are leaving the pac-12. My hat is off to the Trojans too, who were very smart to make the same move. I still love the pac-12 a lot, dream of playing with the big boys before my days are gone as I am 70, and am so glad I have a subscription to the Bald Faced Truth! God Bless You and family John, and I hope to cross your path soon! My special Nike air Pegasus model number 38s, in Duck colors, are the best shoes I have ever had. They are like slippers,and I got them in September of 2020; they were hard to find before they sold out. Besides the two no shows the Ducks pulled last season against Utah, these shoes have been very successful! My black cat has brought me nothing but great luck, and I am so blessed that we chose each other at a shelter in Sherwood, Oregon almost three years ago. His name is Shadow and it fits him to a t. He plays with his shadow, any shadow, my shadow, he catches insects in mid-air, and we follow each other around pretty much 24/7. Love my kitty, my family, my faith, the Ducks, and a few friends. Once again John, am so honored to be part of the Canzano group! GO DUCKS
Thanks John, PSU story was really heartwarming, good for them. To say USC and and UCLA will be met with a little hostility may be the understatement of the year.
John, Thank you for your reporting, much appreciated! Why is it that the Sacramento TV market is not considered to be part of what Cal and Stanford bring to the table? People who live in the Bay Area typically consider Sacramento to be part of "Northern California". If included, the tv sets grow from 2.6 million to 4.0 million for the Bay Area teams, if I remember the numbers correctly.
"USC will be met with hostility on the road this year." Gosh, never seen that happen before. (Sorry, but that made me actually laugh...)
Thank you for your great articles!
Great stuff, JC. I am keen to see what unfolds at Pac media days. It's hard to believe no one is going to let loose with some unfiltered spray with a hot mike nearby.
For the first time, I went out to watch all the kids have fun (the young ones and the players). It was a blast to see the players interact with the campers. I could tell that the kids were warming up to the PSU gang--and that was only Monday morning. I can only imagine the high spirits and camaraderie that was created by Friday.
John: you are doing a terrific job with this new column. Thanks for providing content that only one other writer on the West Coast can come close to matching when it comes to the PAC-Whatever.
I, too, laughed a bit at the thought of USC and UCLA being treated harshly on the road. Nothing new for the former and I suspect a mediocre UCLA team will take the venom out of opposing fans. Although leave it to Chip Kelly to spin a 7-5 or 8-4 team as overperforming.
I’m a ‘73 PSU grad (after a stint in the Army in SE Asia) and a proud alum of The PSU Viking Vets Club. I loved your comments about the athlete/counselors, please pass along my thanks to the athletes for their contributions and making me proud. PSU was a great place to finish my education and I profited by being a part of an older, urban student body. I attended law school at U of O and loved it too, but the maturity level of my peers did not match that of those at PSU. I had PSU football tickets during the Mouse Davis/Pokey Allen days-great fun. When we retired we moved to Florida to be close to grandkids and winter sun. I kept in contact with Oregon and Pac12/Duck sports through your work at the Big O (I worked there part time while at PSU). I am now probably one of your few Florida subscribers. Love your work, keep it up.
Thank you for taking on my inquiry John. Here’s to savoring the last two years of the current PAC-12, pretzels or no! 🥨🥨🥨🥨🥨 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆
Thank you for the smiles
Is there any reason that some sort of equitable - not *equal* - arrangement if media revenues couldn’t used a weighted formula to determine the amount each university will get? Screw brand and all that. I’d do something like this:
- 50% of the total is split equally
- 25% of the total is split using a formula based on TVs in market (apportionment) - more TVs, more $ - and the smallest market never gets less than X% of the largest market for this component
- 25% of the total is split using a formula based on university enrollment (apportionment); this is a proxy for size of budget but more stable; the smallest market never gets less than Y% of the largest market for this component
You’d negotiate the percentage of each category, as well as X and Y.
This would result in smaller schools and markets getting a bit less and larger markets getting a bit more, and it’d be in relatively good proportion to the size of the school and market.
Might be better than UO and UW getting the same amount (UW’s budget is 6x that of UO), for example.
I strongly doubt that the Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors care about or are influenced by Phil Knight.
Love your personal insights into your life and your family. The PSU story gives me great hope that football can be and is a positive and loving social sport.
Now… How about those UTES! Would love to see you break down the teams ! I promise to keep it civil!! I got kicked off the Athletic by trolling ASU. I will not do that here!! Promise!
In the long run hyper-inflation is not sustainable. College football programs cannot continue to overexpend trying to compete and be in the top 30. The sharks will consume 90% of the revenue and the crumbs will be left for the remaining 300 teams (including FCS) . By the way because so many teams compete for a spot in March Madness, how much tv money is distributed to an FCS basketball program? In the FCS model, the football budget is much smaller than FBS and thus more economically sustainable. And the FCS championship football games are much more exciting than watching a Tidy Bowl game with two 6-6 teams playing. Why not bite the bullet and drop down to FCS football. You can still be an NCAA top 10 team in basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastic etc.
Six out of the ten remaining teams believe they have a case for unequal revenue sharing? That's simply not sustainable. What keeps CU (Denver) and UU (SLC) in the fold? That would leave the Big Six with only the carcasses of OSU and WSU to carve up. How does that work?