It is amazing how one play can change the perception of an entire nation.
Stafford throws a wounded duck in the 4th qtr of the NFC championship game. It looked more like a punt than a pass. 49er DB Tartt dropped the ball. The Rams go on to win the NFC. So the story became that Goff was the guy that held the Rams back. McCay is called a genius. Stafford becomes a top tier QB If Tartt had held on to the interception the Rams would have ridiculed for giving up all the draft picks. And Stafford would be viewed as a bum that can't win the big game.
I am reminded of this as we talk about the PAC-12 and Utah's loss at Florida. Rising throws a pick when a FG would send the game to overtime. So the story becomes Utah is overrated and the PAC-12 sucks. Had Utah scored to win the game or had tied the game and then won in overtime -- the entire outlook would be different.
I think too much is being made out of one play. Let's see how Florida and Utah each do in their next 4-5 games and then we can make a more useful assessment.
You make a good point, except consider: Utah is the PAC's best--Florida is mid-tier SEC. PAC-12 doesn't "suck" but they are nowhere collectively close to the SEC. I don't look at the 0-2 thing, I look at the NFL draft.
I guess you can see the future. I can't. Is Utah the PAC-12's best team? Is Florida mid-tier? We will have a better sense of that in 4-6 weeks. Are you going to continue to call Florida mid-tier if they beat Kentucky and Tennessee in the next month?
Your comment about NFL draft is certainly true -- and this supports Mike Leach's comment about SEC having superior defensive linemen.
Leach and his 11.5 point advantage may be in for a surprise this weekend. Hope so. He may be paid a lot but he's not going to get anywhere at Mississippi State.
Ironman 33, you do not know anything about football. Mississippi State has a good team. Leach got only a $1.5 million per year raise, and he got out of the sinking pac-12. The SEC is very strong in football, year in and year out. Ever heard of Alabama or Georgia? Probably not. Clemson of the ACC made the final four six years six years in a row but missed it last year. They won 2 natl titles and will be back this year. It is called defense. Defense is when the other team has the ball. If your team has a great defense, you can win every game. Leach is a winner, and I respect and like him. Leach has done well at every team he has coached. The final four in college football will be Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia and Alabama . MSU this week will cover the 11.5. Oregon State might not show up as it is hot in Fresno. Beavs will lose. Ducks will not have a cupcake in Eugene with EWU. USC will win and cover the 12 points on the Farm. The farm is where you find educated animals. When you said Leach will not go anywhere, you are an idiot. HE IS JUST WHERE HE WANTS TO BE, and he got out of Pullman, Washington. Washington is a state just above Oregon.. It has two Pac-12 teams, WSU and a school in Seattle called U of W. If you get a GED someday Ironman, I will be amazed. Real hard to fix stupid. God Bless you Bro.
He's all snake oil when speaking for public consumption. I think he loves the image he has cultivated as some sort of lovable eccentric. The truth is more sinister.
Ah Ken, clearly you have a bone to pick with Leach. Do tell. I'm guessing it's interesting. But after these comments I would think a reporter has a responsibility to do so.
A few years ago when Leach's name was being tossed about as a UO coach, I recall you complained, in print, about Leach's habit of going on and on with stupid hypothetical questions he'd get asked in press conferences. If you were honest, you would have called out your colleagues in sports journalism for asking the questions in the first place. The truth is they ask these dumba**s questions because they know it's their best chance of the year to have a quote get picked up by the national media. So fans get dragged through it. But you blame Leach for playing the game and replying?
Am I misrepresenting things? I'm sure you can refresh my memory. Was it the same article where you compared several WSU assistant coaches that departed under Leach over the years to "rats jumping ship". Back up your statement by listing all their names starting with Big Joe, the team they left Pullman for, and the percentage of salary increase/decrease they got at the new gig. I'll help you get started: Several went to the UO. There was also Ohio State, UCLA under Chip. Here's how we'll judge the figures: Salary decrease? Rat. Salary increase? Not so rat-like. Bigger program AND big salary increase? Good on 'em.
Ken, if you have a story, write it. But enough of the whinnnninnnnng.
Good point about the way national journalists get sucked into the Leach schtick because it's entertaining. It also distracts from the abusive way in which he deals with his athletes. The reporters who cover his teams day-to-day see the real guy. I don't remember ever blaming a Leach assistant for leaving one of his programs.
You didn't blame them. You compared them to "rats jumping ship". It's your writing in the Oregonian. I'm sure you can find it very easily. I'd even make a friendly bet you can access it on the pc your typing at right now.
Then write the coaches names, new gig and salary % increase or decrease. Prove me wrong. It will be fun to see who the rats are.
The journalists aren't getting sucked in. That's just silly and disingenuous Ken. They are initiating the whole process in hopes of furthering their careers. Fair enough. We all have bills to pay. I'm not blaming them. You know this. Be honest for god's sake.
Hey, I didn't love everything about Leach by any means. I got sick of shallow crossing routes and check downs to the RB. And yes, I also felt he could be overly disrespectful to the players at the very least. But I say THAT when THAT is what I mean. And I'm just a fan, not a sports journalist. I don't have any inside info. But you whine and insult others in print.
Like I say, if you have a story, write it. I'll read it.
Ken Goe, I thought you knew a little football, and, if you are the past sports writer for the Oregonian, I know your career. The pac-10 cannot get the LA schools back. BYU is not a good addition, and never was would be. You must either be a Mormon or else your intelligence level shrunk when you quit your last job.. The pac-12 is doomed unless a miracle happens and ESPN rescues them ( The all new pac-10 is a bad joke ) What do you plan to give UCLA and USC to come back to the pac-12? Monopoly money? They will not come back ever to the pac-10 or 12, does not matter what you say or think. Is called big money, Ken. It rules the world, and ESPN rules all sports on tv.. Face check me Ken. The total value of ESPN in BILLIONS of real dollars, is MORE THAN THE COMBINED worth of ALL TEAMS IN the NFL, NBA. MLB, MLS., and more. Told John Canzano to fact check me. He either believed me or he might have known already. Add Miami and Florida State to the Pac-10? Do not think you smoke wacky weed, but if you do, roll another one, just like the last one, buddy. Why in God's green earth would two Florida schools want to join the pac-10?? The pac-12 is nowhere in football, and tv money is partly why. Why did UCLA and USC jump ship? Is called $75 million each, per year, starting in two years. If you know anybody with $150 million, in liquid real cash, it still would not get the Bruins or Trojans back. According to Mr. Canzano, who has met Mr. Kilavkoff, the latter has a good track record. Larry Miller ruined the pac-12 and then bailed out. A real moron and good riddance to this fool. Ask sub super Mario Cristoball is he can persuade Miami to join the pac-10 for a huge pay cut? Ask Florida State to go backwards, and lose millions each year so they can join the conference of champions? Mike Leach is a proven coach, and I can prove it. Canzano knows him. There is alien life in the universe; fact check me again. I saw Bigfoot twice, near Mt. Hood, but had no camera either time. The last election was very secure and not fixed. I voted and made sure my mail in vote got to where it was supposed to. I am a very strong Christian liberal democrat, and I love my state of Oregon, my Ducks, and also the USA. I have never voted for a GOP party circus clown for President, and never will. Trump will hopefully either get a federal conviction, which would prevent him for running in 2024, will have a heart attack, bad karma will finally get him, or he will simply lose in 2024. I heard that when the FBI went through Mara Lardo (sic) they could not believe trump's wife lingerie huge closet, and what it contained! Large, unclean granny panties with no crotch in many. Most in bright orange and pink! UGH, but she saved them from her past career as a lesbian naked porn star in outer Slovakia. Her top movie made grade D minus from Putin in Moscow. He and mrs. trump;s husband, little donny, while in Moscow, watched them between golden showers , while drinking watered- down shit champagne from California at $5 a bottle. Still working on a for real fact check for this one, and also a proven DNA check for their 16 year- old son . On this one a real DNA might not be good enough. Was told Mrs. Trump never lies as she still cannot speak English at a 2nd grade level. She ruined the Rose Garden at the White House. Fact check me. If you believe the 2020 Presidential election was fixed, SHOW ME PROOF. Please do not be as dumb as Supreme Court Thomas' wife. She has fact- checked proof that her third cousin donny trump was cheated, and actually won the popular vote and electoral college. She is writing a book, but cannot find a person to type out her so far 10 page block buster, called: Fact=checked Proven steal of 2020 election, by Mrs. Thomas. If she is white, and her husband appears to be blacker than the ace of spades, how come the kids are all asian? Hmmm maybe they adopted all them from the Orient or Korea or China. Just heard that this week-end power could be shut off in sw Portland, Or. (really on 11 pm KOIN news sept. 7) Please, Lord no way. Please, Please. Football is on starting at 6 am our time Saturday. I live in sw Portland, and have comcast with only 800 channels. If they shut off the power, I will have no air conditioning, none of my three tvs, or two computers will work. My CPAP machine will not work. I could die of sleep apnea, for real, as my sleep disorder is real and serious. I get suspended non-breathing. I know of people who have died of sleep apnea. Really. If there is no electricity, and I cannot watch football all day Saturday and Sunday, my kitty will be sad, especially if I bite the biscuit. My vintage 1997 black honda, with very dark tinted windows, a special 6 on the tree trannie, 250 bhp, and sub arctic ac that works, in perfect condition, will be sad too. He will have nobody to put 1000 miles on him yearly, or even less. Am more concerned about Baby Shadow and my car than I am about me. Sure glad I have been a Methodist for only 59 years, and have been baptised twice. I "Pray without ceasing, in ALL things give thanks:" from the BIBLE, one of my favorite scriptues, has worked for me with my Faith. I do not worry at all, as worrying causes stress. I just turned 71, and if this week-end is my last, I sure hope they have tv football in my next stop. and that SOMEBODY will take care of Shadow, and drive my car.! God Bless You All. You can have vintage duck gear, and a big collection of real alpaca furs from Peru, and Bolivia. .
Some family antiques, some of which are more than 100 years old, and all my clothes which include a $ 5000 dollar sweater from Argentina, and three pair of $2500 real crocodile, hand-made shoes, and many pair of vintage and new NIKE shoes (air pegasus) complete the deal. Throw in perfect credit, and six credit cards with high limits and zero balance. New valid USA passport, and a certified travel agent license. Good night; I have to figure out what to do if PGE burns me this week-end. Might be a darma deal, as they just gave me 20 per cent off my monthly bill for the next two years; you have to a senior citizen to get it. If they shut down my two casinos in Oregon, where can I bet and watch football? OMG. a fate worth than death almost..........
In football, defense wins championships. The reason the SEC and Big Ten are miles ahead of the Pac-12 now is because they all have big and fast defensive lines. They are 3 or 4 deep at every defensive position. You do not have to score much on offense if your opponet scores very little. Ask Alabama, or Ohio State, or Georgia, or Clemson, my four picks for the final four. You can win a natty without a great qb or skill players. If you shut-out your opposition, all you need is a field goal to win. Mike Leach was smart to leave the weak Pac-12. UCLA and USC were very wise to take only 40 million more dollars per year than any other team in the pac-12 by going to the Big-10. TV money rules all the sports. ESPN runs all the teams, college or pro. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The former horrible Pac-12 boss ruined the Pac-12 for years to come by negotiatioing the worse college football tv right deal in history. It was one of the first, and I, like John Canzano , knew right off it was a poor job by him. Before last Saturday, I thought if ESPN rescued the pac-12 very soon, by a cosmic dream, we were only five years behind the big boys. Now, I say 10, as, once again, the pac-12 will not get a final four team. Even if USC or UCLA wins all their games this year, it will not be good enough. USC will win by more than the 12 point spread over Stanford. Utah and Oregon are done. The Huskies, Beavers, Ducks, WSU, Stanford, and Cal will all go about 50-50 on the year. Chip Kelly can use the extra 40 million per year, and so can USC. I like the new Duck coach, but until he recruits some quality players in the offensive and defense lines, and more than just one or two, the Ducks are just another so-so team. Miss me with all the alleged recruits super sub par Mario Cristobal brought here. Recruits are like a pipe dream. Until they produce in a real game, they are just a name on a piece of paper. Mario was no good, and I am glad he bailed out. Utah rolled him twice in a few week span. On facebook before slick Willy Taggard even got to Eugene, I said he was a poor hire. You all bashed me when I said Mario would be just as bad as Willy. When I saw Taggart show up in Eugene in the rain with bro shades on even indoors, I was sick. Mario gave away at least two games (one was at Stanford) by horrible clock management. Do not listen to me: I saw and heard Curt Herbstreet, who was calling the game on tv say it. You kneel down and run out the clock. duh. Even if you give the opponet the ball with just a few seconds left at mid-field, and no time-outs, it is better than fumbling away the game. Good riddance to Taggart and Mario. Miami will not reach the promised land any faster than the Trojans of USC, or the chipster. My Ducks are a long way off from catching the big boys in football. Actually, so is most of the pac-12. They said Mario was a super recruiter. duh. He was at Alabama when he got recruiter of the year. duh. John Canzano or I could be big time recruiters if we were at Alabama. Sure glad I get the Big-10 and SEC channels on my comcast tv sports deal. I will not watch Portland State play a pac-12 team on tv, or in person. These games are on the pac-12 channel. Texas at home vs. Alabama next Saturday sounds better than the big sky could even dream of. For my birthday today, my black mini-jaguar kitty named Shadow gave me the ok to do whatever I wanted. I bribed him with tuna fish. He likes tv but told me about six months ago, he had seen enough of the NBA for one day. I have three tvs, and I told him to go pick another tv, and I would set him up with whatever he wanted. I did, and we were both happy! I thank God for my faith, my liberal political views, my family, my health, for being only 71, a few friends, and that I can write sports stories. Oh yeh I forgot Shadow, and he is here glaring at me. We communicate best by eye contact; it works on people too. Talk is cheap but if you look into the eyes, you can tell all. I know many of his 45.938 different meows; he does not listen to me much, but all is good! Happy Birthday to me, Donnie Duck, 71, and still above ground and thankful for each day that i get to hang with Shadow, the best friend I have ever had! GO DUCKS! Please vote blue and WE WILL DUMP TRUMP AGAIN IN 2024. Hope he ends up in federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon. It is right next door to the Spirit Mountain casino, where you can bet legally on sports and get paid as soon as game is over. All cash, and all in person! I can wave at little donny as I am betting next door! Huck the Fuskies in Autzen this fall!
I don't believe any school is good enough, according to the Pac-12 "conditions". SDSU, Fresno State, & Boise State are non-starters.
Pac-12 should have roped in Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, & Texas Tech those years back.
There's nothing the conference can do.
BYU should had been invited, not Colorado. The Pac-12 is too much of a snob and bigoted towards Mormons that the Cougars never had a chance to get invited.
Best case scenario? Counter-offer the Big-10 for USC & UCLA. Then invite TCU, Houston, UTSA, SMU., Miami & Florida State. Need to do the former in order to pull the latter.
If not, it's only time until the Pac-12 turns into the WAC 2.0. A bunch of retreads with Oregon State & Washington State hanging on the carcass of what's left of the Pac-12.
Inviting SDSU, UNLV, Boise State, & Fresno State doesn't add anything to the pie, it only decreases the average for each team. . . and dilutes the name of the Pac-12.
George Kliavkoff needs to do this, or just resign. Because if the Pac-12 doesn't get back USC & UCLA, then the Pac-12 is already dead and doesn't know it.
actually going 0-2 vs the SEC was not a "killer". It exposed the Pac's weaknesses, and flaws for what they are...and what it's become under Scott and now Klavilkoff needed to be exposed. It's a "soft conference". It's become the champion of "women's sports", "women's rights", "gay rights", "Black lives matter", "Trans rights matter", and "mental health", Everything except what it should be, an athletic conference dedicated to winning championships and making it's members stronger. The PAC for better or worse has gone into " Turtle mode". withdrawing all exposed limbs into a hard shell and letting all accusations and insinuations bounce off while it collectively tries to fine it's way. While it sits and whines about it's two main members going off to join another conference, and wrings it's collective hands on how to survive without them...the Big 10 is going about pounding it's chest, and becoming the most balanced of all conferences. You don't see them running gay rights, Trans rights, of BLM, commercials non stop 24/7...They run football and basketball promo's to keep people interested in what they are about...WINNING! and making their CONFERENCE MEMBERS STRONGER!!! The PAC 12 is going about things IMO all wrong. And NOTHING is going to change untill they address the elephant in the room...1) LEADERSHIP at the commissioner level, 2) Public support by presidents, chancellors, donors, AD's for a solid direction/goal. 3) Dedication to WINNING in the MAJOR REVENUE SPORTS from the top of the conference to the bottom. Not going "ALL IN" on that means there is no REAL leadership or solid goals, and the powers that be in the conference are willing to just keep re-arranging the deck chairs and keep on virtue signaling, while the Titanic sinks!
" It's a "soft conference". It's become the champion of "women's sports", "women's rights", "gay rights", "Black lives matter", "Trans rights matter", and "mental health", Everything except what it should be, an athletic conference dedicated to winning championships and making it's members stronger."
You managed the trifecta: misogyny, racism, homophobia. Congratulations.
Wow really! Your so far off base here. Your comment tells me you have no respect for current student athletes. If you really don’t believe any of those issues you listed matter, you should probably not be following College sports.
As a WSU alumni I have been and fan and follower of Mike Leach. He wrote a great article about dividing college football players into two groups. Group one (College Student Athlete) would play for a football for a college. They would receive a scholarship and $150K after playing 4 seasons and graduating. No transfer portal. Group Two (Semi-Pro College Athlete) could cut any deals with any college without restrictions. But they could be cut or traded by the college at any time. I would love to hear Mike talk more about this idea.
John, I 'm only writing a comment. There is order in games in the SEC or PAC. The Southwest is oozing with talent and lack of talent. Man, it is entertainment that is a dunk driving lawyer's dream. drjimxlaw64@gmail. com
John, now that the PAC-#? Is assured of its champion making the CFP in 2026 or sooner, doesn’t make sense to stay at 10? Hard to believe the addition of, say, SDSU would add enough revenue to mean that it wouldn’t dilute the revenues of the other 10 teams. Same with SMU. Boise? No way that would dilute the revenues.
Part of the SEC's fun in all this is probably watching the unloading of the Cristobals and Lannings on us as if they were really head coach material at this level in the first place. As soon as I began reading off-season features about how good Lanning had been at keeping the pencils sharpened and taking notes I suspected we'd been had again. Those are real good things to have in an assistant and he probably should have continued to be one. The fact that he looked like a deer in the headlights most of the game on Saturday and was sweating more than the people playing in it wasn't real confidence-inspiring either. I feel sorry for the guy. It must be terrifying to realize that you and all the people you hired don't have a clue. But mostly I feel sorry for us because now we don't have a good team and it looks like we aren't going to have one for a long time.
It is amazing how one play can change the perception of an entire nation.
Stafford throws a wounded duck in the 4th qtr of the NFC championship game. It looked more like a punt than a pass. 49er DB Tartt dropped the ball. The Rams go on to win the NFC. So the story became that Goff was the guy that held the Rams back. McCay is called a genius. Stafford becomes a top tier QB If Tartt had held on to the interception the Rams would have ridiculed for giving up all the draft picks. And Stafford would be viewed as a bum that can't win the big game.
I am reminded of this as we talk about the PAC-12 and Utah's loss at Florida. Rising throws a pick when a FG would send the game to overtime. So the story becomes Utah is overrated and the PAC-12 sucks. Had Utah scored to win the game or had tied the game and then won in overtime -- the entire outlook would be different.
I think too much is being made out of one play. Let's see how Florida and Utah each do in their next 4-5 games and then we can make a more useful assessment.
You make a good point, except consider: Utah is the PAC's best--Florida is mid-tier SEC. PAC-12 doesn't "suck" but they are nowhere collectively close to the SEC. I don't look at the 0-2 thing, I look at the NFL draft.
I guess you can see the future. I can't. Is Utah the PAC-12's best team? Is Florida mid-tier? We will have a better sense of that in 4-6 weeks. Are you going to continue to call Florida mid-tier if they beat Kentucky and Tennessee in the next month?
Your comment about NFL draft is certainly true -- and this supports Mike Leach's comment about SEC having superior defensive linemen.
Yes, I can see the future--I even predicted Alabama would beat Utah St., so there you go...
Ha! No, your response is well said. Who knows by Week 5 where these teams will stand?
Leach and his 11.5 point advantage may be in for a surprise this weekend. Hope so. He may be paid a lot but he's not going to get anywhere at Mississippi State.
Ironman 33, you do not know anything about football. Mississippi State has a good team. Leach got only a $1.5 million per year raise, and he got out of the sinking pac-12. The SEC is very strong in football, year in and year out. Ever heard of Alabama or Georgia? Probably not. Clemson of the ACC made the final four six years six years in a row but missed it last year. They won 2 natl titles and will be back this year. It is called defense. Defense is when the other team has the ball. If your team has a great defense, you can win every game. Leach is a winner, and I respect and like him. Leach has done well at every team he has coached. The final four in college football will be Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia and Alabama . MSU this week will cover the 11.5. Oregon State might not show up as it is hot in Fresno. Beavs will lose. Ducks will not have a cupcake in Eugene with EWU. USC will win and cover the 12 points on the Farm. The farm is where you find educated animals. When you said Leach will not go anywhere, you are an idiot. HE IS JUST WHERE HE WANTS TO BE, and he got out of Pullman, Washington. Washington is a state just above Oregon.. It has two Pac-12 teams, WSU and a school in Seattle called U of W. If you get a GED someday Ironman, I will be amazed. Real hard to fix stupid. God Bless you Bro.
Leach was competitive in the Pac-12 at Washington State and had some success at Texas Tech. He will never come close to winning the SEC.
I'm not sure I believe anything Mike Leach says.
You don’t think there is alien life in the universe?
He's all snake oil when speaking for public consumption. I think he loves the image he has cultivated as some sort of lovable eccentric. The truth is more sinister.
Ah Ken, clearly you have a bone to pick with Leach. Do tell. I'm guessing it's interesting. But after these comments I would think a reporter has a responsibility to do so.
A few years ago when Leach's name was being tossed about as a UO coach, I recall you complained, in print, about Leach's habit of going on and on with stupid hypothetical questions he'd get asked in press conferences. If you were honest, you would have called out your colleagues in sports journalism for asking the questions in the first place. The truth is they ask these dumba**s questions because they know it's their best chance of the year to have a quote get picked up by the national media. So fans get dragged through it. But you blame Leach for playing the game and replying?
Am I misrepresenting things? I'm sure you can refresh my memory. Was it the same article where you compared several WSU assistant coaches that departed under Leach over the years to "rats jumping ship". Back up your statement by listing all their names starting with Big Joe, the team they left Pullman for, and the percentage of salary increase/decrease they got at the new gig. I'll help you get started: Several went to the UO. There was also Ohio State, UCLA under Chip. Here's how we'll judge the figures: Salary decrease? Rat. Salary increase? Not so rat-like. Bigger program AND big salary increase? Good on 'em.
Ken, if you have a story, write it. But enough of the whinnnninnnnng.
Don Hopkins
Good point about the way national journalists get sucked into the Leach schtick because it's entertaining. It also distracts from the abusive way in which he deals with his athletes. The reporters who cover his teams day-to-day see the real guy. I don't remember ever blaming a Leach assistant for leaving one of his programs.
You didn't blame them. You compared them to "rats jumping ship". It's your writing in the Oregonian. I'm sure you can find it very easily. I'd even make a friendly bet you can access it on the pc your typing at right now.
Then write the coaches names, new gig and salary % increase or decrease. Prove me wrong. It will be fun to see who the rats are.
The journalists aren't getting sucked in. That's just silly and disingenuous Ken. They are initiating the whole process in hopes of furthering their careers. Fair enough. We all have bills to pay. I'm not blaming them. You know this. Be honest for god's sake.
Hey, I didn't love everything about Leach by any means. I got sick of shallow crossing routes and check downs to the RB. And yes, I also felt he could be overly disrespectful to the players at the very least. But I say THAT when THAT is what I mean. And I'm just a fan, not a sports journalist. I don't have any inside info. But you whine and insult others in print.
Like I say, if you have a story, write it. I'll read it.
Don Hopkins
There surely is in Mississippi!
Ken Goe, I thought you knew a little football, and, if you are the past sports writer for the Oregonian, I know your career. The pac-10 cannot get the LA schools back. BYU is not a good addition, and never was would be. You must either be a Mormon or else your intelligence level shrunk when you quit your last job.. The pac-12 is doomed unless a miracle happens and ESPN rescues them ( The all new pac-10 is a bad joke ) What do you plan to give UCLA and USC to come back to the pac-12? Monopoly money? They will not come back ever to the pac-10 or 12, does not matter what you say or think. Is called big money, Ken. It rules the world, and ESPN rules all sports on tv.. Face check me Ken. The total value of ESPN in BILLIONS of real dollars, is MORE THAN THE COMBINED worth of ALL TEAMS IN the NFL, NBA. MLB, MLS., and more. Told John Canzano to fact check me. He either believed me or he might have known already. Add Miami and Florida State to the Pac-10? Do not think you smoke wacky weed, but if you do, roll another one, just like the last one, buddy. Why in God's green earth would two Florida schools want to join the pac-10?? The pac-12 is nowhere in football, and tv money is partly why. Why did UCLA and USC jump ship? Is called $75 million each, per year, starting in two years. If you know anybody with $150 million, in liquid real cash, it still would not get the Bruins or Trojans back. According to Mr. Canzano, who has met Mr. Kilavkoff, the latter has a good track record. Larry Miller ruined the pac-12 and then bailed out. A real moron and good riddance to this fool. Ask sub super Mario Cristoball is he can persuade Miami to join the pac-10 for a huge pay cut? Ask Florida State to go backwards, and lose millions each year so they can join the conference of champions? Mike Leach is a proven coach, and I can prove it. Canzano knows him. There is alien life in the universe; fact check me again. I saw Bigfoot twice, near Mt. Hood, but had no camera either time. The last election was very secure and not fixed. I voted and made sure my mail in vote got to where it was supposed to. I am a very strong Christian liberal democrat, and I love my state of Oregon, my Ducks, and also the USA. I have never voted for a GOP party circus clown for President, and never will. Trump will hopefully either get a federal conviction, which would prevent him for running in 2024, will have a heart attack, bad karma will finally get him, or he will simply lose in 2024. I heard that when the FBI went through Mara Lardo (sic) they could not believe trump's wife lingerie huge closet, and what it contained! Large, unclean granny panties with no crotch in many. Most in bright orange and pink! UGH, but she saved them from her past career as a lesbian naked porn star in outer Slovakia. Her top movie made grade D minus from Putin in Moscow. He and mrs. trump;s husband, little donny, while in Moscow, watched them between golden showers , while drinking watered- down shit champagne from California at $5 a bottle. Still working on a for real fact check for this one, and also a proven DNA check for their 16 year- old son . On this one a real DNA might not be good enough. Was told Mrs. Trump never lies as she still cannot speak English at a 2nd grade level. She ruined the Rose Garden at the White House. Fact check me. If you believe the 2020 Presidential election was fixed, SHOW ME PROOF. Please do not be as dumb as Supreme Court Thomas' wife. She has fact- checked proof that her third cousin donny trump was cheated, and actually won the popular vote and electoral college. She is writing a book, but cannot find a person to type out her so far 10 page block buster, called: Fact=checked Proven steal of 2020 election, by Mrs. Thomas. If she is white, and her husband appears to be blacker than the ace of spades, how come the kids are all asian? Hmmm maybe they adopted all them from the Orient or Korea or China. Just heard that this week-end power could be shut off in sw Portland, Or. (really on 11 pm KOIN news sept. 7) Please, Lord no way. Please, Please. Football is on starting at 6 am our time Saturday. I live in sw Portland, and have comcast with only 800 channels. If they shut off the power, I will have no air conditioning, none of my three tvs, or two computers will work. My CPAP machine will not work. I could die of sleep apnea, for real, as my sleep disorder is real and serious. I get suspended non-breathing. I know of people who have died of sleep apnea. Really. If there is no electricity, and I cannot watch football all day Saturday and Sunday, my kitty will be sad, especially if I bite the biscuit. My vintage 1997 black honda, with very dark tinted windows, a special 6 on the tree trannie, 250 bhp, and sub arctic ac that works, in perfect condition, will be sad too. He will have nobody to put 1000 miles on him yearly, or even less. Am more concerned about Baby Shadow and my car than I am about me. Sure glad I have been a Methodist for only 59 years, and have been baptised twice. I "Pray without ceasing, in ALL things give thanks:" from the BIBLE, one of my favorite scriptues, has worked for me with my Faith. I do not worry at all, as worrying causes stress. I just turned 71, and if this week-end is my last, I sure hope they have tv football in my next stop. and that SOMEBODY will take care of Shadow, and drive my car.! God Bless You All. You can have vintage duck gear, and a big collection of real alpaca furs from Peru, and Bolivia. .
Some family antiques, some of which are more than 100 years old, and all my clothes which include a $ 5000 dollar sweater from Argentina, and three pair of $2500 real crocodile, hand-made shoes, and many pair of vintage and new NIKE shoes (air pegasus) complete the deal. Throw in perfect credit, and six credit cards with high limits and zero balance. New valid USA passport, and a certified travel agent license. Good night; I have to figure out what to do if PGE burns me this week-end. Might be a darma deal, as they just gave me 20 per cent off my monthly bill for the next two years; you have to a senior citizen to get it. If they shut down my two casinos in Oregon, where can I bet and watch football? OMG. a fate worth than death almost..........
Listening to Lanning's news conference about what they need to improve on defensively had me
thinking that those were things that should have been addressed in fall camp, most were basic
principles. I hope this isn't a foretaste of things to come.
Let's see about the bounce back.
In football, defense wins championships. The reason the SEC and Big Ten are miles ahead of the Pac-12 now is because they all have big and fast defensive lines. They are 3 or 4 deep at every defensive position. You do not have to score much on offense if your opponet scores very little. Ask Alabama, or Ohio State, or Georgia, or Clemson, my four picks for the final four. You can win a natty without a great qb or skill players. If you shut-out your opposition, all you need is a field goal to win. Mike Leach was smart to leave the weak Pac-12. UCLA and USC were very wise to take only 40 million more dollars per year than any other team in the pac-12 by going to the Big-10. TV money rules all the sports. ESPN runs all the teams, college or pro. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The former horrible Pac-12 boss ruined the Pac-12 for years to come by negotiatioing the worse college football tv right deal in history. It was one of the first, and I, like John Canzano , knew right off it was a poor job by him. Before last Saturday, I thought if ESPN rescued the pac-12 very soon, by a cosmic dream, we were only five years behind the big boys. Now, I say 10, as, once again, the pac-12 will not get a final four team. Even if USC or UCLA wins all their games this year, it will not be good enough. USC will win by more than the 12 point spread over Stanford. Utah and Oregon are done. The Huskies, Beavers, Ducks, WSU, Stanford, and Cal will all go about 50-50 on the year. Chip Kelly can use the extra 40 million per year, and so can USC. I like the new Duck coach, but until he recruits some quality players in the offensive and defense lines, and more than just one or two, the Ducks are just another so-so team. Miss me with all the alleged recruits super sub par Mario Cristobal brought here. Recruits are like a pipe dream. Until they produce in a real game, they are just a name on a piece of paper. Mario was no good, and I am glad he bailed out. Utah rolled him twice in a few week span. On facebook before slick Willy Taggard even got to Eugene, I said he was a poor hire. You all bashed me when I said Mario would be just as bad as Willy. When I saw Taggart show up in Eugene in the rain with bro shades on even indoors, I was sick. Mario gave away at least two games (one was at Stanford) by horrible clock management. Do not listen to me: I saw and heard Curt Herbstreet, who was calling the game on tv say it. You kneel down and run out the clock. duh. Even if you give the opponet the ball with just a few seconds left at mid-field, and no time-outs, it is better than fumbling away the game. Good riddance to Taggart and Mario. Miami will not reach the promised land any faster than the Trojans of USC, or the chipster. My Ducks are a long way off from catching the big boys in football. Actually, so is most of the pac-12. They said Mario was a super recruiter. duh. He was at Alabama when he got recruiter of the year. duh. John Canzano or I could be big time recruiters if we were at Alabama. Sure glad I get the Big-10 and SEC channels on my comcast tv sports deal. I will not watch Portland State play a pac-12 team on tv, or in person. These games are on the pac-12 channel. Texas at home vs. Alabama next Saturday sounds better than the big sky could even dream of. For my birthday today, my black mini-jaguar kitty named Shadow gave me the ok to do whatever I wanted. I bribed him with tuna fish. He likes tv but told me about six months ago, he had seen enough of the NBA for one day. I have three tvs, and I told him to go pick another tv, and I would set him up with whatever he wanted. I did, and we were both happy! I thank God for my faith, my liberal political views, my family, my health, for being only 71, a few friends, and that I can write sports stories. Oh yeh I forgot Shadow, and he is here glaring at me. We communicate best by eye contact; it works on people too. Talk is cheap but if you look into the eyes, you can tell all. I know many of his 45.938 different meows; he does not listen to me much, but all is good! Happy Birthday to me, Donnie Duck, 71, and still above ground and thankful for each day that i get to hang with Shadow, the best friend I have ever had! GO DUCKS! Please vote blue and WE WILL DUMP TRUMP AGAIN IN 2024. Hope he ends up in federal prison in Sheridan, Oregon. It is right next door to the Spirit Mountain casino, where you can bet legally on sports and get paid as soon as game is over. All cash, and all in person! I can wave at little donny as I am betting next door! Huck the Fuskies in Autzen this fall!
Sankey is sticking with 2026 for expanded playoffs to give the SEC 2 extra years of the money not to taper fan’s expectations
Perhaps... but I think there's a load of $$ in this for the SEC. They'd get four teams in.
Spot on summary of week 1. Fingers crossed for the Pac 12. Somebody ought to ask for some of Larry Scott’s money back.
He spent it on marble tubs and champagne.
I don't believe any school is good enough, according to the Pac-12 "conditions". SDSU, Fresno State, & Boise State are non-starters.
Pac-12 should have roped in Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, & Texas Tech those years back.
There's nothing the conference can do.
BYU should had been invited, not Colorado. The Pac-12 is too much of a snob and bigoted towards Mormons that the Cougars never had a chance to get invited.
Best case scenario? Counter-offer the Big-10 for USC & UCLA. Then invite TCU, Houston, UTSA, SMU., Miami & Florida State. Need to do the former in order to pull the latter.
If not, it's only time until the Pac-12 turns into the WAC 2.0. A bunch of retreads with Oregon State & Washington State hanging on the carcass of what's left of the Pac-12.
Inviting SDSU, UNLV, Boise State, & Fresno State doesn't add anything to the pie, it only decreases the average for each team. . . and dilutes the name of the Pac-12.
George Kliavkoff needs to do this, or just resign. Because if the Pac-12 doesn't get back USC & UCLA, then the Pac-12 is already dead and doesn't know it.
-- Arizona Alum Class of 1992
actually going 0-2 vs the SEC was not a "killer". It exposed the Pac's weaknesses, and flaws for what they are...and what it's become under Scott and now Klavilkoff needed to be exposed. It's a "soft conference". It's become the champion of "women's sports", "women's rights", "gay rights", "Black lives matter", "Trans rights matter", and "mental health", Everything except what it should be, an athletic conference dedicated to winning championships and making it's members stronger. The PAC for better or worse has gone into " Turtle mode". withdrawing all exposed limbs into a hard shell and letting all accusations and insinuations bounce off while it collectively tries to fine it's way. While it sits and whines about it's two main members going off to join another conference, and wrings it's collective hands on how to survive without them...the Big 10 is going about pounding it's chest, and becoming the most balanced of all conferences. You don't see them running gay rights, Trans rights, of BLM, commercials non stop 24/7...They run football and basketball promo's to keep people interested in what they are about...WINNING! and making their CONFERENCE MEMBERS STRONGER!!! The PAC 12 is going about things IMO all wrong. And NOTHING is going to change untill they address the elephant in the room...1) LEADERSHIP at the commissioner level, 2) Public support by presidents, chancellors, donors, AD's for a solid direction/goal. 3) Dedication to WINNING in the MAJOR REVENUE SPORTS from the top of the conference to the bottom. Not going "ALL IN" on that means there is no REAL leadership or solid goals, and the powers that be in the conference are willing to just keep re-arranging the deck chairs and keep on virtue signaling, while the Titanic sinks!
" It's a "soft conference". It's become the champion of "women's sports", "women's rights", "gay rights", "Black lives matter", "Trans rights matter", and "mental health", Everything except what it should be, an athletic conference dedicated to winning championships and making it's members stronger."
You managed the trifecta: misogyny, racism, homophobia. Congratulations.
Wow really! Your so far off base here. Your comment tells me you have no respect for current student athletes. If you really don’t believe any of those issues you listed matter, you should probably not be following College sports.
Leach's WSU teams seemed to always have a strong D-Line.
He did a nice job with Joe Salave'a of recruiting Polynesian players. When Joe left for Oregon, it hurt Leach, IMO.
As a WSU alumni I have been and fan and follower of Mike Leach. He wrote a great article about dividing college football players into two groups. Group one (College Student Athlete) would play for a football for a college. They would receive a scholarship and $150K after playing 4 seasons and graduating. No transfer portal. Group Two (Semi-Pro College Athlete) could cut any deals with any college without restrictions. But they could be cut or traded by the college at any time. I would love to hear Mike talk more about this idea.
I run a pool of 52 players and I include at least a few FCS games each week, but I can’t find the lines on those games. Can you help?
I noticed you a couple of those line in you column today.
John, I 'm only writing a comment. There is order in games in the SEC or PAC. The Southwest is oozing with talent and lack of talent. Man, it is entertainment that is a dunk driving lawyer's dream. drjimxlaw64@gmail. com
John, now that the PAC-#? Is assured of its champion making the CFP in 2026 or sooner, doesn’t make sense to stay at 10? Hard to believe the addition of, say, SDSU would add enough revenue to mean that it wouldn’t dilute the revenues of the other 10 teams. Same with SMU. Boise? No way that would dilute the revenues.
Thanks is for having Leach in your story. I hated playing his teams but sure miss The Pirate!
He's interesting, for sure.
Part of the SEC's fun in all this is probably watching the unloading of the Cristobals and Lannings on us as if they were really head coach material at this level in the first place. As soon as I began reading off-season features about how good Lanning had been at keeping the pencils sharpened and taking notes I suspected we'd been had again. Those are real good things to have in an assistant and he probably should have continued to be one. The fact that he looked like a deer in the headlights most of the game on Saturday and was sweating more than the people playing in it wasn't real confidence-inspiring either. I feel sorry for the guy. It must be terrifying to realize that you and all the people you hired don't have a clue. But mostly I feel sorry for us because now we don't have a good team and it looks like we aren't going to have one for a long time.