PSU not beating a ranked team in 2022 says a lot about how rank B1G football was top to bottom in 2022.
As is often case Michigan blew out PSU in Ann Arbor but struggled at home vs Maryland and came oh-so-close to losing to Illinois. I think TCU has a much better shot against the Wolverines than the 'experts' are giving Sonny Dykes, Max Duggan, et al.
Speaking of no B1G wins. Yes, tOSU defeated PSU by a deceiving final score and opened with a win against an up and down Notre Dame team. No one backs into the playoff like the Buckeyes.
I'd feel a lot better about Utah's chances if Kincaid was good to go.
Agree. They are out both their star TEs from the beginning of year. And missing their 1st string RB. Hopefully Rising and Vele are healthy. Aside from rooting for Utah, the Pac needs to not have their champs lose to a SEC team with a losing record at the beginning of the season and finish with a loss to 3rd place B1G team.
Went to that game (I think it was played in 95?)…the coolest thing we came home with was the gift of a Nittany Lion tail from a Penn State fan we met at a bar! Unfortunately the tail got lost in a move several years later.
I agree with your picks and what you say except for where you said the game should "center around its solid stable of backs." It might revolve around the backs or focus on the backs, but it cannot center around them. The center does not go around anything, everything goes around the center.
Normally being a Dawg fan I would back the opposing team to conference rivals, especially the
ducks and Cougs. LOL. However, our conference and it's fans need to all be on board with supporting all the conference teams in their bowl games. We need a clean sweep to boost our credibility as a conference. To maybe squeeze a few more dollars via the media deals. The Cougs dropped that egg which sucks. They didn't look like they wanted to be there. I urge each of those reading this to 'BE THERE" for each other.
This is the best bowl lineup for the conference I can remember, with possible exception of playoff seasons. And they all seem quite winnable, while no gimmes, which should make for good games.
I'd like to see the PAC win all remaining bowl games. Conference unity & strenth, etc. That said, I won't shed any tears if Washington and/or SC fall short.
Great piece. Hope you are correct with your Rose Bowl score. Not sure if you know but 34-31 has some Ute history significance. Legendary score of 2 big wins over BYU.. after a long losing streak to them.
Ducks not looking too good 1/2 the way through the 4th quarter, even though they just pulled within 3 at 7:00 left. They are not sharp. The NC QB looks good, but otherwise the NC team looks average. Nix does not have good mobility and the Ducks' D looks susceptible, as always. I really thought the Ducks would win this game by 14. Who knows, I guess they still could.
John. It would be very interesting to know what Nix was paid by UO boosters to play one more season of college ball !....great for the DuX , but a bad decision for him based on the QB competition Nix will have in 2024 when he enters the NFL draft ...
Methinks he should have really sat down with a good advisor prior to that poor decision with UO. Another year of “Rah Rah “ college ball and a weak ankle , versus signing in the 2023 NFL draft with little competition , was a hurried poor personal decision . Must have cost UO donors big time money for this Semi-Pro QB !!
What makes you think he didn’t sit down with a good advisor. He’s coming back because of the ankle injury. He doesn’t get injured & his decision is most likely different. How much $ do you think getting DJ to come to Corvallis cost? Must of cost OSU donors big time money to get this kid too. Go Ducks!!
Once again, it would be nice for this Rand guy to keep his thoughts to himself as he has no clue as what transpired or what is good for someone else.......
I am now in agreement with the picks, John. Didn't you predict a 4-3 Pac 12 record before the bowl season began? What changed? Now at 6-1. I thought 6-1 with the only loss the UCLA game against the Pitt (due to defections). I should have respected Fresno State more. I went back and forth on them and the Cougs. I can't believe Tulane beats USC, but it could happen. That will be a big upset to me. Here again were my picks back in your early December column:
I think Penn State is a tough matchup for Utah, but Utah will win on sheer determination (3 pt game). USC has too much talent for Tulane and will win, unless Caleb Williams sits it out. Oregon State with its D beats Florida in another very close game where Martinez gets 120. Washington beats Texas behind Penix. Oregon beats NC, a mismatch, as long as Bo Nix plays. UCLA does not have the game to beat Pitt. Washington State has too much for Fresno State and wins by 8. PAC 12, with 6 teams in the Top 20, goes 6-1
NP....I think we all suffer from memories of when the PAC-12 was a bad conference (late 80s and 90s). It has come a long way since then and the PAC-12 deserves its (6) Top 20 rankings. I think the Beavs showed by stomping the Florida Gators that the SEC is not that far ahead of the PAC-12 except maybe Alabama and Georgia. I would be there is not a lot of competitive difference with the B1G, except for Ohio State and Michigan. So take out those two top teams in those conferences and the PAC-12 doesn't give an inch. It wasn't always that way and many of us remember how badly the PAC-12 got beat in inter-conference games like the Rose Bowl. This is what makes the decision by USC and UCLA so stupid. They gain nothing in terms of competition / CFP ranking and, while they might get a better media share for a couple of years, these things are dynamic. Disney is trying to dump ESPN because it loses money. So why would a money loser be able to bid up the market for B1G football?
With a predicted USC loss I think John has the conference finishing 5-2?
Pitt will be without Slovis who had a marginal year before transferring to BYU. I have no idea if Pitt's back up QB is any good but if DTR and Charbonet play the way they can I think the UCLA run game will wear out Pitt?
USC? Drew the short straw having to play the G5 rep, a team that won at K State and I'll believe Williams plays only when I see him on the field.
Ducks
Dawgs
Panthers
Green Wave
Utes
I live in a SoCal Free zone
GO DAWGS
My only disagreement is Penn State, They love roses, I still have that game against Oregon in 94, the yr I moved here
PSU not beating a ranked team in 2022 says a lot about how rank B1G football was top to bottom in 2022.
As is often case Michigan blew out PSU in Ann Arbor but struggled at home vs Maryland and came oh-so-close to losing to Illinois. I think TCU has a much better shot against the Wolverines than the 'experts' are giving Sonny Dykes, Max Duggan, et al.
Speaking of no B1G wins. Yes, tOSU defeated PSU by a deceiving final score and opened with a win against an up and down Notre Dame team. No one backs into the playoff like the Buckeyes.
I'd feel a lot better about Utah's chances if Kincaid was good to go.
I like Utah in a great game.
Agree. They are out both their star TEs from the beginning of year. And missing their 1st string RB. Hopefully Rising and Vele are healthy. Aside from rooting for Utah, the Pac needs to not have their champs lose to a SEC team with a losing record at the beginning of the season and finish with a loss to 3rd place B1G team.
Went to that game (I think it was played in 95?)…the coolest thing we came home with was the gift of a Nittany Lion tail from a Penn State fan we met at a bar! Unfortunately the tail got lost in a move several years later.
would have been Jan 95,correct. , my first year here moved from Ct., been a Duck fan ever since
I'd like to thank Division Street for Nixing Bo's plans to go pro.
Solid picks.
I agree with your picks and what you say except for where you said the game should "center around its solid stable of backs." It might revolve around the backs or focus on the backs, but it cannot center around them. The center does not go around anything, everything goes around the center.
You remind me of one of my English lit professors... and you are right.
Normally being a Dawg fan I would back the opposing team to conference rivals, especially the
ducks and Cougs. LOL. However, our conference and it's fans need to all be on board with supporting all the conference teams in their bowl games. We need a clean sweep to boost our credibility as a conference. To maybe squeeze a few more dollars via the media deals. The Cougs dropped that egg which sucks. They didn't look like they wanted to be there. I urge each of those reading this to 'BE THERE" for each other.
Brown is a real character!
This is the best bowl lineup for the conference I can remember, with possible exception of playoff seasons. And they all seem quite winnable, while no gimmes, which should make for good games.
I think the Rose Bowl is going to be a great game.
I'd like to see the PAC win all remaining bowl games. Conference unity & strenth, etc. That said, I won't shed any tears if Washington and/or SC fall short.
Go Ducks.
I think 5-2 would be a huge success in the 7 games.
Great piece. Hope you are correct with your Rose Bowl score. Not sure if you know but 34-31 has some Ute history significance. Legendary score of 2 big wins over BYU.. after a long losing streak to them.
I think Rising will announce his return after the game.
What's your feeling? Will Rising come back in 2023? He would only add to excellent QBs ready to play ball in the Pac next season.
I’d say it’s a coin flip right now. But if Rising does come back I think Brandt Kuithe will also.. which would be huge
Thank you.
Nix seems hurt and I noticed again how unhinged he seems on the sidelines when things ar on the line. I'd prefer to see calm enthusiasm and control.
HOLIDAY BOWL.
Never a doubt, right? No cover but one heck of a comeback.
Best DOINK ever!
Ducks not looking too good 1/2 the way through the 4th quarter, even though they just pulled within 3 at 7:00 left. They are not sharp. The NC QB looks good, but otherwise the NC team looks average. Nix does not have good mobility and the Ducks' D looks susceptible, as always. I really thought the Ducks would win this game by 14. Who knows, I guess they still could.
Since these are semi-pro teams shouldn't we get an injury/ active roster report 48 hours ahead of the game.
John. It would be very interesting to know what Nix was paid by UO boosters to play one more season of college ball !....great for the DuX , but a bad decision for him based on the QB competition Nix will have in 2024 when he enters the NFL draft ...
Methinks he should have really sat down with a good advisor prior to that poor decision with UO. Another year of “Rah Rah “ college ball and a weak ankle , versus signing in the 2023 NFL draft with little competition , was a hurried poor personal decision . Must have cost UO donors big time money for this Semi-Pro QB !!
I estimate: $1M.
What makes you think he didn’t sit down with a good advisor. He’s coming back because of the ankle injury. He doesn’t get injured & his decision is most likely different. How much $ do you think getting DJ to come to Corvallis cost? Must of cost OSU donors big time money to get this kid too. Go Ducks!!
Once again, it would be nice for this Rand guy to keep his thoughts to himself as he has no clue as what transpired or what is good for someone else.......
I am now in agreement with the picks, John. Didn't you predict a 4-3 Pac 12 record before the bowl season began? What changed? Now at 6-1. I thought 6-1 with the only loss the UCLA game against the Pitt (due to defections). I should have respected Fresno State more. I went back and forth on them and the Cougs. I can't believe Tulane beats USC, but it could happen. That will be a big upset to me. Here again were my picks back in your early December column:
I think Penn State is a tough matchup for Utah, but Utah will win on sheer determination (3 pt game). USC has too much talent for Tulane and will win, unless Caleb Williams sits it out. Oregon State with its D beats Florida in another very close game where Martinez gets 120. Washington beats Texas behind Penix. Oregon beats NC, a mismatch, as long as Bo Nix plays. UCLA does not have the game to beat Pitt. Washington State has too much for Fresno State and wins by 8. PAC 12, with 6 teams in the Top 20, goes 6-1
I initially said 4 wins on the day the games were announced... then after looking harder predicted 5-2... (I flipped on the Alamo Bowl).
NP....I think we all suffer from memories of when the PAC-12 was a bad conference (late 80s and 90s). It has come a long way since then and the PAC-12 deserves its (6) Top 20 rankings. I think the Beavs showed by stomping the Florida Gators that the SEC is not that far ahead of the PAC-12 except maybe Alabama and Georgia. I would be there is not a lot of competitive difference with the B1G, except for Ohio State and Michigan. So take out those two top teams in those conferences and the PAC-12 doesn't give an inch. It wasn't always that way and many of us remember how badly the PAC-12 got beat in inter-conference games like the Rose Bowl. This is what makes the decision by USC and UCLA so stupid. They gain nothing in terms of competition / CFP ranking and, while they might get a better media share for a couple of years, these things are dynamic. Disney is trying to dump ESPN because it loses money. So why would a money loser be able to bid up the market for B1G football?
With a predicted USC loss I think John has the conference finishing 5-2?
Pitt will be without Slovis who had a marginal year before transferring to BYU. I have no idea if Pitt's back up QB is any good but if DTR and Charbonet play the way they can I think the UCLA run game will wear out Pitt?
USC? Drew the short straw having to play the G5 rep, a team that won at K State and I'll believe Williams plays only when I see him on the field.
Correct... I see 5-2.
Ducks barely made the 5 column. Whoa Nellie!
DOINK!
Good is good and a win IS a win. Point spreads are for sissies!!