102 Comments
founding

The impact on women’s sports seems to have been left in the background. UCLA softball and WBB are contenders every year, for example. Flying across the country for games is arduous for all but more so for the smaller sports that can’t charter, have their entire staff travel, are playing multiple games on a weekend, etc... I would love to see journalists open the windows to show the impact on other sports, rather than primarily talking about football and men’s basketball.

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Dec 15, 2022Liked by John Canzano

Thanks Jon.

Schools I would like to see added: SDS, Fresno (MW champ,) UNLV (much better and bigger market than Boise and Booby Petrino is the new OC!,) SMU (Dallas market is huge + Texans are nuts about football/ all additions need to be made with an eye on bailing out the functionally insolvent Pac Network,) UTSA (CUSA champ and San Antonio is a huge city with few pro sports,) Tulane (AAC champ, moves the conference into SEC territory and good academics.) Of course, if not already bound to the B12, Houston would be a terrific addition.

Stand pat? You will be falling behind.

First, I want to see if GK can execute a new media deal that exceeds the B12 deal? With kick offs before 10:30 PM on the east coast.

I still think a 'merger' of some kind with the B12 makes the most long term sense. Such a merger should have occured when OK/TX departed; but, SC Prez Carol Folt led the charge against expansion before stabbing the conference in the back.

I hope that none of the remaining Pac 10 schools will do a thing to help SC/UCLA with scheduling issues; especially, with games involving non-revenue sports.

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Dec 15, 2022Liked by John Canzano

—-Disappointed, but not surprised, very little discussion around UCLA making sig. budget cuts towards their deficit. Public institutions are not financially responsible, too much “Entitlement”. Now get off my lawn, lol.

—-Congrats to The Oregon State Coach Smith for a well earned extension. Unlike the extension last year. Go Beavs

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Dec 15, 2022·edited Dec 15, 2022

When all of this became known a few months ago, my first thought was that USC/UCLA had essentially made a deal with the Devil. Sure, they'll get a lot of money, but at what cost? Personally, I'm having a hard time coming up with a scenario where both of these schools become consistent winners in the B1G. It's things like the grueling travel schedule (across all sports) and its effect on athletes' social and educational lives. Then there's the cognitive dissonance of two teams from a Mediterranean climate playing half of their games in a cold-weather environment. Both USC/UCLA will always be viewed as outsiders and I'm certain that the rest of the teams in the B1G, or the conference in general, will do them little favors. Lastly, the game these teams play is not a good fit with the rest of the B1G. I mean, it's like they're going to be playing Utah or Utah-like teams nine or ten times a year. Good luck with that. Nebraska presented you with a cautionary tale of what can happen to a premier football program and you chose to ignore it.

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Other than SDS I see no valid reason to add another team, given that scheduling is a bit asymmetrical as a result. The PAC 11 works just fine for me. Realistic options bring with them all of the other drawbacks that the So Cal teams just bought into by going “Nationwde” another ZZ Top reference is stumbling through the Texas sad, but my heads in Mississippi….No thanks. No expansion past the Mountain time Zone for all the right reasons. That brings BSU and UNLV into the realm of possibility, but that might reduce the per team revenue as a result.

Jimmy T

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Dec 15, 2022·edited Dec 15, 2022Liked by John Canzano

There was a fantastic TikTok earlier this week where a judge understood a boast by a defendant was a Biggie line and not an actual brag. The judge was the only person (besides the defendant himself) who caught the line and pressed both attorneys on the point. Neither knew what their honor was talking about. It's interesting to observe who has been influenced by rap and how it shows up in their work.

I'm not familiar with the work of Biggie or Tupac. I probably should be. That's a great philosophy.

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Dec 15, 2022Liked by John Canzano

Just a request that when you refer to UCLA's "deficit" you either used the quotes or throw in"alleged". I thought it was you who analyzed and debunked it, but maybe it was Jon Wilner.

And a second thought- now we are going to see how a non-regional or non-geographic league works. Doesn't work for me, but maybe it will for a lot of other folks.

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Dec 15, 2022·edited Dec 15, 2022Liked by John Canzano

“someday we’ll look back on this and it will all seem seem funny” - the Boss

Another chapter of modern college sports NewSpeak has been written. Goodbye/Good Riddance/Good Luck to U$C/YUCKCLA ‘bout sums up my opinion.

George has a brilliant opportunity in front of him. My words are simple; “don’t blow it…”

Gov. Baker has a new NCAA gig. It should be interesting to watch this progress.

(or regress, as the case may be)

Looking forward to bowl season, not to mention next year’s PAC12 Football Farewell.

GO DAWGS

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I live in DFW area but I'm an ASU alum. I've been saying for 10 years now since the UT debacle that PAC should be active recruiting UHouston, TCU, Tx Tech, SMU, UTSA and Ok State to go along with SDSU. Then add Gonzaga for hoops and olympic sports. UH is moving to B12, but I guarantee you they'd jump at offer to join PAC. That would add media markets in Houston, DFW, San Antonio, OK City, and KC. Capitalize on recruiting in Texas and you are catching both Texas, A&M and OU in down status so you have to opportunity to build the PAC brand in the region. This is a no brainer

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100% did not expect to read “Tupac Shakur” in the first six words of this post 😂

Nice work JC!

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Hey John, a bit off topic, but topical. Hearing rumors on net of coaches/programs contacting Miss State players to enter portal in wake of Coach Leach passing. Personally find it repugnant although not sure beyond shaming, what can be done about it.

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Provocative photo John, except we all know that UCLA hasn't surpassed Oregon on the football field for a very long time.

I'm predicting (ok, hoping) that Kliavkoff pulls a rabbit out of his hat on the upcoming media rights deal. If not, he's a different version of a failed PAC12 commissioner.

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Good riddance, and don't come crying back to me!

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Bottom line John, when was the last time our conference came out on top with media deals, reputation and performance??? Kliavkoff is in the hot seat right now as the race car conferences fly by with new deals and confidence. We have become non-relevant. This post isn't gloom and doom it's my assessment from being a fan of Washington dating back to 1959. Before there was a PAC 12 there was a PAC 10, PAC 8 and a previous one to that that I can't recall it's name. I think it has to do with college administrations that are not college football fans. The conference routinely shoots itself in the foot. Take scandals as an example, while the rest of the college football world winks and chuckles when they get caught with an infraction, our conference kills the goose that is laying the golden egg. USC got clobbered over Reggie Bush killing the program with sanctions, Washington got clobbered over silly nonsense that resulted in Don James resigning. Would either of these knockouts have happened to a Penn State (we saw that hand slap), Miami (another hand slap). I'm surprised Oregon has not been clobbered but then again, they have NIKE and a guy who would go to war. My challenge to you John, write a column about the big wins this conference has experienced over the past one to three decades. Back when we we were relevant. I expect a big win out of the present commissioner, he needs to put on war paint and bring out the knives over the media deal and expansion.

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Welcome to the new “Kollege Experience “..

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My dad once told me a person should never take a job based solely on money. I did that once - and it turns out he was right. I think UCLA is going to regret this move. Welcome to the family, Aztecs :)

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