PK has been about as generous with Stanford - his other alma mater - as he has been with Oregon. And he has given more money at Oregon for non-athletic stuff than for athletics: Law School, Business School, Knight Cancer Research Institute ($500 million matched funding for this alone). He also has sent lots to OSU for various things including athletics.
New Subscriber although I have read your columns for years when with the Oregonian. I appreciate your style and most importantly, appreciate your thoroughness for the FACTS! Sad to say a rarity in the "gotta be first" world of journalism.
I am also hoping that Dilly decides to stay and learn for a few years before he flies off to HC land. I can see this team really contending in two or three years with Dante Moore taking up after Bo (I am hoping that Bo will follow Justin's lead and return for a final year of eligibility which lets Dante have a year to orient himself. I think it would benefit Bo (unless he ends up winning the dang Heisman, which is getting more realistic with each passing week... pun intended). I think Ty will hit the transfer portal soon.
I do admit to indulging in a little schadenfreude concerning Mario. I do keep an eye on his "progress". I imagine the only thing that comes close to the frustration he is experiencing in Miami is having to read, watch and hear all about his former team coming totally *alive* under new management. Must burn a little even though he would never admit it it in a thousand years. Just take credit for the players he left (which is legitimate as he was a great recruiter, just a sub-par coach).
Thanks for the inside dope on Dan Lanning and the Pac12!
I am sure he will get interest. I just hope that he realizes his first shot at HC can be a make or break thing for his reputation and future, and ASU needs a lot of work and is not overbrimming with talent and university support (at least compared to UO).
He is still a freaking fetus in coaching terms. He has a real chance to be creative, learn his own craft plus how to turn that into the very different craft of HEAD coaching, all the while being given credit but not the ultimate responsibility he will have when he takes the head job.
I know today is a instant gratification world, but I hope for the Ducks and for Dillingham that he stays put for a nickel or so.
Both the Duck coach possibly leaving and asking San Diego State to join the conference bring up an interesting point. Let's face it the Big 10/SEC ownership by Disney and Rupert Murdoch plus the NIL, transfer portal pretty much means that 30-36 schools are now in a semi pro league that has nothing to do with "student athletes." When Saban gets $10M and USC/UCLA bolt for money one has to ask is the pac-12 going to be competitive and not simply lose good players and coaches to the new semi-pro league?
If the Rose Bowl is just another game and the bowls disappear as the NCAA throws the 12 team NC bone at us, how can we compete? What are we playing for after 2024...a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl or fodder for the semi pro league, getting our $1M payout to go down the AL and get chewed up? Cal and Stanford will never play this game and taking in more cruddy MWC teams will only diminish the product. As I look at Cal ('72) and their pathetic team and empty stands I am wondering if it is not time to give up football completely and I was a 35 season ticket holder before all this started.
The other alternative is to form a west coast league and an east coast league of academic schools that also play football...Cal, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, etc. and play real "student athlete" football that culminates in a Rose Bowl on New Years Day and to hell with semi-pro football.
The long term viability of a western team winning a NC are bleak, if things stay like this with transfer portal, NIL, and realignment, imo. This doesn’t even consider even larger possibilities like athlete unionization, employee status, and revenue sharing by schools.
A west coast Ivy-ish League? They can add Reed, Cal Tech and Occidental to the group and call it "Conference of Champions (But Only If You're Talkin' Hacky-Sack & Ultimate Frisbee)."
Ducks have a tough road ahead for sure to win out.
If they do, I think they stand a good chance to pass Tennessee and could end up #4 and the nightmare of facing GA again.
Me, I’m hoping they win out, get “hosed” by the committee and off to the Rosebowl we go. The Rosebowl as we know it will be gone soon. Like to soak it up one last time
I see the better shot at being #3 and playing #2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl?
But, unless Oregon goes 4-0 against a tough schedule the final 4 is not in play.
Oregon - vs ranked UW, versus ranked Utah, at likely 8-3 Oregon State?
Tennessee: versus MIZZOU, UAB, at Vandy. Will a non-champ TN trump a conference champion Ducks with a very close SOS. Especially if SC defeats UCLA and Notre Dame?
The Illinois at Michigan game just lost a lot of luster. Michigan's OOC schedule was a complete joke. And the B1G this season? 3 teams, OH ST, MI and PSU and a bunch of mediocrity at best.
"The Ducks have invested a billion dollars in football."
Isn't it funny how many Oregon fans have excoriated USC and UCLA for "chasing money", or "turning CFB into a cash business", or yada yada yada? Yet, silence on Phil Knight's checkbook. Silence on Phil Knight's immediate request to join Big10. I guess they aren't comfortable with other's trying to keep pace?
Everyone I know who likes Oregon sports is well aware of and appreciates his contribution.
Oh, and his contribution is not limited to sports. He has invested well over a billion in academics at Oregon as well.
As for USC, good riddance from my perspective.
It is now becoming obvious that the conference is going to survive and the remaining members are going to be in a much better position than USC to compete for playoff spots in football and basketball.
It's not as though USC has done anything of merit in any sport in a decade and I suspect it is only going to get worse.
Look at Nebraska after they fell out of their nest. Or Texas A & M, or Missouri or Arkansas.
Not one of those schools has done anything since they bolted for "greener" pastures.
You are spot on. Losing LA, a $ gut punch. But a 12 team PO means the Pac-12 could get 2 teams in the mix season after season while SC/UCLA trail OH St, MI and PSU. And perhaps WI if it gets its act back together.
Oh, stop. There's little empathy for non-revenue athletes knowing their sport wouldn't even exist on that scale without major football monies. The least they can do is earn their privilege with some extra travel. Let's not pretend there's an inherent right to play sports in college.
I think you’re putting words into people’s mouths. The major source of resentment is blowing a huge hole in the conference that has existed for a century or whatever, not why they are leaving. Knight’s money never did that.
Uncle Phil invests that money in the program for the players and program as a whole. Sc and ucla regents are chasing revenue for their boosters, in spite of the negative effect it will have on its athletes. Know the difference.
I would say that’s terrible. The geography doesn’t work for student athletes. I it’s clearly about greed and revenue. I also think it’s temporary. In 5 years we will have 2-3 Mega Power conferences. H estky I hate to see sc and ucla go.
Yes, you're having a hard time, Jack. My point is it takes money--lots of it--to compete in CFB. PK wants to compete and win. He was sick of Oregon being on the outside looking in so he poured his resources into it. This arms race is now getting worse and it is destined for a "haves and have-nots" picture. Oregon and USC are both going to need money to keep pace. It's why USC is moving--it's why Oregon wanted to move, too. Why Oregon fans rail at UCLA and USC for this decision is rank hypocrisy. It's simple--you shouldn't have trouble following that.
No, I don't think I'm having a hard time at all with your premise, just your conclusion. I just think it's grounded in an incorrect assumption, that's all.
You suggested Oregon fans are excoriating USC and UCLA for chasing money and hence are hypocrites given Phil Knight's generosity.
I think your premise is wrong, given that I don't think most Oregon fans are excoriating USC and UCLA for chasing money.
I suspect most UO fans were downright worried that unless we could follow USC/UCLA to the Big 10, we were in big trouble, long term. I also suspect most people understood why USC and UCLA made this move, even if we weren't happy about it.
The move by Texas and Oklahoma triggered real concern that there might be only a few major conferences, the so called super conference concept. I think most UO fans would have been happy to be included with that group, at least in the immediate aftermath of the USC/UCLA announcements.
Now things just might be looking up. It looks like the 10 schools are going to remain together, the Big 12 is going to survive, the ACC is going to survive, at least for now, and Oregon may actually be in a better position to compete year in and year out for a playoff spot, if the playoff expansion occurs.
"The news feels right. But the timeline is too ambitious.100% " Heard during the Gonzaga visits to Big 12 that there was at the same time some ,kicking around the idea of offering SDSU ( then it was Memphis)at abut $ 8-10 million per year. I think its a poker hand to one see if it entices Gonzaga a little, two puts some pressure o the Pac 12 Just a little gamesmanship. stirring the pot.
The Big 12 meeting with Gonzaga was centered around the basketball game going on in Frisco. Gonzaga is fact finding. There just isn't a lot of $$ tied to basketball media rights. Gonzaga is smart to probe... but I don't think they'll be a no brainer addition for anyone. Not a lot of money involved in that equation relative to college football.
Would be curious to see the records of the assistant coaches who have also left the Ducks. Clearly, Scott Frost didn't work out, verdict is still out on Arroyo, Avalos, unsure about Leavitt at SMU
Completely agree. The list of candidates includes veteran coaches, I'm told. Lanning not on their short list. I also don't think he'd take the Auburn job.
Bob, if you are an SDSU alum, can you answer a question that worries me.
SDSU has a 300 million endowment, which is very small, and for a number of Pac 12 schools, the media money is not adequate to pay the cost of being in a Power 5 conference.
In other words, the schools or boosters in some schools have to come out of pocket to the tune of several million dollars a year to subsidize athletics.
Almost all endowed money is not available for discretional spend by Universities. Endowed gifts come with signed agreements outlining how returns on the invested money will be spent and for what purpose. Unless specifically targeting athletics, endowed money won't help the school improve facilities, coaching salaries recruiting budget.
No doubt, but the more a university benefits from its endowment fund to pay for Chairs, scholarships (which in turn convert endowment income into discretionary income for the University), etc., it is likely the University has more flexibility with its income stream.
I'm not going to pretend I understand all of the pieces, and you make a very good point, but it just seems like a larger endowment would give the University more financial flexibility.
As John noted, SDSU has stepped up. The school is rated higher and is harder to get into State than a handful of P12 schools. You can kick the tires, but the Aztecs are #1 P12 expansion candidate. Period.
The new stadium is generating 5x the revenue of the past deal. Joining the Pac SDSU will go from 5 to 40 (or so) in yearly TV money.
I’ve never heard anyone say before that SDSU couldn’t in the P12. Look at how joining the Pac did for a Utah.
Bob, that is an enthusiastic defense of a great school. In no way do I question SDSU's academic record.
My only point is that TV revenue alone does not come close to covering costs of competing at the power 5 level and while your stadium's revenue increase is impressive, is it enough?
Oregon and other schools rely upon tens of millions of dollars of donations and some schools in the conference, in addition to the donations, rely on a sizeable chunk of cash from the school's general fund.
My question is whether they have the donor pockets or institutional flexibility to fund all of this. The sources you mentioned are likely not going to come close.
Based upon John's excellent reporting, it does sound like SDSU is a done deal, unless of course UCLA is blocked from leaving. At that point, it would probably make more sense to expand into Texas.
I really don’t think it will be an issue. Donors will step up and everything will be bigger for SDSU in the P12. I’d like to hear what Canzano thinks about this question?
The P12 blew it when they didn’t get Texas and Oklahoma.
Total appreciation for all Mr. Knight has done. I don't take him for granted. My question however was; what stands between Oregon and being a destination coaching job. I know landing said yesterday that it was a destination job. Is this true?
Hey John: just to validate your point about 'rumors' = 'truth'...my fraternity brother from the late 1970's (our house was the 'Omega' house right next door to the Animal House, in the movie) who's lived in the LA area for most of his professional career...has stated emphatically that Oregon will be jumping to the BIG10! Ah, yeah right Chris. And if I told you wolverines made good house pets...
I always enjoy reading what you write. Just keep it up.
Thank you. Appreciate this.
PK has been about as generous with Stanford - his other alma mater - as he has been with Oregon. And he has given more money at Oregon for non-athletic stuff than for athletics: Law School, Business School, Knight Cancer Research Institute ($500 million matched funding for this alone). He also has sent lots to OSU for various things including athletics.
True... he's supported a pile of things nobody mentions.
Thx for posting this. A fact often overlooked by many Duck/Phil haters out there.
And he also has not neglected the Beavers.
A man who is generous and not blinded by his own wealth.
How many pro sports teams could he own by now if he wanted to flaunt his wealth?
New Subscriber although I have read your columns for years when with the Oregonian. I appreciate your style and most importantly, appreciate your thoroughness for the FACTS! Sad to say a rarity in the "gotta be first" world of journalism.
Thank you. Don't get me wrong... I like to be first. But only after I've confirmed and confirmed. I am not here to mislead anyone.
100% down the line with this, John.
I am also hoping that Dilly decides to stay and learn for a few years before he flies off to HC land. I can see this team really contending in two or three years with Dante Moore taking up after Bo (I am hoping that Bo will follow Justin's lead and return for a final year of eligibility which lets Dante have a year to orient himself. I think it would benefit Bo (unless he ends up winning the dang Heisman, which is getting more realistic with each passing week... pun intended). I think Ty will hit the transfer portal soon.
I do admit to indulging in a little schadenfreude concerning Mario. I do keep an eye on his "progress". I imagine the only thing that comes close to the frustration he is experiencing in Miami is having to read, watch and hear all about his former team coming totally *alive* under new management. Must burn a little even though he would never admit it it in a thousand years. Just take credit for the players he left (which is legitimate as he was a great recruiter, just a sub-par coach).
Thanks for the inside dope on Dan Lanning and the Pac12!
Dillingham will be a strong candidate at ASU. I don't know if they'll go with an experienced coach, but he should get an interview.
I am sure he will get interest. I just hope that he realizes his first shot at HC can be a make or break thing for his reputation and future, and ASU needs a lot of work and is not overbrimming with talent and university support (at least compared to UO).
He is still a freaking fetus in coaching terms. He has a real chance to be creative, learn his own craft plus how to turn that into the very different craft of HEAD coaching, all the while being given credit but not the ultimate responsibility he will have when he takes the head job.
I know today is a instant gratification world, but I hope for the Ducks and for Dillingham that he stays put for a nickel or so.
I reiterate. Who wants to work for the dysfunction Crow and Anderson? Ditto the dysfunction on The Plains?
Definitely a consideration. Wonder if Anderson is still there in a year.
Both the Duck coach possibly leaving and asking San Diego State to join the conference bring up an interesting point. Let's face it the Big 10/SEC ownership by Disney and Rupert Murdoch plus the NIL, transfer portal pretty much means that 30-36 schools are now in a semi pro league that has nothing to do with "student athletes." When Saban gets $10M and USC/UCLA bolt for money one has to ask is the pac-12 going to be competitive and not simply lose good players and coaches to the new semi-pro league?
If the Rose Bowl is just another game and the bowls disappear as the NCAA throws the 12 team NC bone at us, how can we compete? What are we playing for after 2024...a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl or fodder for the semi pro league, getting our $1M payout to go down the AL and get chewed up? Cal and Stanford will never play this game and taking in more cruddy MWC teams will only diminish the product. As I look at Cal ('72) and their pathetic team and empty stands I am wondering if it is not time to give up football completely and I was a 35 season ticket holder before all this started.
The other alternative is to form a west coast league and an east coast league of academic schools that also play football...Cal, Stanford, Northwestern, Duke, etc. and play real "student athlete" football that culminates in a Rose Bowl on New Years Day and to hell with semi-pro football.
The long term viability of a western team winning a NC are bleak, if things stay like this with transfer portal, NIL, and realignment, imo. This doesn’t even consider even larger possibilities like athlete unionization, employee status, and revenue sharing by schools.
Great points. But the B1G has all the money this year and 1 through 6 the Pac-12 is equal to or better than the B1G in 2022.
B1G football this season is 3 teams, if that, and a bunch of junk.
And the B1G in recent CBB tourneys?
A west coast Ivy-ish League? They can add Reed, Cal Tech and Occidental to the group and call it "Conference of Champions (But Only If You're Talkin' Hacky-Sack & Ultimate Frisbee)."
Bravo! I have been rooting for the "Left Coast Ivy League" for a long time. Well played,
Charlie
Ducks have a tough road ahead for sure to win out.
If they do, I think they stand a good chance to pass Tennessee and could end up #4 and the nightmare of facing GA again.
Me, I’m hoping they win out, get “hosed” by the committee and off to the Rosebowl we go. The Rosebowl as we know it will be gone soon. Like to soak it up one last time
I wouldn't mind a rematch... just to see what would be different.
I agree. I'd like to see a rematch in the Champ Game in LA.
I see a Fiesta Bowl berth against OH ST/MI more likely than a Peach Bowl redux vs UGA.
Oregon has a much better finishing schedule than does 11-1 Tennessee. And a better SOS even if Michigan defeats Ohio State.
Ya?
Maybe we’d close the gap, but they are loaded and I think it would still be a double digit loss.
Much rather matchup with MI in the RB,(a game we could win) but we shall see how it plays out.
Loaded? No doubt. But Oregon moved the ball against the UGA D better than did TN and with the champ game on the Left Coast and not in Atlanta?
I see the better shot at being #3 and playing #2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl?
But, unless Oregon goes 4-0 against a tough schedule the final 4 is not in play.
Oregon - vs ranked UW, versus ranked Utah, at likely 8-3 Oregon State?
Tennessee: versus MIZZOU, UAB, at Vandy. Will a non-champ TN trump a conference champion Ducks with a very close SOS. Especially if SC defeats UCLA and Notre Dame?
The Illinois at Michigan game just lost a lot of luster. Michigan's OOC schedule was a complete joke. And the B1G this season? 3 teams, OH ST, MI and PSU and a bunch of mediocrity at best.
Gotta love the Rose Bowl. You are correct in the key word for all of this is "impermanence."
Rose Bowl. How many top players for the two participants will opt out?
"The Ducks have invested a billion dollars in football."
Isn't it funny how many Oregon fans have excoriated USC and UCLA for "chasing money", or "turning CFB into a cash business", or yada yada yada? Yet, silence on Phil Knight's checkbook. Silence on Phil Knight's immediate request to join Big10. I guess they aren't comfortable with other's trying to keep pace?
Oregon has some definite advantages. It's not luck.
What silence on Phil Knight?
Everyone I know who likes Oregon sports is well aware of and appreciates his contribution.
Oh, and his contribution is not limited to sports. He has invested well over a billion in academics at Oregon as well.
As for USC, good riddance from my perspective.
It is now becoming obvious that the conference is going to survive and the remaining members are going to be in a much better position than USC to compete for playoff spots in football and basketball.
It's not as though USC has done anything of merit in any sport in a decade and I suspect it is only going to get worse.
Look at Nebraska after they fell out of their nest. Or Texas A & M, or Missouri or Arkansas.
Not one of those schools has done anything since they bolted for "greener" pastures.
To know Phil Knight better as a person, I recommend one read his autobiography about the phenomenon known as Nike in "Shoe Dog".
That was a fun book to read.
Ditto Colorado.
You are spot on. Losing LA, a $ gut punch. But a 12 team PO means the Pac-12 could get 2 teams in the mix season after season while SC/UCLA trail OH St, MI and PSU. And perhaps WI if it gets its act back together.
To me, it's not the money. It's trashing 100 years of collegiality for the money.
Money is not evil; the love of money is evil. Evil that will be a burden that falls on the back of SC/UCLA non-revenue athletes.
Oh, stop. There's little empathy for non-revenue athletes knowing their sport wouldn't even exist on that scale without major football monies. The least they can do is earn their privilege with some extra travel. Let's not pretend there's an inherent right to play sports in college.
Damn, I bet you’re fun at parties. 🤦♂️ I bet you hate women’s sports, too! Damn that title IX
Nike U Points fingers? Imagine that!
I think you’re putting words into people’s mouths. The major source of resentment is blowing a huge hole in the conference that has existed for a century or whatever, not why they are leaving. Knight’s money never did that.
Uncle Phil invests that money in the program for the players and program as a whole. Sc and ucla regents are chasing revenue for their boosters, in spite of the negative effect it will have on its athletes. Know the difference.
And if they leave for B10 $$$ tomorrow, what will you say then? They'd be gone if invited already.
I would say that’s terrible. The geography doesn’t work for student athletes. I it’s clearly about greed and revenue. I also think it’s temporary. In 5 years we will have 2-3 Mega Power conferences. H estky I hate to see sc and ucla go.
AMEN!
Well, bravo to you for being honest! Sometimes these Oregon fans remind me of the guy with a rich Uncle complaining about the 1%.
I'm having a hard time following your comments regarding Oregon fans and Phil Knight.
Also, you do realize USC has plenty of big-time boosters as well and both schools have endowments that far exceed anything UO has.
Oregon, thanks to Phil Knight, has managed to level the playing field in athletics.
I have not heard anyone suggest otherwise.
Yes, you're having a hard time, Jack. My point is it takes money--lots of it--to compete in CFB. PK wants to compete and win. He was sick of Oregon being on the outside looking in so he poured his resources into it. This arms race is now getting worse and it is destined for a "haves and have-nots" picture. Oregon and USC are both going to need money to keep pace. It's why USC is moving--it's why Oregon wanted to move, too. Why Oregon fans rail at UCLA and USC for this decision is rank hypocrisy. It's simple--you shouldn't have trouble following that.
No, I don't think I'm having a hard time at all with your premise, just your conclusion. I just think it's grounded in an incorrect assumption, that's all.
You suggested Oregon fans are excoriating USC and UCLA for chasing money and hence are hypocrites given Phil Knight's generosity.
I think your premise is wrong, given that I don't think most Oregon fans are excoriating USC and UCLA for chasing money.
I suspect most UO fans were downright worried that unless we could follow USC/UCLA to the Big 10, we were in big trouble, long term. I also suspect most people understood why USC and UCLA made this move, even if we weren't happy about it.
The move by Texas and Oklahoma triggered real concern that there might be only a few major conferences, the so called super conference concept. I think most UO fans would have been happy to be included with that group, at least in the immediate aftermath of the USC/UCLA announcements.
Now things just might be looking up. It looks like the 10 schools are going to remain together, the Big 12 is going to survive, the ACC is going to survive, at least for now, and Oregon may actually be in a better position to compete year in and year out for a playoff spot, if the playoff expansion occurs.
OK, Jack, I think your take is a fair and reasonable one. I apologize if I included you in the many unfounded shots at USC and UCLA I've read here.
Maybe you confused me with the "good riddance" comment :)
"The news feels right. But the timeline is too ambitious.100% " Heard during the Gonzaga visits to Big 12 that there was at the same time some ,kicking around the idea of offering SDSU ( then it was Memphis)at abut $ 8-10 million per year. I think its a poker hand to one see if it entices Gonzaga a little, two puts some pressure o the Pac 12 Just a little gamesmanship. stirring the pot.
The Big 12 meeting with Gonzaga was centered around the basketball game going on in Frisco. Gonzaga is fact finding. There just isn't a lot of $$ tied to basketball media rights. Gonzaga is smart to probe... but I don't think they'll be a no brainer addition for anyone. Not a lot of money involved in that equation relative to college football.
It's a brand play.
Would be curious to see the records of the assistant coaches who have also left the Ducks. Clearly, Scott Frost didn't work out, verdict is still out on Arroyo, Avalos, unsure about Leavitt at SMU
Really enjoying the "new" John Canzanno. The happier, positive one. Glad to see it. You seem like a very decent guy, freed from the jungle. Best!
Appreciate that you're here.
After the Harsin debacle Auburn will be angling for a big name coach with more experience than Dan Lanning.
Completely agree. The list of candidates includes veteran coaches, I'm told. Lanning not on their short list. I also don't think he'd take the Auburn job.
We at SDSU are patient, John. But if SEC comes for the Aztecs in mean time, you heard it here first! LOL cubed!
The SEC will come for Gonzaga basketball first... appreciate that you are here.
Bob, if you are an SDSU alum, can you answer a question that worries me.
SDSU has a 300 million endowment, which is very small, and for a number of Pac 12 schools, the media money is not adequate to pay the cost of being in a Power 5 conference.
In other words, the schools or boosters in some schools have to come out of pocket to the tune of several million dollars a year to subsidize athletics.
Does SDSU have the ability to do that?
Almost all endowed money is not available for discretional spend by Universities. Endowed gifts come with signed agreements outlining how returns on the invested money will be spent and for what purpose. Unless specifically targeting athletics, endowed money won't help the school improve facilities, coaching salaries recruiting budget.
No doubt, but the more a university benefits from its endowment fund to pay for Chairs, scholarships (which in turn convert endowment income into discretionary income for the University), etc., it is likely the University has more flexibility with its income stream.
I'm not going to pretend I understand all of the pieces, and you make a very good point, but it just seems like a larger endowment would give the University more financial flexibility.
As John noted, SDSU has stepped up. The school is rated higher and is harder to get into State than a handful of P12 schools. You can kick the tires, but the Aztecs are #1 P12 expansion candidate. Period.
The new stadium is generating 5x the revenue of the past deal. Joining the Pac SDSU will go from 5 to 40 (or so) in yearly TV money.
I’ve never heard anyone say before that SDSU couldn’t in the P12. Look at how joining the Pac did for a Utah.
Bob, that is an enthusiastic defense of a great school. In no way do I question SDSU's academic record.
My only point is that TV revenue alone does not come close to covering costs of competing at the power 5 level and while your stadium's revenue increase is impressive, is it enough?
Oregon and other schools rely upon tens of millions of dollars of donations and some schools in the conference, in addition to the donations, rely on a sizeable chunk of cash from the school's general fund.
My question is whether they have the donor pockets or institutional flexibility to fund all of this. The sources you mentioned are likely not going to come close.
Based upon John's excellent reporting, it does sound like SDSU is a done deal, unless of course UCLA is blocked from leaving. At that point, it would probably make more sense to expand into Texas.
I really don’t think it will be an issue. Donors will step up and everything will be bigger for SDSU in the P12. I’d like to hear what Canzano thinks about this question?
The P12 blew it when they didn’t get Texas and Oklahoma.
Total appreciation for all Mr. Knight has done. I don't take him for granted. My question however was; what stands between Oregon and being a destination coaching job. I know landing said yesterday that it was a destination job. Is this true?
Love this! I look forward to the next story coming.
Thanks JC
Great stuff every week! Subscriber here from Ute country. Can’t wait for Nov 19th. Ducks May exact revenge, but should be a great game
Hey John: just to validate your point about 'rumors' = 'truth'...my fraternity brother from the late 1970's (our house was the 'Omega' house right next door to the Animal House, in the movie) who's lived in the LA area for most of his professional career...has stated emphatically that Oregon will be jumping to the BIG10! Ah, yeah right Chris. And if I told you wolverines made good house pets...