FOOTBALL

USC Sunday Buzz: An Idea For Under Siege Pac-12

The Pac-12 is fighting for survival and naturally working at its own speed, which is close to glacial.

It already botched adding San Diego State as a member and the Aztecs are expected to remain in the Mountain West for at least 2 years.

The Pac-12 must expand.

If I was the conference, I’d add SMU and Rice.

Those schools might not excite anyone but they bring the Dallas TV market (No. 5 in the nation) and Houston (No. 8). By comparison, another potential Pac-12 member UNLV brings the Las Vegas TV market, which is 40th nationally.

SMU and Rice would give the conference a foothold in Texas and the two schools could pair up for scheduling purposes.

Is it perfect? No, but we’re talking about a conference that is fighting for its life. Something is better than nothing.

You’re welcome, Kliavkoff!

  • While most people were sleeping, Linda Caicedo of Colombia scored the goal of the World Cup.
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61 thoughts on “USC Sunday Buzz: An Idea For Under Siege Pac-12”

      2. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Pudly & Plow Horse & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young says:

        Remember when Chuck revealed he was a CIA hit man and we all thought that was preposterous back then?

        Liked by 4 people

  3. Scott makes some good points on the importance of TV markets. I hope Washington and Notre Dame join the B10. That will make it the Pac 8 again or Pac 10 if SMU and Rice join the Pac. It will fun to look at Oregon’s schedule if that occurs. They likely will not play a single top 20 team but they will still have lots of shiny uniforms and plenty of NIL cash.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. But if you read their blogs they are having a hard time picking which conference they want to go to as they all want them to join. Kidding themselves ultimately.

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. When God closes a door, He opens a window, Phil:
        Split Oregon’s 85 players into 7 teams [one for each uniform] and have them play each other every Saturday until everyone is on injured reserve…
        #”Survivor”Football

        Liked by 2 people

  4. The Pac-12’s future and world soccer can take a back seat
    because it is the heart of summer and football is a month away.
    I still try to reconnect when I was a kid and summer meant freedom–

    “Well no more studying history
    And no more reading geography
    and no more dull geometry
    Because it’s summertime”

    “It’s time to head straight for them hills
    It’s time to live and have some thrills
    Come along and have a ball
    A regular free-for-all”

    “It’s sum sum summertime. It’s summertime!”

    Liked by 3 people

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    2. …to coin a phrase…those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer….
      #…ILoveToLiveSoPleasantly,LiveThisLifeOfLuxury…
      #…InTheSumertime

      Liked by 4 people

      Reply

      1. Continuing the theme, Michael–

        “And on the beach you’ll see the girls in their bikinis
        As cute as ever but they never get ’em wet…
        You’ll wish that summer could always be here”

        Or “If everybody had an ocean
        Across the U.S.A.
        Then everybody’d be surfin’
        Like California…
        You’d catch ’em surfin at Del Mar
        Ventura County line
        All over La Jolla
        Redondo Beach LA
        Everybody’s gone surfin’
        Surfin’ USA”

        Liked by 2 people

      2. One more and then time to move on, but summer is not blissful everywhere as the heat blisters its way through America–

        “Hot town, summer in the city
        Back of my neck getting dirty and gritty
        Been down, isn’t it a pity
        Doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city”

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Hillary Clinton was said to have loved the lyrics “wish summer could always be here”…..but knowing that makes me think of her in a bikini —which, in turn, ruins the song for me….
        #”Hi,Boys!AnyoneWannaLatherMyThighsW/SuntanLotion?”…
        #…”I’mPrettySureIHaveAlmostEnoughLotionForTheJob!”

        Liked by 2 people

      1. “I got a big fat mama trying to break me …in the summertime.”
        [The Kinks had a slightly less innocent take on summer]….

        Liked by 2 people

    4. Cue Percy Faith’s “Theme From a Summer Place” as the credits role. By the way, the Summer Place house located in Pacific Grove, damaged not long ago by fire, will be torn down by September’s end. Saw the movie in 1959. Sandra Dee: first love. I was eleven.

      Liked by 2 people

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  5. It’s time to think outside the box. The Pac 12 can’t afford to limit itself to real “college” teams anymore. There are any number of movies and commercials and television shows made about football each year. All of these productions feature very fine young people who, though they’ve never played the game, look like football players when they put on uniforms. Maybe the Pac 12 can interest one of these teams to join the conference….
    #…It’sNotLikeItWouldHurtThePac’sReputation

    Liked by 2 people

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    2. I just dont think that Kliavkoff has any brains or skills. The guy has failed at everything. His number one job was to keep USC happy and negotiate a TV deal. His other job should have been to convince the bonehead presidents in the Pac-12 to realize that re-alignment meant that you either take over territory or you become marginalized.

      There are so many ways that USC could have been enticed to remain in the conference. Kliavkoff should have realized that football and all other sports were a different beast and each should have been optimized for maximum impact and revenues. Maybe USC could have become quasi-independent and played 6 games in the league and gone partially independent, like Notre Dame for the other games. USC could have set up a rivalry schedule with enough top 10 teams, plus the top Pac-12 teams, to garner a fat media deal. With USC at least partially in the Pac-12 it would have been a win-win, and they would not have lost UCLA.

      If USC could maximize their football revenues, then there would be no good reason to leave for the Big 10. The travel schedule for all other sports makes that a no-brainer.

      He also needed to address other issues, like the crappy referees in the league. But he allowed the league to be mocked for horrible, bizarre calls and complete incompetence.

      He has moved at a glacial speed, when things are changing at warp speed. If the Pac-12 presidents had any brains, they would have already fired him. But the core problem with the Pac-12 might be the university presidents. Bunch of bone head, left-wing academics. Of course, they would fail.

      Liked by 3 people

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      1. Answer: Make Lincoln Riley Commissioner —abandon all pretense of fairness. USC allowed to add and subtract teams during season depending on our mood and health status. Change Pac 12 wealth distribution formula to 95% goes to USC — remainder divided up among rest.

        Liked by 2 people

    3. MG, there’s Bobby Darin (Mac the Knife) and there’s James Darren (Gidget).

      Darin died on the table during heart surgery in ’73. Darin was a spectacular entertainer.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Bobby Darin could do it all… he once said “I plan to pass up Sinatra in everything he ever did…”
        #HeDidn’tMakeGoodOnThatPledge…
        #…ButHeWasStillAwesome…
        #[OnTheOtherHand,There’sGidget]….

        Like

  6. As far as adding Rice and SMU, Rice has no fan base (their undergrad enrollment is tiny), and SMU has been relevant maybe twice since they received the death penalty back in the 1980s.

    Liked by 3 people

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  7. There are high schools that sometimes have better teams than
    Cal or Stanford fields.
    Why not add to the Pac-12 Mater Dei or St. John Bosco
    or that school up north that once won like 80-games in a row

    Liked by 4 people

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  9. Memo to Michael Guarino–
    We all love your takes, but could you please go a bit more lightly
    when it comes to lathering-up ‘Shillery’ or ‘Without-a-Folt’?

    Liked by 2 people

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  10. Okay so Stanford, Cal and the Arizona teams to the Western Athletic Conference. Oregon independent, Oregon State and the Washington schools the Mountain West and Utah to the Big 12 Conference. Media deals as is.
    Problem solved, the PAC 12 commissioner can go back to arranging weddings in Vegas.
    A monument should be erected to commemorate the death of the PAC 12 at the hands of the University presidents who didn’t want a commissioner more powerful than they were.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. …no…
        …better yet…
        …Statue of Pat Haden in Short Shorts Taller Than Eifel Tower

        Like

      2. OhMG! (See what I did there?)
        Can you imagine? TebowObama would spend days looking up to Pat’s bowling balls.
        I don’t think it’s worth the effort

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Ha! [tebow would wind up getting a life sentence after he’d been arrested 73 times for trying to shinny up Pat’s leg]….

        Like

    1. Riley said that Elijah Paige is alot closer to a starter than he thought he would be. The guy is definitely already big enough for the position. I think Monheim learning left tackle will give Paige a better chance to hit the field. Here is my rationale.

      If anyone gets injured or isnt working out, they will bring in Paige at left tackle and Monheim will move to the position of the injured/lacking player. Monheim is good enough to do play anywhere on the line.

      Tarquin isnt good enough to do that. He needs to develop at one position. Tarquin also probably needs to be on the field most of the game so he can get better, but Monheim can come out in the 3rd quarter of blow-out games to let Paige get experience.

      This is about developing the next man up in the case there is an injury.

      Really smart move by Hansen.

      Liked by 3 people

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  13. I like Scott Wolf’s idea of SMU, Rice, and UNLV. Other schools to consider Nevada, Boise, Colorado State, Texas San Antonio, and Tulane.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. It puts a grin on my face to think that the ivory tower egg-heads who run Cal, Stanford, UW, etc are being forced to accept schools that are academically inferior.

      Maybe if these idiots are taught a hard lesson by reality, they will realize that they need to teach students reality.

      If I was in charge at USC I would try to get UW and Stanford into the Big 10, but keep out Oregon and Cal. Stanford would be an easy win and a fun trip for the students/alum and it hits a top TV market. UW would rise as the only northwest program of any stature. Both of them are great academic schools. But make them accept a 60% share for 4 years to join.

      Cal could finally end the football program.

      Oregon could be the preening queen of the nearly dismantled Pac-12 and they could bring in a bunch of mediocre programs that hit enough TV markets to survive.

      If the Big 10 doesnt take what it wants now, it will be difficult to pry them loose later, due to media rights lock-ups. I think the Big 12 moves will force the hands of the Big 10 to act now.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Right now the B1G is working strictly on getting the conference settled in with the addition of USC and ucla. Nothing is in the works, they say, to add anyone else except perhaps ND. They have discussed going south for additions.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. That was a pretty sobering article about the likelihood of the Pac-12’s survival. Putting it in “Las Vegas terms,” survival was about a 4-point favorite until Colorado’s defection limited it to a 2-point favorite, or about a 55-45 favorite to weather this storm and live-on in some form

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. I don’t follow soccer but I root for whoever the USA plays. You might say “well that is unpatriotic to america”…..no it’s not…..the most anti-american team in womens world soccer is the american womens team and Rapinoe or whatever her name is.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. I could be wrong. I’m not a soccer fan. But I don’t think they are the best in the world anymore. We’ll see who wins the next world cup. But I wouldn’t say that it sucks for me because I don’t really care about womens soccer…..not exactly high on my list of interesting things.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Plow Horse & Pudly & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young and Michael Guarino's avatar Gabby aka The Guy who posts as So Cal's Wife & LawyerJohn & Plow Horse & Pudly & steveg49 & DOJ & Scott Wolf and Frank Young and Michael Guarino says:

        Sucks for Frank Young” to be Cowardly Gabby’s sock puppet. You just can’t stay away.

        Like

      3. Sucks for gotroy to be completely unable to let any comment I make slide by without responding.
        Go ahead, do it again.

        Like

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