row Z

NFL throw ...

Maye is forcing himself into the conversation for No. 1 pick, i agree. My nephew at UNC rushed the field after that game.

😖

Which Cade? McNown, McNamara ...

@utenation, can you tell me the name of the radio station that did the interview? Was it with Tony Castricone? I would like to hear his comments to get the context. Thanks. Hope we get a good game today, in any event!

Well, this is pretty concerning in my view actually. It has been pretty apparent that DeBoer would be high on a list of replacement coaches if the Michigan job opens up, for obvious reasons. It is a true blue blood, with huge resources and history, obviously. UW is not on that level. I think we have to admit that. We are maybe a top 15-20 program, but not a true blue blood. Having said that, UW is a good enough job that if the money is the same or comparable, a coach might choose to stay at UW over an opening like Michigan. It just comes down to personal preference. Don James had a number of offers, including from the NFL, and chose to stay. Maybe DeBoer is like that. Too early to tell. The key phrase in the paragraph above is "if the money is the same or comparable." Michigan, or any number of programs, could offer DeBoer in the $10M range. He currently makes a little over $4M. That is an enormous gulf. Can UW and boosters pony up $8-10M a year for DeBoer? I have no idea. But if they don't, i would bet that DeBoer will strongly consider a competing offer that includes more money. Who wouldn't. This is the main reason i was so concerned about UW and Oregon only receiving a half share of B1G revenue. We could be fighting off offers for DeBoer until 2030 with half the revenue coming in. Tough spot to be in. I think UW and Oregon should have negotiated a commitment that no other B1G school would hire any UW/Oregon coaches until 2030 when the money was even. Otherwise, they are just undermining the competitiveness of the schools they added. The fact that Tony Castricone said that "there is a good chance" that he moves on to another Midwest school is the new information here. I have to assume that Tony is pretty connected with the program, and would be privy to whether UW is willing and able to make a competitive offer if/when Michigan comes calling. If he is openly speculating that there is a good chance DeBoer leaves, that sounds like UW probably will not have the money to keep DeBoer. I hope I am wrong, but that is how I would read this at the moment. Of course, I have not heard the clip, and have not heard Tony say anything similar on Seattle radio.

Thought I would start a conversation about QBs in the draft since there will be several drafted from the Pac12. My first observation is I think Caleb Williams is the clear number 1, has unique mobility and escapability traits, throws very well on the run, and might be Mahomes II. Super talented. Duh. I don't know where Penix will go, but in thinking about comps the guy that comes to mind for me is Kurt Warner. Both have a very calm demeanor, fearless at throwing into small windows, benefitted from amazing receivers, not very mobile and need strong OL. Warner has better touch on short/intermediate passes, but Penix might have a stronger arm overall. Obviously, this is Penix's best case scenario. I can't come up with a good comp for Bo Nix. I have seen Derek Carr mentioned as a comp, which i don't think fits and is a little insulting. He's more mobile than Carr I think. Cam Ward could be a very intriguing later round prospect. I would not be mad if the Seahawks drafted him.

JFC.

Thanks SC. The Trojan offense is really impressive. I would draft Caleb No. 1. I do think he has Mahomes level skills and savvy. I feel bad that his defense has not helped him more. Regardless, it is always a big deal for UW to beat the Trojans. This one was memorable.

I have no idea what is going to happen in this game. I was feeling ok about it until i saw Utah dismantle ASU. The podcast of champions was saying it was the most complete destruction of the Pac12 season so far. Barnes threw 4 TDs, and Ja'Quinden Jackson averaged 8.5 yards a carry? And Utah has a top 15 defense? Fuck. This is exactly the kind of game that Utah seems uniquely able to get way up for and jam a stick into a softer team's spokes. But, it should be close to sold out and the crowd will make a difference. And the offense appears to be back on track, even without McMillan. Can UW run on Utah? That will probably be telling. UW also needs bodies back on defense (Tuli on the d line in particular, and guys in the secondary). Its going to be a grind, but if UW is a true CFP contender they should win this game. If not, it's just more Pac12 chaos in our final season.

I thought this was pretty amazing, both that UW/OR got slightly better ratings than USC/ND but also the top SEC game Tenn/TAM. Also, i believe the Oregon State/UCLA game got better ratings than any Big 12 game. And the networks kept telling us that they couldn't offer the Pac12 more because the ratings weren't there. Meanwhile, the B1G got an incredible deal to get UW/OR at half price for 5 years. We (UW/OR) really should have gotten the SEC into the bidding.

Just heard John Wilner say that he does not think the buffs make a bowl game this year. They need two more wins out of: @ UCLA, Beavs, AZ, @ WSU, @ Utah.

It was fantastic. I picked a great game to go to. We all felt like the ducks had it through virtually all of the 4th quarter … until the missed field goal. great game ducks. I would prefer not to play you again.

Correction, i see him! He’s warming up!

I am not seeing DT 91 Tuli Letuligasenoa in the warmups for the huskies. Place your wagers accordingly.

I'm flying up to Seattle tomorrow, will be at the game with a few buddies. I am so geeked. 😁 Hope the game lives up to the hype.

Well, i hate most of what is happening: 1) Pac12 falling apart; 2) losing 100+ years of history of west coast football; 3) tv dictating how the sport is organized; 4) the likelihood of the the top level of college football consolidating to a small number of teams; 5) loss of regional flavor and long time rivalries; 6) travel impacts on football; 7) impact on all the other sports. That all sucks big time. I have been a Pac12 fan my whole life, and am attached to it. I like these teams, the location of the universities, the unique west coast weirdness. Nothing like this will likely come back in my lifetime. That fucking sucks. College sports as a whole will not be better off as a result of the realignment. In fact, even football is going to be less interesting and will lose the breadth of the fan following it has now, especially in those areas where there are no teams at the top level (Bay Area where i live). I have a long list of decisions that I wish were made differently to avoid where we are now, but it's kind of pointless to dwell on that. The overarching problem is that there is no central leadership of NCAA football. Its every conference and every program for itself, all chasing the money. Given that structure, an absurd outcome that benefits some at the top while eroding the quality overall was a likely outcome. Are there some silver linings for UW joining the B1G? Sure. We survive this current round of musical chairs, we get a pretty amazing upgrade in the quality of our schedule, the team will visit some historic stadiums, ticket sales in Seattle will presumably increase, we get better national exposure, and we will have significantly more competent conference leadership. And, if things go right, we get the full media share in 2030. In the meantime though, since we are only getting a half share of the tv revenue until 2030, we are going to have to scratch and claw to remain competitive and ward off other programs trying to hire DeBoer. That is probably happening already, with Michigan State being the first team trying to get him. So, long story short, its very much a mixed bag: I hate the realignment and loss of the Pac 12, but i will continue to follow UW football in the B1G. I will also have one eye on our former conference members and will be rooting for them. Long live the Pac12.

I appreciate games with every Pac12 school. They all have their unique histories and weird games. I would not hesitate to play Cal, Utah, Colorado, Stanford, AZ or ASU out of conference if schedules line up.

I agree, and would even add that UW/OSU and WSU/UO are worth playing if possible, even if not every year ... allow the mythical PNW Championship (TM Rick Neuheisel) to live on.

B1G schedules between 2024-2028: https://bigten.org/news/2023/10/4/big-ten-conference-announces-future-football-schedule-formats-for-2024-28.aspx

I have come all the way around to believing that Cam Ward is a clear upgrade over De Laura, after initially thinking the Cougs downgraded at QB.

I think this is going to be a sneaky good game. Arizona is a tough place to play, especially when the crowd is in to it. Going to miss these games v. AZ. Hope we get a good one.

Well, if Boise was super close to Pullman (like Moscow ID for instance), I think the Cougs might be concerned that it could draw neutral fans away from their games (from Spokane for instance). But that is a non-issue with where Boise is.

Would the Cougs want BSU, given that they are so close geographically? Edit: actually, aftering consulting a map, they are not really that close. Probably not a big deal at all.

Yeah, totally wrong. 😆 I am a shit gambler. Probably should have mentioned that.