ESPN take on Pac-12 future

[Glad Cougar]

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg offered his outlook on the future of Pac-12 football. The specific naming of a few teams as future participants in a conference championship game was "interesting.":
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The Pac-12 not surprisingly missed the CFP for the fifth straight season, but last week was a very good one for the struggling league.

USC finally acted like a blue-blood program and went all in to hire an A-list coach in Lincoln Riley. Then the Pac-12 held its first championship game in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, an excellent site for fans to visit. Utah fans came out in force, dominating the crowd of 56,511. There were seats available, but the building had great energy, even for a game with little drama or national implications.

Looking ahead, it's easy to envision similar atmospheres when USC, Washington, Arizona State and other teams make the trip to Vegas. Kliavkoff's leadership and approach is off to a good start around the league. Another playoff-less year is painful, but the Pac-12's long-term outlook finally looks a bit brighter.
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Specifically listing Washington and Arizona State? I'm oversensitive but WSU was one game away from Las Vegas this year and OSU was also one game away had the Cougs lost the AC. Makes me think of the original Gilligan's Island theme song where they left out the Professor & Mary Ann and simply referred to them as "...and the rest."

Glad Cougar

 

[BiggsCoug]

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg offered his outlook on the future of Pac-12 football. The specific naming of a few teams as future participants in a conference championship game was "interesting.":
--------
The Pac-12 not surprisingly missed the CFP for the fifth straight season, but last week was a very good one for the struggling league.

USC finally acted like a blue-blood program and went all in to hire an A-list coach in Lincoln Riley. Then the Pac-12 held its first championship game in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, an excellent site for fans to visit. Utah fans came out in force, dominating the crowd of 56,511. There were seats available, but the building had great energy, even for a game with little drama or national implications.

Looking ahead, it's easy to envision similar atmospheres when USC, Washington, Arizona State and other teams make the trip to Vegas. Kliavkoff's leadership and approach is off to a good start around the league. Another playoff-less year is painful, but the Pac-12's long-term outlook finally looks a bit brighter.
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Specifically listing Washington and Arizona State? I'm oversensitive but WSU was one game away from Las Vegas this year and OSU was also one game away had the Cougs lost the AC. Makes me think of the original Gilligan's Island theme song where they left out the Professor & Mary Ann and simply referred to them as "...and the rest."

Glad Cougar

Branding is an issue.

 

[billyjoecamaro]

It happens on the podcasts I listen to as well. The other day they were referring to the USC v CAL game that was played on championship weekend because of a covid delay and they said "why don't they do this every year with teams that never are in contention like Cal and WSU". Ugh.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

It happens on the podcasts I listen to as well. The other day they were referring to the USC v CAL game that was played on championship weekend because of a covid delay and they said "why don't they do this every year with teams that never are in contention like Cal and WSU". Ugh.

That’s just not true.

 

[BiggsCoug]

It happens on the podcasts I listen to as well. The other day they were referring to the USC v CAL game that was played on championship weekend because of a covid delay and they said "why don't they do this every year with teams that never are in contention like Cal and WSU". Ugh.

Branding.

 

[roses04]

Interesting if you look at the last 20 years of the Rose Bowl here are the Pac 12 teams and number of visits

USC 6
Oregon -4
Stanford -3
UW- 2
WSU-1
BCS games without Pac 12- 4

So 25% of the pac 12 teams in the Rose Bowl over the last 20 years are someone other than USC, Oregon or UW, Oregon and USC make up 62.5%

 

[BiggsCoug]

Interesting if you look at the last 20 years of the Rose Bowl here are the Pac 12 teams and number of visits

USC 6
Oregon -4
Stanford -3
UW- 2
WSU-1
BCS games without Pac 12- 4

So 25% of the pac 12 teams in the Rose Bowl over the last 20 years are someone other than USC, Oregon or UW, Oregon and USC make up 62.5%

WSU has significantly more success than half the league over the past 25 years. 2 Rose Bowls, a Heisman finalist, an Outland Trophy winner and finalist, 1st round picks, etc… and that includes a stretch of no bowls…

WSU needs to stand up for itself and brand itself. WSU has allowed other people to brand for them. Why would they help WSU when it’s easier to shit all over them and take advantage???

 

[Glad Cougar]

It happens on the podcasts I listen to as well. The other day they were referring to the USC v CAL game that was played on championship weekend because of a covid delay and they said "why don't they do this every year with teams that never are in contention like Cal and WSU". Ugh.

By the way, seeing USC fold like a cheap lawn chair most of this year really makes me mad that the Cougs allowed them to win that game. Trojans finish 4-8. Seems we have lost to them a few times in seasons where they've tanked.

Glad Cougar

 

[kougkurt]

By the way, seeing USC fold like a cheap lawn chair most of this year really makes me mad that the Cougs allowed them to win that game. Trojans finish 4-8. Seems we have lost to them a few times in seasons where they've tanked.

Glad Cougar

We played em too early, before they tanked

 

[Glad Cougar]

We played em too early, before they tanked

Could be....but I thought Helton had already been fired by the time we played them.

Glad Cougar

 

[Cougsocal]

Could be....but I thought Helton had already been fired by the time we played them.

Glad Cougar

Let's not forget what really happened.

It was their first game without Helton, they tried desperately, and I mean desperately, to fold on us, we should have been up at least 21-0 at the half, but we demonstrated just how badly we were being coached, USC blew us out in the second half behind a freshman QB.

Many would say this was the beginning of the end for Rolo. The following week everyone, and I mean everyone, bar none, wanted Rolo gone, immediately, his coaching had been that bad. Pretty clear Chun was no exception. While the anti vaxx crowd might now claim that this wasn't true, there is thread below that clearly proves otherwise. Not a soul came to Rolo's defense.

Rolo's coaching improved in the following weeks, with some major help from Jonathon Smith and his heavily criticized decision to rely on Chance Nolan's arm, instead of their ground game that had been gashing us, on their final drive with 5:20 to play. But to make a long story short, we can't forget just how bad this team was to start the year, and how far they have come since. This team is right up there with the 1983 Cougs for amazing season turnarounds.

 

[CougPatrol]

We played em too early, before they tanked

They were tanking defensively in our game, but we didn't have an available QB to take advantage of it in the 2nd half.

 

[wazzucougs96]

WSU has significantly more success than half the league over the past 25 years. 2 Rose Bowls, a Heisman finalist, an Outland Trophy winner and finalist, 1st round picks, etc… and that includes a stretch of no bowls…

WSU needs to stand up for itself and brand itself. WSU has allowed other people to brand for them. Why would they help WSU when it’s easier to shit all over them and take advantage???

Exactly. It's gotten to the point where even Gonzaga has now branded WSU as a loser and WSU does absolutely nothing about it. Imagine letting some shit box 4 building university push you around.

 

[Cougsocal]

They were tanking defensively in our game, but we didn't have an available QB to take advantage of it in the 2nd half.

That could be one way of looking at it -- if you ignore they scored 38 second half points, with Rolo, in his coaching wisdom, choosing to replace/bench(?) de Laura for a walk on, who last threw a pass in seriousness against Tumwater in a 48-0 loss, two years earlier, then to bench him, play de Laura again, bench de Laura in favor of the walk on again, only to bench him in favor on Cooper.

Breathtaking! We can only hope that Rolo was just out of his depth and wasn't pulling a Stevin "Hedake" Smith on us...

 

[CougPatrol]

That could be one way of looking at it -- if you ignore they scored 38 second half points, with Rolo, in his coaching wisdom, choosing to replace/bench(?) de Laura for a walk on, who last threw a pass in seriousness against Tumwater in a 48-0 loss, two years earlier, then to bench him, play de Laura again, bench de Laura in favor of the walk on again, only to bench him in favor on Cooper.

Breathtaking! We can only hope that Rolo was just out of his depth and wasn't pulling a Stevin "Hedake" Smith on us...

He didn't bench de Laura against USC. He got injured at the end of the 1st half. Guarantano was also injured and unavailable for that game.

 

[BiggsCoug]

Exactly. It's gotten to the point where even Gonzaga has now branded WSU as a loser and WSU does absolutely nothing about it. Imagine letting some shit box 4 building university push you around.

Exactly. You have to be your own advocate. And you have to blow out your in state rivals.

 

[CougSinceBirth]

WSU has significantly more success than half the league over the past 25 years. 2 Rose Bowls, a Heisman finalist, an Outland Trophy winner and finalist, 1st round picks, etc… and that includes a stretch of no bowls…

WSU needs to stand up for itself and brand itself. WSU has allowed other people to brand for them. Why would they help WSU when it’s easier to shit all over them and take advantage???

This is why I absolutely hate Popcorn Guy, "cougin' it", etc. It's not cute or funny, really. It's adding to the "WSU shouldn't matter" camp. Stand up for yourself and stop taking that bull$%^& from other programs and fans.

 

[wazzucougs96]

Anyone who uses the phrase cougin it should be kicked squarely in the teeth

 

[BiggsCoug]

This is why I absolutely hate Popcorn Guy, "cougin' it", etc. It's not cute or funny, really. It's adding to the "WSU shouldn't matter" camp. Stand up for yourself and stop taking that bull$%^& from other programs and fans.

The loveable loser, under dog mentality sucks ass. It doesn’t help at all.

 

[Coug-Vandal]

They were tanking defensively in our game, but we didn't have an available QB to take advantage of it in the 2nd half.

We might have but Rolo didn't want to play him. I don't know how the game would have turned out but I have no doubt that if Cooper had played the 2nd half it wouldn't have turned into the collapse that we witnessed. Rolo's decision making early in the year was highly suspect on more than just vaccines.

 

[Cougsocal]

He didn't bench de Laura against USC. He got injured at the end of the 1st half. Guarantano was also injured and unavailable for that game.

Do you live in a world of make believe? Or is your memory just failing you? It has to be one or the other.

de Laura came a back in at 3:12 mark of the third -- after Gabalis' fumble resulted in a USC TD. de Laura threw an int. on his first snap. It was intercepted by Calen Bullock at the 35. On the next possession de Laura threw three straight incompletions. He was then pulled for Gabalis on the next series, followed by Cooper.

de Laura did not play again until Cal, after Guarantano's 3 int, 7 sack Utah performance.

 

[chipdouglas]

WSU has significantly more success than half the league over the past 25 years. 2 Rose Bowls, a Heisman finalist, an Outland Trophy winner and finalist, 1st round picks, etc… and that includes a stretch of no bowls…

WSU needs to stand up for itself and brand itself. WSU has allowed other people to brand for them. Why would they help WSU when it’s easier to shit all over them and take advantage???

Some nice accolades, but WSU in the last 25 years has a losing record (0.480).

Iowa is another team you don't hear a lot about, despite having won a much more impressive 0.610.

There is a halo effect for the lesser teams when you have 1-2 teams who are in the playoff/BCS conversation every year, which I think you would admit about the SEC. If that rule is true, Oregon shows that "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

 

[BiggsCoug]

Some nice accolades, but WSU in the last 25 years has a losing record (0.480).

Iowa is another team you don't hear a lot about, despite having won a much more impressive 0.610.

There is a halo effect for the lesser teams when you have 1-2 teams who are in the playoff/BCS conversation every year, which I think you would admit about the SEC. If that rule is true, Oregon shows that "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

The swings of the program are wide. However, the list of other Pac 12 schools with similar accolades is short.

I do not believe it is fair to only point at what went wrong for WSU and completely ignore what went right.

The SEC does a tremendous job of branding. The Pac 12 would be wise to follow their lead.

 

[COUGinNCW]

Do you live in a world of make believe? Or is your memory just failing you? It has to be one or the other.

de Laura came a back in at 3:12 mark of the third -- after Gabalis' fumble resulted in a USC TD. de Laura threw an int. on his first snap. It was intercepted by Calen Bullock at the 35. On the next possession de Laura threw three straight incompletions. He was then pulled for Gabalis on the next series, followed by Cooper.

de Laura did not play again until Cal, after Guarantano's 3 int, 7 sack Utah performance.

Your memory is failing you. He was hurt. He tried coming back in but the injury affected his ability to play so they kept him out the rest of the way. He missed the Utah game after USC with the same injury.

 

[Coug90]

That could be one way of looking at it -- if you ignore they scored 38 second half points, with Rolo, in his coaching wisdom, choosing to replace/bench(?) de Laura for a walk on, who last threw a pass in seriousness against Tumwater in a 48-0 loss, two years earlier, then to bench him, play de Laura again, bench de Laura in favor of the walk on again, only to bench him in favor on Cooper.

Breathtaking! We can only hope that Rolo was just out of his depth and wasn't pulling a Stevin "Hedake" Smith on us...

The most disturbing part of that whole sequence was putting DeLaura back in when the momentum and score had shifted to the point where the game was lost and USC was pinning their ears back looking to channel their inner Porter Gustin. A lame DeLaura in that situation was not going to end well and was lucky he was not further injured.

 

[Coug90]

Your memory is failing you. He was hurt. He tried coming back in but the injury affected his ability to play so they kept him out the rest of the way. He missed the Utah game after USC with the same injury.

He was absolutely injured and should not have been put back in. Not sure what the argument was here, SoCal you saying he was benched? He played great in the first half of SC, if not for a drop on the goal line we may have been up 21 at half and it was clear he was hobbled significantly which is why he was out for Utah as well.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

Exactly. It's gotten to the point where even Gonzaga has now branded WSU as a loser and WSU does absolutely nothing about it. Imagine letting some shit box 4 building university push you around.

That’s why it was so nice to see the WSU women take down Gonzaga tonight in Spokane! Love it!

 

[dgibbons]

The loveable loser, under dog mentality sucks ass. It doesn’t help at all.

The make huge demands, but do nothing to actually support the university mentality doesn't help either.