The P12 has a football problem

[CougPatrol]

As bitter as yesterday was for WSU, a quick glance around the league reaffirmed what I've been noticing for several years now. The P12 isn't a very conference anymore.

UW loses at home to Montana
WSU to Utah State
Cal to Nevada
Oregon State to Purdue
Arizona to BYU
Stanford to Kansas State

Throughout most of my life (I'm 54), the P12 was always regarded as one one of the stronger conferences from top to bottom. We didn't always have the heavy hitters Nationally, but our 3rd-8th place teams were usually tough. Boy has that changed. It's reached the point where our 3rd - 12th teams aren't any stronger than the top-6 teams in the MWC. Had I said that 10 years ago, I would have been laughed at.

Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State. Tell me you'd feel comfortable betting heavy on WSU, UW, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, Colorado, Arizona or ASU against any of those programs right now.

When the P12 first signed their big Network deal with the P12 Network, I thought it was going to be the beginning of the end for the smaller programs out West. Hardly. In fact, the gap has actually narrowed. It shows how poorly our conference has been managed and explains why our league can't attract or retain any of the top coaches.

 

[dgibbons]

USC and UCLA won. Pretty much offsets everything else.

 

[CougPatrol]

USC and UCLA won. Pretty much offsets everything else.

USC, UCLA, and Oregon are going to carry the torch this season. Oregon's defense looked like another weak P12/MWC defense when their ace DE went out, but Fresno isn't a terrible team either. Utah could also emerge this season.

Apart from that, it's a scrap heap.

 

[Coug90]

As bitter as yesterday was for WSU, a quick glance around the league reaffirmed what I've been noticing for several years now. The P12 isn't a very conference anymore.

UW loses at home to Montana
WSU to Utah State
Cal to Nevada
Oregon State to Purdue
Arizona to BYU
Stanford to Kansas State

Throughout most of my life (I'm 54), the P12 was always regarded as one one of the stronger conferences from top to bottom. We didn't always have the heavy hitters Nationally, but our 3rd-8th place teams were usually tough. Boy has that changed. It's reached the point where our 3rd - 12th teams aren't any stronger than the top-6 teams in the MWC. Had I said that 10 years ago, I would have been laughed at.

Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State. Tell me you'd feel comfortable betting heavy on WSU, UW, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, Colorado, Arizona or ASU against any of those programs right now.

When the P12 first signed their big Network deal with the P12 Network, I thought it was going to be the beginning of the end for the smaller programs out West. Hardly. In fact, the gap has actually narrowed. It shows how poorly our conference has been managed and explains why our league can't attract or retain any of the top coaches.

There is zero difference right now between the MWC and the PAC12. Same talent same level of coaching. P12 has more money. That’s it.

 

[dgibbons]

There is zero difference right now between the MWC and the PAC12. Same talent same level of coaching. P12 has more money. That’s it.

And the PAC-12 has USC, UCLA and Oregon.

The depth and quality of a conference doesn’t matter if the blue blood programs are considered good. As a conference the ACC stinks.

 

[Coug90]

And the PAC-12 has USC, UCLA and Oregon.

The depth and quality of a conference doesn’t matter if the blue blood programs are considered good. As a conference the ACC stinks.

Well if I’m Oregon, there’s several MWC coaches I swap out for Christobol if I can. Same for SC/Helton. Sure their rosters are better on paper than any MWC program but the combination of coaching/talent is as bad in the conference top to bottom as I can remember. If you had a round robin tourney between the P12 and MWC it would be 50/50.

 

[PINGDUDE4]

USC and UCLA won. Pretty much offsets everything else.

Would not bet against UCLA in any game in the Pac12 this year.

The buzz on SEC and Texas boards was not only did they beat LSU they manhandled them. I think it was a great wake up call for the southerners that stereo type west coast football as being soft. There was nothing soft in the way UCLA won that game.

 

[CougPatrol]

Would not bet against UCLA in any game in the Pac12 this year.

The buzz on SEC and Texas boards was not only did they beat LSU they manhandled them. I think it was a great wake up call for the southerners that stereo type west coast football as being soft. There was nothing soft in the way UCLA won that game.

UCLA is my preseason P12 pick, and yes, they were far and away better than LSU.

Now, with that said, I'm not sure how good LSU is. I know they have stars all over the field, but their QB is meh, and their offense is so-so. They still haven't replaced their talent from the NC team.

 

[BiggsCoug]

UCLA is my preseason P12 pick, and yes, they were far and away better than LSU.

Now, with that said, I'm not sure how good LSU is. I know they have stars all over the field, but their QB is meh, and their offense is so-so. They still haven't replaced their talent from the NC team.

LSU has talent. What they also have is a defensive hole from Pelini. He can't coach worth a shit.

 

[CougPatrol]

But let's be clear, Chip Kelly didn't forget how to build a college program because he stunk in the NFL. He recruits great, fast athletes and gets them the ball in space. That's exactly what UCLA needed.

 

[FnuLnu]

There is zero difference right now between the MWC and the PAC12. Same talent same level of coaching. P12 has more money. That’s it.

Go through Rolovich's Hawaii record, year by year and there are plenty of MWC teams on down cycles each year for a mediocre team/coach to post a good record. (See Jim Walden fattening his record in the 1980s on Joe Kapp at Cal and Toilet Bowl Era Oregon and Oregon State.)
The extra $ for the Pac 12 has definitely raised the floor on their bad teams compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

 

[CougEd]

Go through Rolovich's Hawaii record, year by year and there are plenty of MWC teams on down cycles each year for a mediocre team/coach to post a good record. (See Jim Walden fattening his record in the 1980s on Joe Kapp at Cal and Toilet Bowl Era Oregon and Oregon State.)
The extra $ for the Pac 12 has definitely raised the floor on their bad teams compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

He was actually run over a moped coached by Kapp in I believe 1985....

 

[How_did_this_happen?]

As bitter as yesterday was for WSU, a quick glance around the league reaffirmed what I've been noticing for several years now. The P12 isn't a very conference anymore.

UW loses at home to Montana
WSU to Utah State
Cal to Nevada
Oregon State to Purdue
Arizona to BYU
Stanford to Kansas State

Throughout most of my life (I'm 54), the P12 was always regarded as one one of the stronger conferences from top to bottom. We didn't always have the heavy hitters Nationally, but our 3rd-8th place teams were usually tough. Boy has that changed. It's reached the point where our 3rd - 12th teams aren't any stronger than the top-6 teams in the MWC. Had I said that 10 years ago, I would have been laughed at.

Boise State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State. Tell me you'd feel comfortable betting heavy on WSU, UW, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, Colorado, Arizona or ASU against any of those programs right now.

When the P12 first signed their big Network deal with the P12 Network, I thought it was going to be the beginning of the end for the smaller programs out West. Hardly. In fact, the gap has actually narrowed. It shows how poorly our conference has been managed and explains why our league can't attract or retain any of the top coaches.

We have a severe geography and population problem. Nothing can solve that, unless a huge population shift occurs to the West in the coming years. That's not happening. And our geographic location is what it is.

About 77 percent of the US population lives east of Texas inclusive. The demographics and the time zones are brutal for the Pac12. No way that changes significantly. In fact, since Texas is growing fast as is Florida...and California is shrinking....the problem is only getting worse.

 

[SDCoug]

Nothing can solve that, unless a huge population shift occurs to the West in the coming years.

As long as they don’t come to Montana. If that happens I’ve got to figure out how to sell my wife on Alaska. There are enough folks out West already.

My preference would be that we stop playing shitty football. That might solve it.

 

[Coug90]

As long as they don’t come to Montana. If that happens I’ve got to figure out how to sell my wife on Alaska. There are enough folks out West already.

My preference would be that we stop playing shitty football. That might solve it.

They already are. Missoula, Kalispell/WF, Bozeman. Sorry brother you live in an awesome state and people are gonna want to keep moving there. I do disagree with HDTH assessment on population growth though. The metro markets growing the fastest are out west, and that’s not changing. FL is blowing up because of boomers moving there from other eastern states to retire but I’m not sure that’s a group that collectively cares much about college FB to begin with (FL retirees that is).