West coast football should wait and play next year

[CougPatrol]

The more I think about it, I’m convinced that West Coast college football should hold firm and resist the temptation to play this fall.

Yea, it’ll probably cast the P12 and MWC is an XFL light to some degree, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. Let us have the spotlight. Who cares about the Central and Eastern time zones? Play the league games with maybe 1 crossover game with MWC.

League Championship games held followed by a P12 vs. MWC west coast championship game. Make it happen.

 

[etowncoug]

The more I think about it, I’m convinced that West Coast college football should hold firm and resist the temptation to play this fall.

Yea, it’ll probably cast the P12 and MWC is an XFL light to some degree, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. Let us have the spotlight. Who cares about the Central and Eastern time zones? Play the league games with maybe 1 crossover game with MWC.

League Championship games held followed by a P12 vs. MWC west coast championship game. Make it happen.

What a horrible idea.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

The majority of Romans favored having gladiator games, too. I've been asking myself how much of college & pro football is our current equivalent to "food and circuses".

 

[425cougfan]

The majority of Romans favored having gladiator games, too. I've been asking myself how much of college & pro football is our current equivalent to "food and circuses".

The parallels there have been manifest, if not dispositive, for a long time. Depends on your perspective, to an extent: are we talking about placating the mob with bread and circuses, or depriving the mob from circuses (not bread, it seems) to foster misery?

 

[etowncoug]

The majority of Romans favored having gladiator games, too. I've been asking myself how much of college & pro football is our current equivalent to "food and circuses".

If you don't see some important differences between death matches to appease the bloodlust of the mob and football, I don't know what to tell you. Ancient Romans wouldn't have found football interesting enough because each game didn't have double digits body counts.

 

[cr8zyncalif]

If you don't see some important differences between death matches to appease the bloodlust of the mob and football, I don't know what to tell you. Ancient Romans wouldn't have found football interesting enough because each game didn't have double digits body counts.

e, my quote was not necessarily covid related, though it is a continuation of the conversation about our priorities (mine included) when we look at the head injury trail through college and pro football. If that isn't a modern corollary to our willingness to accept damage to the participants in both cases, then I'm not sure what would qualify.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Pac-12 champ vs. MWC champ ... What a horrible idea.

E-Town, why don’t you like it for WSU and the rest of the conference?

 

[Black Bart the Pirate]

PAC-12 vs MWC for the ”Championship.”

Kinda says it all...

 

[CougPatrol]

PAC-12 vs MWC for the ”Championship.”

Kinda says it all...

Well, under the Spring scenario, they’d be the only 2 leagues playing.

 

[billyjoecamaro]

The majority of Romans favored having gladiator games, too. I've been asking myself how much of college & pro football is our current equivalent to "food and circuses".

Tested daily you could argue they are safer playing rather than mixing with the partying student body while not playing.

 

[etowncoug]

e, my quote was not necessarily covid related, though it is a continuation of the conversation about our priorities (mine included) when we look at the head injury trail through college and pro football. If that isn't a modern corollary to our willingness to accept damage to the participants in both cases, then I'm not sure what would qualify.

It's a bad comparison.

The entire point of gladiatorial games was to force slaves to kill each other for the entertainment of others. Not as an accident not as an unintended long term effects of competing. The deaths were the whole point. No American sports even comes close to this. Not boxing, not the UFC, and certainly not football.

The objective of most gladiatorial games was to either kill your opponent. In football it's to score more points than your opponent. This is a huge moral difference. The injuries and long term damage aren't the purpose of football.

E-Town, why don’t you like it for WSU and the rest of the conference?

Maybe add the Big Sky in as well for a spring "playoff".

Its a lose lose situation for the conference. Should the MWest win in a fluke, we're done as a P5 conference. If we win, it will still be a sign that the conference isnt big time.

 

[CougPatrol]

It's a bad comparison.

The entire point of gladiatorial games was to force slaves to kill each other for the entertainment of others. Not as an accident not as an unintended long term effects of competing. The deaths were the whole point. No American sports even comes close to this. Not boxing, not the UFC, and certainly not football.

The objective of most gladiatorial games was to either kill your opponent. In football it's to score more points than your opponent. This is a huge moral difference. The injuries and long term damage aren't the purpose of football.

Maybe add the Big Sky in as well for a spring "playoff".

Its a lose lose situation for the conference. Should the MWest win in a fluke, we're done as a P5 conference. If we win, it will still be a sign that the conference isnt big time.

Done as a conference? Come on now. That's a ridiculous overreaction. LA is the 2nd biggest TV market in the Nation. San Francisco / Bay Area is the 6th biggest. Phoenix is 11th, Seattle 13th.

The P12 may, and probably will, experience changes over the years, but the conference (or a west coast conference under another label) isn't going anywhere. It will always be viewed as "small time" in college football markets East of Colorado, but that's always going to be the case.

The P12 and MWC need to focus on West coast football and growing their own market awareness. The SEC, ACC, Big12, Big10 can blossom into mega conferences and quadruple the net worth of the P12, but we have our own geographic advantages that will keep us afloat. We just need to be managed smarter as a conference and stop chasing the dream of becoming the next SEC.

 

[etowncoug]

Done as a conference? Come on now. That's a ridiculous overreaction. LA is the 2nd biggest TV market in the Nation. San Francisco / Bay Area is the 6th biggest. Phoenix is 11th, Seattle 13th.

The P12 may, and probably will, experience changes over the years, but the conference (or a west coast conference under another label) isn't going anywhere. It will always be viewed as "small time" in college football markets East of Colorado, but that's always going to be the case.

The P12 and MWC need to focus on West coast football and growing their own market awareness. The SEC, ACC, Big12, Big10 can blossom into mega conferences and quadruple the net worth of the P12, but we have our own geographic advantages that will keep us afloat. We just need to be managed smarter as a conference and stop chasing the dream of becoming the next SEC.

I know we won't become the next SEC. I'd settle for being a P5, something slipping away from us.

The west coast doesn't have the cultural identity of the South or the Midwest. We respond to winners. Going out of our way to show how second rate we are isn't going to build up the brand.

So yes, college football will go on as a niche sport on the west coast. The only thing which might save us is Oregon drawing good ratings if they can make a playoff.

 

[425cougfan]

E-Town, why don’t you like it for WSU and the rest of the conference?

Haha. Come on, Pete.

 

[BiggsCoug]

When I see kids with Pac 12 offers waiting to make a decision it makes me think they are unimpressed with who has offered and are looking/waiting for something better to come along.

If the Pac 12 wants to improve its standing within the other P5 conferences, imo it starts by improving their standing on the West Coast.

Seeing so many kids leave the region to play doesn't help. They're leaving because schools elsewhere are either doing a better job recruiting or running their programs or both.

 

[CougPatrol]

When I see kids with Pac 12 offers waiting to make a decision it makes me think they are unimpressed with who has offered and are looking/waiting for something better to come along.

If the Pac 12 wants to improve its standing within the other P5 conferences, imo it starts by improving their standing on the West Coast.

Seeing so many kids leave the region to play doesn't help. They're leaving because schools elsewhere are either doing a better job recruiting or running their programs or both.

That's how I feel, and I've been saying it for years. You're not going to grow P12 football by pandering to fans in Atlanta or Ohio. There are a some elite players who will chase dreams outside of the West coast, but the vast majority of players out west will want to stay out west; particularly if the P12 invests in and sells itself better.

Lock in a better TV deal
Schedule games by thinking of P12 fan interest first. No more Pullman Apple Cups on Black Friday and rivalry games scheduled head to head with other P12 rivalry games.
Bowl tie ins should be west coast favorable destinations like Las Vegas, LA, San Diego, San Fran, and Phoenix.
Market to West Coast and Hawaii high school football as a conference. Outline the benefits of staying West. Schools are closer, academics are better, etc.

This is a no brainer. Stop acting like an underdog just because football is bigger elsewhere.

 

[BiggsCoug]

That's how I feel, and I've been saying it for years. You're not going to grow P12 football by pandering to fans in Atlanta or Ohio. There are a some elite players who will chase dreams outside of the West coast, but the vast majority of players out west will want to stay out west; particularly if the P12 invests in and sells itself better.

Lock in a better TV deal
Schedule games by thinking of P12 fan interest first. No more Pullman Apple Cups on Black Friday and rivalry games scheduled head to head with other P12 rivalry games.
Bowl tie ins should be west coast favorable destinations like Las Vegas, LA, San Diego, San Fran, and Phoenix.
Market to West Coast and Hawaii high school football as a conference. Outline the benefits of staying West. Schools are closer, academics are better, etc.

This is a no brainer. Stop acting like an underdog just because football is bigger elsewhere.

If they came out and played 11 league games I am 100% ok with it. It's clear the other P5 conferences have found a way to manipulate the system so the PAC 12 doesn't get into the playoff. Fine. Everyone stay close to home. Play big games every weekend. Dog the other conferences for playing soft schedules with 8 league games.

Don't like that??? Fine. Go with 8 league games, play 4 soft non con games like everyone else, send all 12 teams to bowls. Talk about how great you are with 2 league win teams going to bowl games like the SEC does.

Instead of trying to gain viewers on the East Coast by playing at 10pm or 9am, how bout trying to gain viewers on the West Coast??? Why not try and pump up your fan bases for all your schools here??? Why are you trying to impress people around the country that don't care if your conference collapses???

It is amazing to me how long the presidents have allowed this to go on.

 

[fingerdisco]

That's how I feel, and I've been saying it for years. You're not going to grow P12 football by pandering to fans in Atlanta or Ohio. There are a some elite players who will chase dreams outside of the West coast, but the vast majority of players out west will want to stay out west; particularly if the P12 invests in and sells itself better.

Lock in a better TV deal
Schedule games by thinking of P12 fan interest first. No more Pullman Apple Cups on Black Friday and rivalry games scheduled head to head with other P12 rivalry games.
Bowl tie ins should be west coast favorable destinations like Las Vegas, LA, San Diego, San Fran, and Phoenix.
Market to West Coast and Hawaii high school football as a conference. Outline the benefits of staying West. Schools are closer, academics are better, etc.

This is a no brainer. Stop acting like an underdog just because football is bigger elsewhere.

Given that a large majority of P12 kids are from California, I don’t see making bowl game ties that are essentially home games for them as being very enticing—they don’t want to stay home and play in L.A., San-Fran, or Sandy Eggo, they want to go to Orlando, Miami, New Orleans or Atlanta.

 

[CougPatrol]

Given that a large majority of P12 kids are from California, I don’t see making bowl game ties that are essentially home games for them as being very enticing—they don’t want to stay home and play in L.A., San-Fran, or Sandy Eggo, they want to go to Orlando, Miami, New Orleans or Atlanta.

Because they make geographical sense for the players, coaches, and alumni, and Cali, AZ, and Vegas are 3 of the most appealing travel destinations in the US.

Where are the primary SEC bowl tie ins? Florida, New Orleans, Atlanta.

 

[fingerdisco]

Because they make geographical sense for the players, coaches, and alumni, and Cali, AZ, and Vegas are 3 of the most appealing travel destinations in the US.

Where are the primary SEC bowl tie ins? Florida, New Orleans, Atlanta.

Cali kids don’t care about geographical sense, and Cali is not the most appealing travel location for Cali kids. I’m not saying we’re going to get all bowl tie ins in the SE, but putting the majority of your bowls in SoCal isn’t going to excite too many P12 kids.

 

[BiggsCoug]

How about better opponents??? How many bowl games does the Pac 12 have scheduled with the SEC???

 

[COCoug]

We've got lots of problems, but easy bowl wins has not been one of them....
Until we beat a service academy and other Mountain West teams, I don't think we need to trouble the SEC.

 

[BiggsCoug]

We've got lots of problems, but easy bowl wins has not been one of them....
Until we beat a service academy and other Mountain West teams, I don't think we need to trouble the SEC.

Not every team in the SEC is amazing. If you want respect it helps to play the SEC and win.

 

[COUGinNCW]

I believe the new format for the Las Vegas Bowl is going to be a rotation of teams from the SEC and Big12.

 

[roses04]

Wait until next year, have more players enter the transfer portal, and lose more recruits, not playing will hurt most pac 12 schools more than a school being sanctioned for 2-3 years. There are many risks to going back and playing, but the pac 12 as a football conference will be out of any title contention because if it, for at least 4-5 years. Not saying it's good or bad, just looking at the future, if the pac 12 is the only power 5 conference not playing, the pac 12 will be an irrelevant league for several years. Just like a rising tide lifts all boats, a falling tide lowers all boats.

 

[PeteTheChop]

Haha. Come on, Pete.

It just seemed like Patrol was trying to find a positive outcome for a what seemed like (until the last 24 hours) an increasingly bleak situation.

I appreciated his effort.

 

[CougPatrol]

The transfer situation is something we have to consider, but I’m generally not enthusiastic about a season that starts in November.

 

[roses04]

Well there won't be anyone to play in the spring, plus spring ball is a bad idea, the bodies need 6 months of rest. So it's November or nothing, a November start is less than ideal, but it's better than nothing. If it can be done safely I am OK with it, if not write off the year and start next fall.

 

[79COUG]

This being my daughter's freshman year at WSU, I would really like to see at least ONE game with her. However it's looking like that won't be allowed. Maybe I'm wrong...