Puppy Chow
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 7:01 AM PST
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PrintThe Pac 12 championship game was awarded to Fox. Big mistake despite the money being laid out. Fox is the loser of the sports entertainment world. Everything they do is a piece of crap...Larry Scott this is a big failure IMHO...take one of the big three at a discount...why go with a network that lives on MASH reruns? FOX sucks and my one big hope was that we would could have broke those shackles and went big time with this game....ABC, ESPN, NBC, CBS....Fox? What a complete disappointment. The money is there but no national credibility.
Ryan Nowicki is headed to Penn State...Love Joe Pa but the guy is so senile his wife is completing interviews for him. Joe Pa is like 85... hang up the spikes and go on vacation with your family with the precious time you have left. Sure he is a legend but he isn't acting in the best interests of his school and family IMHO. As for Ryan...what are you thinking...the coach you are going to be playing for can't even remember your name. Penn State won't win a Big Ten championship until Joe Pa retires.
The Pac 10 and SEC have not met in a bowl game since 1989 when Washington stuffed Florida...what does it take to get some sort of annual relationship with the SEC? I guess if you can beat up on the Big 10 each off season there isn't much motivation for the SEC.
ASJ and KW are getting plenty of kudo's during work outs before the Army All American Bowl. A sampling of the roster so far indicates that both are monster prospects....among the top five recruits in the country ....and they will both have serious impacts in 2011.
Andrew Luck is staying at Stanford...smart move?. Put in four years...get a Stanford degree. Chris Polk will likely do the same at UW. You get a nice financial head start with pro football...but chances are you won't get that second contract that seals the deal to make you a made man
Take the degree...enjoy college...build a realistic future in case pro sports burn out for you...I mean you could end up with a three book publishing deal (trilogy) from a publisher in Pullman if it doesn't work out. Luck had a good chance to be the overall number on this year...staying at Stanford is just questionable when you could go that high.
You could wake up with news that Harbaugh is the new coach of the 49ers...makes sense since they are willing to pay minimum 6 mill per year...and he doesn't need to sell his house. He is a Bay Area kid...this will be tough job for him to turn down...take the money Jim while it is hot...but late word is he isn't going to leave the Farm. With Luck back in the fold maybe he thinks he can make a national championship run. Stay tuned on this one...
The recently departed Anthony Boyles only saw the field on one play this season. I really like Boyles...too bad it didn't work out...and a little ridiculous that he only had one play this year..he was a lot better than that.
DE Greg Townsend is headed to USC.
So are going to cheer on the Ducks? Count me in on the Duck bandwagon for this game. I hate the SEC and as I noted above they have been avoiding this conference since 1989 because they are afraid of us. They want nothing to do with the West coast because they know they will lose. Go Duckies!
So where will Jake get drafted? If he gets past the tenth pick I will be surprised...even though it may cost him some cash the lower the better...he needs some seasoning. He could really use a year on the sidelines to get better.
(Note to the readers: This was an outline that wasn't intended for publishing until it was edited, cleaned up, and perhaps worked on more than five minutes...oh well...it happens.)
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Fox
I don’t really understand your disappointment here. Fox is a network station available to virtually every household that has a television. Better to be a big fish then the SEC’s bitch on another network. Who cares if we are not a fan of their announcers? I’ll take preferred broadcast times and fewer games switched away from the Pac 10 to another conference any day of the week.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
So I write the outline to a rant column, push the wrong button, and it gets published in the morning rather than saved for later so I can work on it and turn it down…yikes…been awhile since I did that.
As for FOX…they have crappy production values…ever watch a game on FSN HD and compare it to VERSUS or another channel? No comparison as far as quality goes.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 8:08 AM PST up reply actions
It's because
Alot of those fox games aren’t actually HD. They haven’t fully invested in HD as far as sports go, when they catch up it’ll be fine.
Better than ESPN, and I think it’s only for one year until the while deal is up, then the whole shebang its up for bid.
by B Money on Jan 7, 2011 8:33 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
When do they catch up?
I mean it is 2011!
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 9:21 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
I know right?
Why isn’t HD standard now?
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
bingo
…and I think it’s only for one year until the while deal is up, then the whole shebang its up for bid.
Yep. Fox obviously has a head-start on the others given the existing relationship and now the championship game deal for 2011, but if others pony up better money or a better overall package, we’re not locked-in beyond next year.
I agree that it's better than ESPN.
With ESPN we run the risk of the game being preempted by womens basketball.
by Mind of no mind on Jan 7, 2011 12:03 PM PST up reply actions
The guy in charge of their programming booth that night needs to be fired
And then set on fire and fed to wolves.
FSN football is terrible
but this is FOX. Not perfect, but it’s a nationally televised game on a major network. I could understand some push-back if this were a 10 year agreement, but its just a one year deal.
by spencer peaty on Jan 7, 2011 12:36 PM PST up reply actions
Shelton and Sample?
Any news on how Shelton and Sample have shown in their all star workout/game? I never thought I would say this but GO DUCKS – I agree with John PAC 10 first. even if it is the ducks.
They have all looked pretty good.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 8:09 AM PST up reply actions
Luck
I’m all for the young man going back to school … but earning his degree is a dumb reason. He can always come back to earn his degree. Athletes do that all the time. However, you can’t replicate the amateur experience with your teammates. Despite the fact that Stanford is losing more than half of its starting team team to the draft, its still a special experience that goes too fast in five years, much less three.
On another note, I heard Alabama’s QB, McElroy, give an interview with Rece Davis on ESPN Radio yesterday. That kid is going to be a sensational color guy on TV. Unbelievable composure, energy and intellect all wrapped up in one.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Elway and Harbaugh
On the radio this morn, Elway said Harbaugh is not going to the NFL and that Mich is back in the picture. Harbaugh is apparently not as hot as he hoped and now has to reconsider Michigan. I’m still betting that he is going maize and blue.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
by Gekko Mojo on Jan 7, 2011 10:41 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Harbaugh is apparently not as hot as he hoped and now has to reconsider Michigan.
How do you figure? I didn’t hear Elway talk, but everything I’ve read makes it sound like Harbaugh declined (the same with Miami), as opposed to the Broncos pulling away.
he wants 6.5 to 7 mil a year...
No one going there. Thus, he “declines”. He’s misplaying his hand.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
by Gekko Mojo on Jan 7, 2011 11:13 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
5 yr/25million? not what I expected
Bringing Purple to Pullman
by Harry the Husky on Jan 7, 2011 2:27 PM PST up reply actions
yeah, I don't get that statement either
Who knows what’s really going on, but it sure seems like Harbaugh has had at least 3 NFL teams after him (Niners, Broncos, Dolphins) and one of the most storied college programs (Michigan). Maybe they haven’t been willing to pay him/give him as much control as he wants, but he’s still a hot commodity.
If I’m Harbaugh, I have to think long and hard about whether Michigan is my “dream job”, because you usually don’t get more than one opportunity to take it. I think he’s genuinely torn – he’s got a good thing going on the field at Stanford, and with the way he’s recruited there he’s likely to be in the running for Rose Bowls every year and a shot periodically at a MNC when the stars align and he’s representing arguably the finest FBS university in the country; with Michigan, he’d be at his alma mater, one of the very best programs in college football history at a “public ivy” (one of the finest public universities in the country), and after a few years would probably build Michigan back into a position where it’s an annual MNC contender; or he could go to the NFL, the ultimate challenge for a coach and an opportunity for the ultra-competitive coach to go toe-to-toe with his older brother.
Stanford is a flash in the pan...
… you just can’t build a dynasty there. You have handcuffs in recruiting there that don’t exist in other programs and, let’s face it, their fan base is comprised of a very international group of students that are apathetic towards football.
In addition, it is very unlikely that he’ll repeat this year’s success next year … even if he turns in a “better” year of coaching. There will be far too many holes to fill and, in reality, he won’t have the benefit of a schedule as soft as this year’s.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
I disagree
Recruiting there is different than at most other FBS schools, but it’s not necessarily one that restricts success. They have a much smaller pool of potential recruits due to their academic standards, but their success rate with the recruits they can go after is also much higher.
Harbaugh appears to have recruited quite well so far, and while we all know recruiting rankings are far from gospel, they do generally correlate with success. I would guess Stanford drops back a little when Luck leaves (he’s an exceptionally talented QB that will be hard to replace fully), but their defense has improved and their running game shouldn’t slow down any (it really didn’t miss a beat with Gerhart graduating).
I know you’ve been skeptical of Stanford, and all year long you were the most bearish on them of all of us here, but I would think you’ve learned your lesson at this point – they are damn good, maybe the 2nd or 3rd best in the country.
Yes, Stanford’s fan base is rather pathetic. Yes, their students aren’t as football mad as at many other schools. But I dispute the idea that you can’t build a dynasty there – dynasties are mostly about a coach. The UW has a lot of advantages as a football school, but it still requires the right coach to ensure sustained, high-level success – a Gil Dobie, Enoch Bagshaw or Don James (and hopefully Steve Sarkisian). If Harbaugh sticks around Stanford, I see no reason they can’t be a consistent 9+ win team.
I'm sorry - I am still bearish on them.
… they are elevated because they have an outstanding QB. They have access to that kind of guy once a decade, maybe. Here are the reasons I’m bearish on Stanford:
. They are losing at least 12 of 22 starters
. They played a very soft schedule including probably the weakest OOC schedule in the pac 10
. They can’t beat Oregon … barely beat ND, barely beat USC, barely beat WSU
. The rest of the Pac 12 is getting better
. Their lackluster secondary is getting weaker, not stronger
. They suffered no major injuries this year (Owusu getting banged up was their worst)
They bottled lightning this year, but I don’t see anything forming here that points to dynasty. Bill Walsh never had a one-loss campaign in the Pac 10 (although Ty Willingham did it once). This is what this team is – an occasional contender. They lack the commitment in the booster ranks and the flexibility in admissions to be a legit dynasty.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Depends on Dynasty
Do I think they will be year-in and year-out NC contenders like they were this year? No. But with the right coach who has the right long-term commitment, they can become contenders in the PAC. If Harbaugh stays and his success is not due to Luck and Gerhart, then in ten/fifteen years, I would not be shocked in the least to be unfrozen and see Stanford finishing in the top three every year.
Will that happen? Who knows. But dismissing it out of hand does not seem wise.
I'm sorry, guys. No chance.
Harbaugh is not a better coach than Bill Walsh and Walsh couldn’t come close to doing this. Believe your eyes – this team is slow and not exceptionally deep. Sure, they are big and strong … but teams beat big and strong all the time. Couple that with a lack of commitment from the fan base and you’ve got a toxic mix.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Walsh vs. Harbaugh
I disagree on this – Walsh was an outstanding NFL coach, but I’m not so sold on him as a college coach. They are not the same. Practice time limitations in college and the need to recruit rather than draft are big differences, and ones that worked against Walsh.
I don’t see how you can argue against Harbaugh being an outstanding college coach given what he’s done at Stanford – taken a soft, 1-11 program and in 4 years transformed it into a brutally tough 12-1 unit that may end up #3 in the country.
Some of that is Andrew Luck, but a majority of it is Harbaugh.
Stanford is slow? I think you’re overstating this, but even if they don’t have the team speed of an Oregon, that doesn’t mean they can’t continue to succeed. Washington was rarely as fast as USC under DJ, but that didn’t keep us from beating them and becoming the premier program in the conference in the ’80’s – and that was before DJ started emphasizing speed in recruiting in the late ’80’s.
I never said he wasn't outstanding ...
… I said things cannot get better for Stanford than they were this year. They can be perennial competitors, but I just don’t see how they can become elite. Ceiling much higher at Michigan.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
all moot anyhow
… Adam Schefter just tweeted that Harbaugh has signed a five year deal to take over the 49ers.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
in some ways
Keep in mind that Harbaugh spent much of his youth in the Bay Area, and by taking the Niners job won’t have to uproot his family. And frankly, the Bay Area is a fantastic place to live if you can afford it.
I would agree that the ownership situation is less than ideal there, but this allows Harbaugh a few things that I think he values:
a) A chance to play Carroll twice a year
b) A chance (if the stars align) to meet his brother in the Super Bowl, while also minimizing regular season match-ups
c) Staying in a location he really likes
d) Related to the above, minimizes any anger from Stanford/Bay Area sports fans about leaving the Cardinal
Point D irrelevant ... Stanford is not a "local" team like Cal is
… Stanford is really an international brand. Having lived there for seven years, I can attest to it.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
I don't disagree with your points,
but I think Harbaugh only spent two years in the Bay Area. He grew up in Ann Arbor, and played at least two seasons of high school football there.
this obviously changes things
The chances that Stanford hires a coach as good as Harbaugh are extremely remote, so they will likely fall back some. That said, Harbaugh recruited a lot of talent there, so the slide back may take a few years. I don’t think Stanford is going to be a pushover next year, and they could very well stay above-average for a while.
dynasty
Yep, depends on your definition of the term. I certainly don’t see Stanford regularly winning 12 games. But 9? Definitely. They have the running game and the emphasis on recruiting and developing tough, excellent linemen to build off of. I agree that Luck is an exceptional talent that they are unlikely to match in the future, but they have a long history of recruiting high level QBs and with the running game system they have in place, any good QB can thrive there.
On defense, Fangio really made a big difference this year. That was their achilles last year, but the combination of adding Fangio and the continuing development of the talent Harbaugh has brought in have combined to give Stanford the makings of a good defense moving forward.
They can’t beat Oregon … barely beat ND, barely beat USC, barely beat WSU
That’s pretty disingenuous, considering that a) they beat Oregon last season, b) beat Notre Dame by 23, and c) gave up a few cheapies to the Cougs that made a non-competitive game look close. USC? Sure, they struggled a bit. All good teams have games like that. Winning is what matters.
Stanford loses a lot of starters, and they’re being replaced by guys at least as talented. And faster, across the board.
Harbaugh is a very, very good coach. And the way he’s recruited at Stanford is nothing short of amazing, really. Stanford isn’t a dynasty by any means, and won’t be going 12-1 every year. But they aren’t going to fall back into the abyss as long as he’s there. They’ll be a team that wins 8 or 9 games a season, and can do something pretty special once or twice a decade.
Like I said, believe your eyes ...
… they got crushed in that Oregon game, the ND game was a lot closer than 23 pts – they got gifted a bunch of points thanks to three bad interceptions. WSU competed with those guys all they way to the end after surrendering an early lead. Even the UCLA game was pretty close – a lot of FGs and Andrew Luck running on broken plays were the difference there. Take a look at the Orange Bowl. VT took out most of the weapons, but did not account for a little used TE who exploded for three TDs. That won’t happen again.
This is a lucky 12-1 team, not a legit 12-1 team. If they are kept at a 6-6 to 8-4 level every year, that is the most anyone could ask.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Um, I am.
You seem to only be looking at offense.
WSU didn’t compete. They had 250 yards of total offense until the last 5 minutes of the game. Stanford shut UCLA out, and it was not close. At all. UCLA didn’t get to 200 total yards until the their last drive. Notre Dame had 14 points. Stanford completely shut them down. No credit for the three picks? Having a lots of weapons isn’t a sign of luck, it’s a sign of depth. You’re saying Oregon is lucky because a little used guy (Huff) had a big game. And Stanford’s D shellacked VT after the first quarter. Just shut them down.
All good teams have some amount of luck. What if Cal’s kicker didn’t stutter step on a chip shot?
Everyone has lost to Oregon this year. The last Pac 10 team to beat them? Stanford, in an ass kicking.
ok. So you are taking the "over" on longevity of a Stanford dynasty.
… but you aren’t concerned that this Defense loses seven starters?
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
it's up in the air with Harbaugh leaving...
…but the talent he’s recruited to the Farm suggests that, had he and Fangio stuck around, they were quite possibly in re-loading mode rather than re-building.
if that was the case ... why leave?
… his Niners salary is the same as what the top college coaches get (Carroll was making $5 mil a year at USC).
He knows that his stock will never be higher and, today, it was worth $25 million
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
because the NFL is a whole new challenge
Clearly he valued more than just money, otherwise he would have gone to the Dolphins or Michigan. Seems obvious that he liked the idea of sticking around the Bay Area, and he’s always been known as a guy that wanted a shot at the NFL. He could have stuck around Stanford another year, have another year of coaching Luck and then seeing what opened up next year, but he obviously didn’t want to let the opportunity to coach SF slip away.
I seriously doubt anyone was going to commit more than $5 mil to him
let’s not get crazy here, money matters. If the Dolphins were offering $8 mil per year over the same five years, he would’ve taken it. He never got such an offer.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
yes and no
People prove all the time that money isn’t the only factor, and that other considerations can outweigh differences in money offered.
Maybe the Dolphins didn’t offer that much. But the fact that Harbaugh took $25/5 years with the Niners doesn’t prove that to be the case.
c'mon. we are talking about pro sports...
… it is about the money. If the Dolphins had offered $8 mil for four years, Harbaugh would have taken that in a second.
Head coaches at these levels are incredibly money driven.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
pros turn down money all the time
Cliff Lee could have gotten more money than he did; Jake Locker most likely cost himself money by coming back; NFL players often sign for less money to play on better teams. If I really cared that much about this debate, I’d list a ton more examples for you, but hopefully you already realize they exist.
Look, $5M per year is great money. The difference between $5M/year and $8M/year is the same percentage difference as $50K/year and $80K/year, but the practical difference is far different – the more money you make, the more you get to a point of diminishing returns on each additional dollar.
Not everybody values money equally, and there are people who place enough priority on other things to be willing to sacrifice greater money. Happens all the time in the business world too.
NFC worst...
I think is another thing to consider, he will have expectations and he’s in the right division to meet them. He will be a 49er head coach for some time i would think. If you were a head coach going into the league and could choose what division you would want to coach in, the NFC west would be top choice everytime.
Last PAC-10 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
well...
…. the guys at Lookout Landing showed that Cliff Lee did, in fact, take the best financial package available to him. The idea that he took less money to play in Philly is a cannard.
the more money you make, the more you get to a point of diminishing returns on each additional dollar
Kirk, you know I love you, but this is plain crazy talk. Beyond maximizing pay for the purpose of seizing this one, great, short earning window in a coach’s career, the money also serves as a status symbol by which you are compared to other coaches. In this ego-maniacal club, this is important.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
on Lee
<…. the guys at Lookout Landing showed that Cliff Lee did, in fact, take the best financial package available to him. The idea that he took less money to play in Philly is a cannard./blockquote>
Not true. What they pointed out is that the perception about how much money he gave up was overblown, but he did give up money. Not only did he give up one additional guaranteed year of money by going with the 5 year deal instead of the 6 year deal – and that can’t be understated given the age he’ll be when that year comes around – the average annual value in the Texas offer was still higher. Not by much, but higher.
The more important factor though is the guaranteed year he gave up by going with the Philly offer – assuming he meets the vesting options in either deal, he left $26M on the table by taking the shorter deal. He’s taking a significant risk that at age 38, he’ll be good enough to earn a new contract that pays him at least that much.
As far as diminishing returns on each dollar when you get into the several million dollar range, it’s not crazy talk – it’s true. Some people don’t care and still prize money above all, and it’s true that salary can be an area where people feel competitive. But there’s no guarantee that Harbaugh feels so strongly about money that it’s his primary concern.
I think there’s enough evidence out there to suggest that Harbaugh indeed left some money on the table, and that there were other factors that led him to take a lesser contract with the Niners than what the Dolphins offered.
I seriously doubt Stanford would've ever gone that high.
You’re right, it’d be almost impossible for his stock to get much higher. When you finish #3 in the nation, that’s just the case.
Maybe his ultimate goal has always been to coach in the NFL, as has been speculated for years?
Dynasty?
No, I never said that. I said:
Stanford isn’t a dynasty by any means, and won’t be going 12-1 every year. But they aren’t going to fall back into the abyss as long as he’s there. They’ll be a team that wins 8 or 9 games a season, and can do something pretty special once or twice a decade.
and that he’s improved the overall talent with his recruiting. Yes, losing those guys would’ve been a big blow. No doubt.
The biggest factor is that he’s recruited more speed than Stanford’s ever had the last few years. Guys that Stanford never would’ve gotten in the past were signing up to play for Harbaugh.
25 mil
Maybe that is enough for him. There is more than money in this world although in the pros you would think otherwise.
Really how much do you need to be happy?
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
Yes, and I'm sure that Jim Harbaugh in his spare time likes to
a) read Dickinson
b) plant trees
c) write inspirational letters to the starving kids in Belarus
d) give rousing speeches to the robber barrons of the Bay Area in an attempt to convince all those other wealthy bastards to give their millions to the Sisters of the Ailing and Poor
e) sing Kumbaya around the fire pit that he built in the back yard of the humble home that he owns in the Castro.
I’m sorry to be so cynical, but this idea that somehow a man like Harbaugh finds it honorable to let his filthy rich owner keep an extra 3 million per year just out of the goodness of his heart is amusing to me. Its not like the Yorks couldn’t afford to pay bill if they really wanted him and the Dolphins’s supposed offer was on the table.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Improvement...
…. after the ESPN dissaster on our Holiday Bowl broadcast, Fox don’t seem as bad as that. And just like with our Huskies, maybe Fox sports will start improving now? Perhaps with is just the type of investment that Fox needed to make for a game broadcast, to start taking their sports broadcasting to the next leve? All we can do is hope now, as the deal has been done.
And hey, don’t forget about our little cousin, over in Spokane! EWU is playing for an NCAA championship today, on ESPN2 at 4:00, and I think they will knock the crap out of Deleware. For my part, I’d rather focus on that today, than think about the F’ing Ducks.
+1
Upping their production values is certainly within the realm of Fox’s capabilities, and I am totally behind the instinct to spread games out against competing networks to create the kind of competition that could breed improvement in sports broadcasting.
I don’t get why people have ESPN love. It’s getting to the point where I don’t want to visit their site any longer.
Go Eagles!
ESPN’s HD is by far the best quality. Fox is by far the worst. If Fox can upgrade their HD quality close to ESPN’s then I cool with Foa.
Uh...
HD- who cares? I mean WTF, my 25", Sony Trinitoan still rocks! I’d rather be retired early, myself, than spending $ on a new TV every freaking year or few. Go ahead and blow your earnings on video toys, yours eyes are just going to go bad anyway. ;-)
You need an HD plasma…it will change your world.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 9:22 AM PST up reply actions
I don’t get why people have ESPN love.
Me neither. I’ve said it before – ESPN is doing to sports what MTV did to music. And it goes way beyond the overlapping games, or cutting away to a basketball game that’s being broadcast live on their own network.
I cannot understand how they can tolerate their on-field “reporters” asking Harbaugh where he’ll be coaching next season, minutes after he just led Stanford to their best season in school history. Really? That’s the question you want to ask? ESPN isn’t about sports anymore, it’s solely about the business of sports. And creating the news.
FOX did a good job of ruining their NFL broadcasts with all of those graphics and beeps and boinks, and that stupid robot football player loosening up, but they toned it down a smidge. They still suck, but not as bad as ESPN.
I love watching games from the 60’s and 70’s on ESPN Classic. The announcers seemed to understand that it wasn’t about them. They didn’t have to fill every single second with inane chatter.
And who knows
Maybe we’ll get the dancing robot! My mom always told me to dream big.
by B Money on Jan 7, 2011 11:57 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Any reporter
was going to ask the question. Him and Luck’s future were the story of that game. That is the media not just ESPN. They must ask that question
They must ask that question
I couldn’t disagree more.
Luck and Harbaugh were the story only because ESPN made them the story. Those two were part of ESPN’s 24-hour news cycle every day. There was absolutely zero reason to ask that question, at that time, if the purpose was to do anything but generate a non-answer. All it did was perpetuate another 24-hour “will they stay or won’t they” cycle for ESPN.
Any reporter with a shred of intelligence could’ve come up with 15 other questions that would’ve generated actual answers, and contributed something to the atmosphere of the game.
agreed
I think it’s a real shame that in the immediate afterglow of the best season in modern Stanford football history that the primary focus of questioning of Harbaugh and Luck was whether they were coming back. Why not let them enjoy the moment and what it meant rather than focusing on the future?
Why not let them enjoy the moment and what it meant rather than focusing on the future?
Because ESPN doesn’t report the news, they make it.
A genuine, heartfelt, and likely emotional answer from either or both of them about the season is a cute little story, but it dies the next day. That “no comment,” on the other hand….Hours of speculation and blithering blather.
A good reporter gets the story
A good reporter finds an interesting question to ask that Harbaugh might have answered that could have shed some light, somehow, if even just tangentially, on JH’s state of mind. A good reporter cultivates sources and cultivates relationships with people in the news. Bad reporters harp on one questions, over and over and over again, that they should know the subject won’t answer and that will immediately end the interview.
If you are the one reporter who doesn’t ask stupid questions of your subject, you’re the reporter whose phone rings in the middle of the night. It’s not rocket science, but, like space travel, it’s a science from yesteryear.
A good reporter also knows when and where to ask the question,
especially if he is actually looking for an answer.
A good reporter would’ve known that 10 minutes after the final gun, on the playing field, was neither.
this is what I meant
Sometimes the story has to come to you, which you make happen by being the guy who doesn’t push it. If you’re the one person who gives the subject breathing space, the payoff can be a scoop before the official announcement on the subject’s terms. In any event, no amount of asking is going to get JH to answer that question and by repeatedly asking it, the reporters further damage whatever relationship they have with Harbaugh and make themselves look like boneheads to all the other coaches (and potential inteview subjects) who are watching them misbehave.
Yeah.....
I posted, and then immediately thought, “I bet that’s what ol’ Bugsy meant.”
The indirect kicks my azz again. My only real hope was that you’d somehow not see my reply until I could manage to locate the edit button…
ditto
I’ve been up for a few days and I’m not sure if I can read or write anymore so it’s all good. I figured I would just babble more in case I wasn’t.
I am so stoked that I need to write three syllabi over the weekend. Because those are the kinds of documents that totally benefit from being unclear and muddled!
Rooting for the Ducks?
So if the Ducks win you’re willing to hear everyday from them that they have as many NC’s as UW has in the modern area, but you can say “well, at least the SEC respects the West Coast now!” I hope they get drubbed. Ask yourself, how does your biggest rival winning the NC help your team at all? It doesn’t.
Because having a NW team win the title
Brings in money, exposure and recruits to the conference…not just Oregon. Every game we play against them becomes must see national TV. Eugene will never be a sustained power because of the market size and lack of elite in state talent. Might as well milk this run in or favor as well.
That said, I can’t do it…WARM EAGLE!
by B Money on Jan 7, 2011 8:39 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
That's one of the better
Auto correct typos I’ve seen. WAR EAGLE!
by B Money on Jan 7, 2011 8:40 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
We all know that playing transitive football is rife with all sorts of issues, but, all of them aside, I’d rather get the crap beat out of me by number one than by number two.
Go Ducks!
I understand both sides
I just cannot bring myself to actually root for the ducks.
by B Money on Jan 7, 2011 8:45 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
+1
Go Eagles! And, uh, okay Quackers: If you can win, that will be good for the PAC-12 & entire West Side of this Country, so I guess I am fine with that, and will enjoy watch you crush Auburn. Which I actually think could very well happen. Now then, Go Eagles!
Oh, did I repeat myself?
Go Eagles!
Rooting for Oregon is on par with rooting for North Korea or Iran
Just can’t bring myself to do it.. I’m a Dawg fan. I hate Oregon.
For that matter, I hope Harbaugh goes to the NFL, too. Forget prestige for the Pac…having Harbaugh in the conference only makes things tougher for the Dawgs, in my opinion
by Purple Reign 91 on Jan 7, 2011 11:04 AM PST up reply actions
I don’t get this. North Korea or Iran? Why did you leave you the Nazis? The Civil Rights abuses that happen routinely in the Deep South, today, have far more in common with those countries than with what goes on in Eugene, Oregon. I get the hate, but I find this to be a very unfortunate analogy when Eugene, frankly, is looked at all across this country as being a pretty decent place to live not because people are stupid or crazy but because it is.
I'm pretty sure Purple Reign
isn’t analogizing the civil rights, tyrannical, militaristic, and oppressive natures of North Korea and Iran to those of the University of Oregon.
He’s saying he hates them all (probably for different reason, I assume), and can’t root for any of them. But I’m sure nobody is very scared of Eugene’s secret nuclear capabilities.
Let's not forget
The anarchists responsible for the WTO riots had a lot of roots in Eugene. The Earth Liberation Front that torched the UW Horticulture Center is big in Eugene.
I'd rather bark when I talk than waddle when I walk.
by arch stanton77 on Jan 7, 2011 12:13 PM PST up reply actions
this presupposes that
I am not an anarchist, that I am not a wobbly, that I don’t oppose the WTO, and that I don’t belong to an ELF cell.
Bugs...Chill!
Dude…you ever made a sarcastic statement, nothing more and nothing less? John B made a simple statement that he can’t pull for the Ducks…neither can I.
Ahhhh…blogs and email…the perils of taking the written word literally without seeing or hearing it spoken out of the side of my mouth.
by Purple Reign 91 on Jan 7, 2011 10:57 PM PST up reply actions
?
I will be rooting for Oregon. I always cheer for Pac 10 teams in bowl games.
I have a lot of friends who went to Oregon and they sat through a lot of bad football over the years to get to Monday night. For those guys Monday is as important a day as when their kids were born.
I have no problem rooting for those guys and their team for one important night.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 8, 2011 8:27 AM PST up reply actions
I never really bought in to the Oregon hate. They were so bad for so long, let them have their up tick.
They’re always going to be that team from Eugene, and sure their fan base can get pretty nauseating, but the team itself is scrappy. More than that, even if you can’t root for Oregon you have to be able to root against the SEC.
Husky fans rooting for the Ducks?
Excuse me while I puke up my breakfast
by PurpleHaze11 on Jan 7, 2011 11:24 AM PST up reply actions
street agents
as lon as uncle Phil keeps buying these kids from the street agents they don’t need to recruit.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
history tells us it is unlikely...
… even USC was only able to sustain a decade of elite performance, and they have far fewer barriers than a Eugene-based university does.
Scan the landscape. Outside of Ohio St, who is able to sustain long runs of dominant, top of their conference performance. Not Bama. Not Florida. Not Michigan. Not Texas. Not Oklahoma. Who?
If the Ducks do it, more power to them. It would defy history.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
No one is saying that Oregon is going to the NC every year, but I see them being at least a top ten team in for the next five years
As long as Chip stays, Oregon’s probably going to be the favorite to win or contend for the Pac-12 title every year. Right now Oregon is in the NC with decent but not spectacular recruiting classes, how do you think Oregon’s going to be with even better athletes?
well ... who knows. Its not like they are putting up top 5 recruiting classes every year.
… your optimism is noted and I don’t thing 5 years is an unrealistic timeline for them to stay on top of the Pac. Hard to know what happens 10 years out.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
I guess that was kind of my point. They are in the NC game without getting those monster recruiting classes
They are going to be getting those much more often now and would make Chip Kelly’s system even more dangerous.
this is where we disagree
They are going to be getting those much more often now
There will always be disadvantages inherent in Eugene and the campus that will put opposing pressure on your recruiting prowess compared to the likes of USC, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma and the talent rich state schools in the south. Simply getting into the top 20 will be an accomplishment for you guys going forward and, fortunately, is one that you have been accomplishing the last several years.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Have you seen Oregon's recruiting class this year, it could be top 5? Oregon has a string of top 25 recruiting classes the last couple years
with last years class being rated at #10 for actual enrollees. 2012 is going to be just as good based on early interest. It’s not a huge stretch to see class rankings like that for a while with Chip Kelly’s push to be more of a National recruiting power.
Keep in mind I am not saying that Oregon will get top 5 recruiting classes every year
But top 15-20 classes will be the norm going forward
Oregon is doing well
and they will continue to do well.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 8, 2011 2:15 PM PST up reply actions
It'll shut the SEC fans I know up a little.
Maybe it makes me a bad Husky fan, but I don’t know anyone from Oregon where I live and I know a bunch of SEC fans, and the SEC fans are by far the most obnoxious group of sports fans I know.
by huskies2010 on Jan 7, 2011 9:12 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
The SEC fans
are only the most obnoxious you know because, as you state, you don’t know any Duck fans. Oregon fans are the most obnoxious by far. Following UO is like being in a flag-waving green and yellow cult. I can’t stand it. I root for 0-12 in Eugene every year just to shut them up. Disappointed in those of you rooting for the green helmets. NEVER root for your #1 rival, who loves to embarass you every year and battle you for recruits. I love the Pac-10, but go Tigers.
by R Kenneth on Jan 7, 2011 9:33 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
as you state, you don’t know any Duck fans
But that wasn’t what was stated. What was stated was that
I don’t know anyone from Oregon where I live
and I think that is one of the main contentions that Duck supporters are making here. It’s very easy to hate Lynnwood when you live in Edmonds and have never been so far as South Seattle, but when you move to a part of the country that is completely divorced culturally from the West Coast and where it doesn’t matter to you, as a Husky, if USC or Oregon wins big because you’re surrounded by Crimson Tide zombies, you would rather than Saban’s freakshow shuts up than the Ducks. So when I, personally, see the Ducks vs. an SEC team, I think that
• I don’t deal with any Ducks on a daily basis, here and now, where I live;
• I am surrounded by SEC SOBs from twelves different SEC schools who talk smack constantly;
•There is a far bigger cultural divide between Seattle and the UW and every SEC school than there is between Seattle and Eugene, the UW and Oregon;
• The media and pollsters fawn all over the SEC and ignore the Pac-10 and I hear more about SEC superiority from the media than I do from Duck fans
• I’ve never considered the Ducks worthy enough to be our rival. We already have a rivalry with a pack of losers called the Cougars and there is a team with more Rose Bowls in the Pac-10 for us to gun for called the Trojans.
All this hate validates the Ducks and feeds into the redemption that they want from all of you. If they were a nonentity, no one would care, and that would get their goat. And isn’t the difference here supposed to be that we’re bigger and more mature than are they?
by Bugs Dodger on Jan 7, 2011 4:05 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Ahhh No...
We have national championships in 1960, and 1984 too….never a full consensus one.
How does it help us…well it helps the league in general which we are a part of. The stronger the league the better IMHO.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Jan 7, 2011 9:23 AM PST up reply actions
So Oregon will have
a consensus National Championship, and we won’t? Oh, I’m sure my Duck friends would never throw that back in my face… they’re always so humble and all.
by R Kenneth on Jan 7, 2011 9:37 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
The stronger the league the better IMHO.
I understand the sentiment, but did USC winning actually help the perception of the conference in any tangible way?
The Pac 12 needs to improve the perception of the middle of the conference, not the top. The top is fine, whether Oregon wins or not.
The problem was that after USC, there was no consistent team. Cal tried and failed, OSU is OSU,
Oregon was the closest thing but the Ducks had some struggles in the mid 2000’s.
There's no consistent team right now, either.
And it’s got to be about more than just one other team, anyway. The perception has to be that if, say, ASU sneaks up and beats Oregon next year, that it’s not a bad loss. It’s just a sign of how balanced and tough top to bottom the conference is.
Screw the conference
They screwed us. I hope every team in the Pac-10 fails miserably every year as we win every game
by PurpleHaze11 on Jan 7, 2011 11:23 AM PST up reply actions
NO WAY
I’v been debating this with friends for a while now. I don’t harbor any ill will toward Duck players. Those kids are getting a once in a lifetime experience. They’re putting the hard work in and are just trying to win. Good for them. But never ever ever ever would I want to see their obnoxious inbred fanbase bask in the glory of a national championship.
There are so many of these d-bags at my gym with their day-glo colors. If Auburn wins I’m buying two or three Auburn shirts to add to my Husky gear.
I'd rather bark when I talk than waddle when I walk.
Ducks and TV
I will root for the Ducks because I want the Pac 10 to beat the SEC, and that will make me feel good if they win. If the ducks win, with or without my support, their reaction will be the same. So if they win, I hope they act with dignity; and if they coug it, so be it.
Next year, I would rather play the NC at home than the runner up. And don’t forget TCU, why don’t they get a piece of the NC? This whole BCS just sucks.
Concerning the Pac12 championship, I thought of fox sports, not ch 13. Watching the NFL, I prefer FOX over CBS, NBC, and ESPN.
Rooting for the Ducks...
I’ll be rooting for the Ducks. I hear so many Dawg fans talk about how arrogant Duck fans are. It’s hard to imagine that Duck fans are any more arrogant than many Husky fans…and I’m saying that as a Husky fan. Even while the Husky program has been down, a lot of Dawg fans have been boasting about the Rose Bowls and NC. Not to mention that UW’s fight song is called Bow Down to Washington!
ANYWAY, I’ll be rooting for the Ducks. It will be a good win for the PAC-12. Some fans don’t want Oregon to be able to say that they have as many NC’s as Washington. That’s ridiculous… jealousy is ugly, and that’s what those fans are. Jealous of a program, in Oregon, that has surpassed the Husky program (For now, at least.). I’d rather root for UW’s success, than root for Oregon’s demise… after all, how successful is your program when you’re only better than another program because they’re unsuccessful.
As for the FOX contract, I like it. I have the impression that the game will air on FOX, and not FOX Sports. I think that the games aired on FOX are just as good as ESPN. As for the HD aspect…I couldn’t care less. I can still see the game in lower quality HD. If you’re sitting through an entire game thinking about the HD quality, you should consider developing a healthier perspective on life…after watching this video:
It's not ridiculous
to root against your rival.
You don’t think Chip Kelly would enjoy showing his NC trophy to all his visiting 4-star recruits?
I have plenty of humility as a Husky fan, just 2 years off of an 0-12 season. Now my arrogant in-your-face Duck friends need to acquire some as well.
by R Kenneth on Jan 7, 2011 11:50 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
Recruiting and Humility
You’re right, an NC would be an excellent recruiting tool for Kelly to draw in recruits…but again, I’d rather UW be able to attract their own high caliber recruits based on their own successes, rather than hope that Oregon remains down and undesirable to recruits.
As for Duck fans needing a little humility, up until 1995 or so, that’s all they had; they were horrible, minus a season here or there. Their last Rose Bowl win came at a time when some fans likely rode horses to the game. It’s their time to shine now. I’ll root
by Free Warrior on Jan 7, 2011 12:04 PM PST up reply actions
Wrong.
There were no Duck fans until 1995 or so.
by Mind of no mind on Jan 7, 2011 12:16 PM PST up reply actions
I'm going to assume you never been to Autzen
Because if you have, you most likely have experienced what myself and most of my friends have experienced as a Husky fan in Eugene. It’s hard to imagine that Duck fans are any more arrogant than many Husky fans You are way off the mark there Free Warrior. I’ve been spit on, spilled on, sworn at. A buddy’s teenage sister was punched in the abdomen. Actual physical assault. And this was years ago, before the football team was any good. This year a woman was actually urinated upon by a drunk Duck.
The typical Duck at Autzen relishes the reputation of it being a hostile place to play. But they fail to realize that this usually just means a loud crowd. They couple their noise with boorish behavior that I have only seen in that stadium. They take pride in it. And I’ve been to all Pac 10 venues with the exception of Tucson. They’ve been obnoxious for years. Success has only made it worse.
Does this mean every Duck fan is arrogant and obnoxious? No. But they do seem to have more than their fair share, and their level of obnoxiousness is much higher than any that I’ve seen before or since.
So screw them. WAR EAGLE!
I'd rather bark when I talk than waddle when I walk.
by arch stanton77 on Jan 7, 2011 12:24 PM PST up reply actions
That sounds like
My trips to Boulder! Cant wait to do that again in 2012. Hopefully I can go with a large crowd this time.
Heard all of that fan stuff before...
Except from friends from rival schools attending a game in Husky Stadium…pretty much ever scenario you listed, minus the fan urination.
I’ve never been to Autzen, so I’ll take your word for it…
I was initially rooting for a Duck loss
in a close game so that the Pac10 could save face. But as we get closer to the game and I hear more and more media coverage of just how amazing Auburn and the SEC are…sigh…I guess I’ve changed my mind.
I will say this, if the Ducks are going to win a national title, they better beat the ever living snot out of Auburn. I want SEC fans swimming in a river of their own tears as their entire perspective on life comes crashing down! As for the side effect of the Ducks winning, well, they will be more obnoxious than ever. But their arrogance will only make their inevitable fall that much sweeter. Go Pac10/12!
best way to shut up Duck fans?
Start beating them on the field. I get hating the Ducks, because I do too. And I get not wanting them to win a BCS title so we Husky fans can keep touting the fact we have a national championship (or two or three) and they don’t.
But instead of wishing for the Ducks to stumble so we can hold on to some historical advantages, how about we focus on hoping the Huskies start beating the Ducks on the field. It gets a little silly for Husky fans to be trying to win arguments with Duck fans by pulling up historical advantages – the best way to win those arguments is to base it off of consistently beating them now.
This championship game is a no-win for me, because I don’t want either team to win. And I’m not actively going to root for the Ducks. But at the end of the day, I’d rather they did than the blatantly cheating Auburn team from the monumentally arrogant SEC. And it’ll make beating the Ducks next year that much sweeter…
I didn't know rooting for the Dawgs
and rooting against our rivals were mutually exclusive. I always thought I could do both at the same time.
I’d like to beat them on the field too. But them having a NC trophy doesn’t help us do that.
by R Kenneth on Jan 7, 2011 12:06 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
it's not
But my point is that it can be seen as a little pathetic that all we Dawg fans have to hang our hat on these days in arguing with Duck fans is looking back at our past. Yes, it would suck if we lost our MNC advantage over Duck fans. But if it happens, so be it – it’s more important that we start beating them on the field again like we always used to.
Agreed
But I don’t see why we can’t talk about the past, belittle our rivals, and obsess over the present like we do.
So I can't root against them
until we’ve beaten them on the field? Come on.
I’d much rather beat them on the field. At Montlake, and at Autzen. Of course. But until then, I can still root against them.
by R Kenneth on Jan 7, 2011 1:48 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
you can do whatever you want
I never said otherwise.
Personally, I just think that in the long run it’s better for the UW if Oregon wins, even if it comes with the cost of losing some bragging rights.
As I said, I feel it’s a no-win situation, and I will not be actively rooting for Oregon. I just think they are the lesser (by the slimmest of margins) of two massive evils.
I get your point, and I most definitely agree.
It’s simply time for the Dawgs to beat these guys. That would be by far the most satisfying result.
It’s a no-win situation, like you said. I lose less if Oregon loses, though. I just really don’t think this game is going to go very far in changing anyone’s mind (outside of Pac 12 country, and we really don’t need our minds changed) about the relative strength of the Pac 12 vs. the SEC. I’d like to be wrong about that, but I just don’t think it’s the case.
yes - I agree with kirk's sentiment whole-heartedly.
… still, my head is telling me to root for the Ducks, but my stomach can’t handle it.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
I'm Rooting for a close loss
Really, nothing will make the PAC-10 appear awesome to people who don’t already think that. USC’s dominance didn’t do a thing.
Save face? Hell yeah. Close loss. The PAC will be 2-2…not good, but livable. One blowout win, one comfortable win, one close loss, one blowout loss. It won’t help the conference if Oregon wins, as people will still have that perception. The PAC will be viewed the same regardless.
The SEC? Even if they lose, they can point to their insane amount of bowl teams, consecutive NC title appearances, top 25 rankings…a loss will do nothing.
The only thing that will change will be the relative obnoxiousness of Ducks fans. So go Tigers.
USC didn't get the face the SEC
USC kept tripping themselves up and missing out on BCS title games, so the SEC had an uninterrupted path to a title for the last 4 years. And having a different program rise up and gain prominence improves the perception of the conference by proving it’s not just USC – Oregon and Stanford are damn good too.
Beating an SEC team will continue to allow the Pac-10/12 to point to success head-to-head, but this time in the most important game of the year. You are minimizing the positive impact this would have on the national perspective of the conference.
You are minimizing the positive impact this would have on the national perspective of the conference.
I get what you’re saying, but the problem is that there’s this tremendous force out there that does everything it can to influence the national perception of college football. And it has a billion dollar interest in promoting the SEC, regardless of reality.
One season doesn’t mean much. Oregon and Stanford are good, but the spin is that it’s because the rest of the conference is so weak. Meanwhile a two-loss SEC team gets into the BCS (again) because the the conference is so tough that everybody just beats each other up on a weekly basis.
Arizona tanking its bowl didn’t help. But did you read a single national story that said the Huskies played well as opposed to Nebraska not being motivated and failing to show up in an embarassing loss?
What the Pac 12 really needs is to have the same national perception the SEC does – that it’s a murderer’s row, week in and week out. That the middle is super tough. That a loss or two to a team not at the top isn’t a sign of weakness in the conference, but strength. Whether or not Oregon wins, the perception is still that it’s a top-heavy conference with no real meat.
Not Really
‘SEC is King!’ has been around for longer than their uninterrupted NC appearance streak. Even when USC crushed Oklahoma for a NC, all I heard were SEC fans talking about how since their conference is best, they deserve the shot. I heard from ESPN all the way in 2005 that the SEC was best.
You want the Ducks to win to improve the PAC’s perception, go on ahead and root for it. I’m not calling you less of a Husky fan for doing it. But don’t be shocked when SEC fans, CBS, and ESPN say, ‘well, the PAC has 2-3 good teams, but the SEC has ZOMFG ELITE EVERYWHERE`11111’
yes, but...
…the more evidence that points to the contrary, that the SEC isn’t the undisputed kings, that the Pac-12 can legitimately rival the SEC, the better.
I agree that there are many media forces that are pushing the SEC is tops angle (because it’s financially viable for them to do so), but that perception can slowly change as facts pile up against the prevailing wisdom.
Perception of Conference
This was very prevelant in 2000 when UDUB, OSU and Oregon beat up each other and were left out of the BCS title game for FSU. FSU lost to Miami and Miami lost to UDUB. But because USC wasnt elite at the time the perception was the conference wasnt elite. I have argued for years that USC being down cost UDUB a shot at a national title. I have made that same argument with the fact of UDUB being down has hurt the conference as a whole. Therefore, I do believe that for the conference’s well being, UDUB, USC and someone else that can gain national attention, need to be at the top of the conference every year. I would like that third team to be someone other than Oregon, but its better than not having one at all.
I'll Take
Utah- If they can sustain themselves and eventually even improve, I wouldn’t mind them.
Colorado- They suck now, but hell, I have a soft spot for ‘em. Someday.
UCLA- Why not?
Stanford- I like ’em.
Beavers- Charming
Cougs- Yeah, I’ll take them too. It would make the Apple Cup epic.
I’d take anyone other than the Ducks.
football
Doesn’t appear that the football program was the most serious offender. Be interesting to see what penalties are/were imposed on the football side of things.
More evidence that Woodward was probably correct in bypassing Leach…
if not longer
Leach might find himself with the reality that other than a really small and/or really desperate program, he may be limited to OC jobs from here on out.
I’m not sure how many head guys would be able to set aside their egos enough to bring Leach in, and I’m not sure if Leach would be willing to step backward like that.
You’re correct in that that might be the road he has to take, but I bet he’d be willing to wait a few years before he went that route.
FOX
yeah, their graphics are annoying, joe buck is horrible, but as long as glen beck and sean hannity aren’t calling the game, i can’t complain.
It's not fine when they broadcast SD on their HD channels
It happens quite often and it is very irritating.
Um, yeah...
So, I get every point on here about rooting for the ucks but… NO FRIGGIN WAY! Don’t get me wrong, I like the back and forth on ATQ and for the most part can handle what they say, but there is no way I can ever mentally get myself to root for them to win. Just the thought of it right now makes me a little uncomfortable. Listen, I can get with the respectability aspect and beating the SEC and with any other PAC team I would be fully behind it, even WSU, but I can’t do it with the ucks. I find myself a little surprised at these responses, maybe it was the way i was raised! When USC was winning NC’s did that give us this great advantage and boost the impression of the PAC greatly? No it didn’t and it never will, to those of you who actually think any east coast bias goes out the window if the ucks win you are crazy! You think it will prevent 7 SEC teams from starting out ranked in the top 25 next year? Well, it won’t, and to give the ucks any extra ammo right now would be miserable. I am BEGGING for them to lose and that this starts a downward spiral of epic proportions and sanctions come down minutes after the loss! That is my dream scenario.
Last PAC-10 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
USC never got a shot at an SEC team in a BCS title game – that’s one major difference. The other major difference is, outside of perhaps 2004, there really weren’t any other teams in the Pac-10 that were anywhere close to USC, so it was easy for the national media to think of the Pac-10 as USC and the 9 dwarves. This year we have Oregon and Stanford as top 3, top 4 teams, plus pretty good teams in Arizona, USC and Washington.
The Ducks beating Auburn won’t instantly change perceptions about the SEC and Pac-10. But it will be an important step towards chipping away at the wall of hype that is the SEC.
Go Auburn!
I cannot willingly root for Oregon in anything. If it were the Beavs, Cougs, Furd, Bears, or any other Pac 10er beside the zero, I would gladdly root them onto victory. I want Auburn to blow them out and put the pedal to the metal. Everybody talks about how Oregon is a 2nd half team. Umm couldn’t that be considered running up the score? The game was over by halftime or shortly thereafter. Down goes ducks.
All I saw was purple
I anticipate myself rooting for Oregon in the Championship game.
He was only five-foot-three but girls could not resist his stare... Chip Kelly never got called an asshole.
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