Pac-12 Notes – ASU Week

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Pac-12 Notes – Arizona State Week

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October 5th

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Utah NIL gives leased 2024 Dodge Rams to all 85 scholarship players

From CBS Sports … Utah football players got a massive surprise on Wednesday when all 85 scholarship players found out they were receiving leases for 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn Trucks. It’s one of the most unique image and likeness agreements in college athletics.

The Crimson Collective gifted each player the use of a truck that retails at $61,000. That lease on the truck is renewed at six-month increments and will run through each player’s time with the program. The Ken Garff Automotive Group helped secure the deal along with a group of Crimson Collective donors, though it’s unclear how long the deal will extend into the future.

“If it works, we’ll keep going,” Matt Garff, board chair of the Crimson Collective and part-owner of the Ken Garff Automotive Group told Yahoo! Sports. “We are ordering vehicles as we need them. The intent is to figure it out and if it works, how to keep it going.

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NCAA permanently eliminates initial counter rule (25 new players/year)

… It was this COVID inspired rule which allowed the overall of CU’s roster. This will lead to continued fluidity in the Transfer Portal market in years to come … 

From ESPN … The NCAA Division I Council approved a rule change Wednesday that will eliminate the initial counter limit for both the FBS and FCS.

Prior to the rule change, FBS programs were limited to 25 initial counters per year, which essentially meant each program could bring in 25 total players each year. That total included high school prospects and transfers, and coaches were limited to 25 even if they were below the total scholarship limit of 85.

It became problematic to restrict the counter number given the large number of players transferring in and out of college football programs. Coaches, in some cases, were not able to fill their roster if they had already brought in 25 players for that year.

The initial counters had been temporarily suspended in 2021 as a result of the uncertainty around COVID-19 and the implementation of the one-time transfer exception, which let players transfer once without penalty.

That rule has now been permanently eliminated, and each program will be bound only by the total scholarship limit.

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October 4th

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NCAA approves reduction in Transfer Portal window

From ESPN … The NCAA Division I Council approved changes to the transfer portal windows that will shrink the number of days for student-athletes to enter their name in the portal.

The rule change will impact all sports and give players 45 total days throughout the year to enter their names into the transfer portal.

Each sport will have 45 total days, but it will be divided differently by sport. For example, before this rule change, the window for football would open the day after the College Football Playoff teams are announced, which was Dec. 4 in 2022, and would stay open for 45 days.

The next period would open April 15 to April 30, which will remain the same with the new changes. Under the new rule, there will be a 30-day window after the season and 15 days in the spring.

In FBS and FCS football, the new 30-day window will begin the Monday after FBS conference championship games. Any student-athletes competing in the College Football Playoff will also be given an additional five-day transfer window in January, while the second window will occur during the second half of April.

For men’s and women’s basketball, a 45-day window opens the Monday after Selection Sunday.

The Division I Council had proposed changes to the portal in January that would have seen a reduction from 60 total days to 30, but voted Tuesday to instead shrink the window to 45 days. This does not impact when a student-athlete can transfer, only when they can enter their name into the NCAA database to transfer without penalty.

Once the athlete’s name is in the transfer portal, she or he is allowed to have contact with other coaches and can transfer at any time. Graduate students are still able to enter their name in the transfer portal at any time without penalty.

… Continue reading story here …

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Both of CU’s next two opponents (ASU; Stanford) in CBS Sports Bottom 25

From CBS Sports … The Pac-12 is rightfully receiving national praise for its excellence in the final season before its membership splinters apart and heads in various directions. With six teams teams ranked in the top 18 of the AP Top 25 and another in UCLA lingering in the “others receiving votes” category, the conference has a case to be considered tops in the nation.

One of the only factors working against the Pac-12 in its claim for national supremacy is the weakness of its bottom. The Bottom 25 provides a great example as both Arizona State and Stanford are represented in this week’s ranking of college football futility. Both could be Bottom 25 mainstays as the heart of conference play arrives and they are pitted against excellent opposition while navigating the league with first-year coaches and outmatched rosters.

But when it comes to Power Five futility, Virginia has the Cardinal and Sun Devils beat after falling to 0-5 with a crushing loss to Boston College. BC’s 27-24 win was enough to help it escape this week’s Bottom 25 and reduce the ACC’s contingent here to just one team entering October.

From Power Five conferences … 

No. 22 – Arizona State … Amid a horrible run of injuries to begin Pac-12 play, Arizona State has played USC and Cal competitively. But the Sun Devils’ only win is a 24-21 Week 1 victory over FCS foe Southern Utah, which is just 1-4 itself. First-year coach Kenny Dillingham will be doing well to muster one or two Pac-12 victories. (23)

No. 20 – Stanford … Stanford has been outscored 98-16 in games against ranked foes USC and Oregon. Considering that four more ranked teams await — in addition to Colorado and UCLA — this could get ugly. Given the Pac-12’s strength at the top, it’s a bad year to be a first-year coach in charge of a rebuilding program as is the case for Troy Taylor. (NR)

No. 9 Virginia … How can you feel anything other than sympathy for Virginia? Three of its five losses are by a combined seven points after Saturday’s 27-24 defeat at Boston College. The Cavaliers led 21-7 at halftime but couldn’t hold on, despite a 4-1 turnover edge. A rushing offense that ranks 126th nationally is one of the primary culprits. (10)

… Read full story here …

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October 2nd

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Pac-12 schedule for October 13th/14th announced (CU v. Stanford previously announced)

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October 1st 

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Colorado opens as a 6.0-point road favorite over Arizona State

The light Week Six Pac-12 slate, from DraftKings.com 

• No. 16 Washington State at UCLA … 1:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … UCLA is a 3.5-point favorite
• Colorado at Arizona State … 4:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Colorado is a 6.0-point road favorite
• No. 19 Oregon State at Cal … 8:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Oregon State is a 9.5-point road favorite
• Arizona at No. 9 USC … 8:30 p.m., MT, ESPN … USC is a 22.0-point favorite
• Oregon and Washington have byes – will play each other in Seattle on October 14th
• Stanford has a bye … getting a week off before playing at Colorado on October 13th
• Utah has a bye … before hosting Cal on October 14th

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azcentral.com: Four things Arizona State did wrong in 24-21 loss to Cal

From azcentral.com … Arizona State football lost to California, 24-21, on Saturday.

Here are four things that didn’t go the Sun Devils way in the game:

Another game with no takeaways: When you are struggling to move the ball the only way you have a chance to win is get an extra possession or two, preferably on a short field. But for the fourth time in five games the Sun Devils did not manage a takeaway. They have just one on the season, that being a fumble recovery last week by LB Tate Romney early in thee first quarter.

Punting not up to par: This was a factor under this heading last week and it remains an area in which ASU has been deficient. Josh Carlson came into the game averaging 38.1 yards per punt and against the Bears he had four for an average of 36.2 and none landed inside the 20. When you’re having trouble moving the ball it’s nice to have that specialist that can flip the field in one boot. It’s something ASU was spoiled with in that its last two punters — Eddie Czaplicki and Michael Turk did that repeatedly.

Key penalties: The Sun Devils had five for 35 yards and it is one of the most improved areas but the ones ASU had came at crucial times. They had 12 men on the field when they appeared to score a touchdown on a fourth down play. But because of that, the touchdown came off the board and ASU settled for a field goal, a four-point swing. They also had a pass interference when Cal had the ball late and drove down to the 1. The defense held but the Bears we able to run more plays and get more time off the clock.

Third and fourth down failures: ASU was just 3-for-15 on third down and 2-for-5 on fourth down. This was an area in which it really struggled last season and it needs to improve on that so the defense isn’t continually on the field. On the season ASU is converting 32.4% (24-for-74).

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Stewart Mandel: USC’s porous defense all but eliminates the Trojans from title contention

From The Athletic … Another year, another Lincoln Riley team whose defense does almost nothing to help its offense. That formula nearly got USC to the College Football Playoff last season, but in a loaded Pac-12 with the likes of No. 7 Washington and No. 9 Oregon waiting, I don’t see the 5-0 Trojans even making it back to the conference championship game this year.

Caleb Williams threw for six touchdowns Saturday against Colorado, and the game still came down to a last-minute onside kick. The Trojans built a 41-14 third-quarter lead only to watch Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders (30 of 45, 371 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT) and freshman receiver Omarion Miller (7 catches, 196 yards, 1 TD) shred Alex Grinch’s defense in the second half — a near-weekly tradition dating to 2019 at Oklahoma.

USC won 48-41, and the Trojans will probably win more 48-41 games from here, but at some point they’ll need a crucial stop in a high-stakes contest. Who at this point would trust them to get it?

The crush of attention surrounding Colorado will likely subside following the Buffs’ second loss, but don’t expect them to disappear entirely. Too many people have become invested in their story (expect to see headlines that the USC game was the most-watched yet), and if nothing else, they’re going to remain awfully fun to watch, as evidenced by that second-half surge. They already had a bunch of exciting playmakers before Miller emerged, and Travis Hunter will return at some point. If Deion Sanders can just get Colorado, now 3-2, to the six-win milestone, it will be a remarkable accomplishment given the program he inherited.

… Continue reading story here …

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This post, about the Arizona State game, from the 2023 Season, is filed under Article.
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