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Pac-12 Notes – Stanford Week
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October 12th
… Foe Pause …
Washington seeks to dismiss lawsuit filed by Washington State and Oregon State
From CBS Sports … The University of Washington is attempting to intervene in a lawsuit previously filed by Oregon State and Washington State against the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff. The motion, filed in the Whitman County Superior Court on Monday not far from the Washington State campus, seeks to dismiss the complaint brought forth by the Pac-12’s remaining two schools.
At stake in the legal battle is control of conference decision making between now and Aug. 1, 2024, by which point 10 universities will have departed the Pac-12 for various other power conferences.
“UW has a significant stake in opposing WSU and OSU’s claims and preventing the Court from granting the relief requested,” the motion states. “True, UW is leaving the Conference after the 2023-24 academic year. But, in the meantime, UW remains a member of the Conference, and board participation and voting power affects the experience of UW’s athletics teams and student-athletes for the 2023-24 academic year as well as UW’s bargained-for contractual rights and financial interest.”
The nine other Pac-12 schools departing the conference filed a brief in support of the motion. Mediation between Oregon State and Washington State and the 10 departing members is ongoing, but the remaining “Pac-2” programs wish to proceed with their case.
“Our court filings show how our schools are in full compliance with the Pac-12 Bylaws, which prohibit a member from leaving the conference before August 2024 but allow schools to announce a withdrawal that will happen after that date,” the departing universities said in a statement. “We are looking forward to engaging in further candid and constructive conversations that will allow us to reach a fair resolution and position our communities for future success.”
The Superior Court of Washington ruled in favor of Oregon State and Washington State last month, granting a temporary emergency restraining order against the conference that would disable it from conducting any formal board meetings until the court rules further. Oregon State and Washington State contend, according to Pac-12 bylaws, that the 10 departing schools should no longer be represented among the Pac-12’s board of directors by virtue of those schools giving formal notice to exit the conference. In particular, the pair wish to prevent any future decisions that could dissolve the conference or lead to a equal divide of assets.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 10th
… Foe Pause …
CBS Bottom 25: Arizona State and Stanford remain ranked
From CBS Sports … The conversation around Miami’s stunning 23-20 loss to Georgia Tech is centered on coach Mario Cristobal’s inexplicable decision to not take a knee to run out the clock vs. the Yellow Jackets. Doing so would have ensured his team a 5-0 start and would likely have pushed the Hurricanes into the top 15 of this week’s AP Top 25 poll. Instead, Miami chose to call a running a play, but fumbled to give Georgia Tech the ball. We all know the Yellow Jackets scored on a 44-yard TD pass to win the game, giving the Hurricanes an 0-1 ACC record with games vs. North Carolina and Clemson up next and making UM the laughingstock of the sports world.
While the heat on Miami rightly centers on Cristobal’s decision to run a play instead of taking a knee, the blunder is only made worse by an examination of the opponent. Georgia Tech was coming off a home loss to Bowling Green in which it surrendered 38 unanswered points to a MAC team that had been one of the worst in the country through four games.
Making matters worse, Bowling Green immediately reverted to its old ways in Week 6 by following up its 38-27 win over the Yellow Jackets with a stunningly bad 27-0 loss at Miami (Ohio). Had Miami botched away a victory against North Carolina, Louisville or Duke in similar fashion, it would have been bad. But doing so against a team of Georgia Tech’s caliber only exacerbated the wound.
The Yellow Jackets got waxed by Bowling Green, which followed up with just 135 yards and nine first downs in a scoreless effort against a MAC foe the very next week. The effort from the Falcons was so bad that it moved them to No. 19 in this week’s Bottom 25. But even amid an ugly defeat, BGSU picked up a transitive victory over Miami because of the haplessness of the ‘Canes.
From Power Five conferences …
No. 22 Arizona State … (1-5) … Arizona State’s only victory is a 24-21 Week 1 win over FCS foe Southern Utah, and it’s about to get much worse. This week is a bye, and the Sun Devils better cherish it. After that, it’s at No. 7 Washington, vs. No. 19 Washington State, at No. 16 Utah, at No. 18 UCLA, vs. No. 8 Oregon and vs. Arizona. Yikes. (22)
No. 18 Virginia … (1-5) … Virginia rallied from a 13-3 deficit to take down FCS foe William & Mary 27-13 for its first victory of the season. It’s been a rough go for the Cavaliers, who suffered a trio of early-season losses that came by a combined seven points. But building on whatever momentum may have been gleaned Saturday is implausible with ranked foes North Carolina, Miami, Louisville and Duke still awaiting. (9)
No. 16 Stanford … (1-4) … Stanford played Oregon tough for a half. Then the floodgates opened. The Ducks outscored the overmatched Cardinal 21-0 in the third quarter on their way to a 42-6 win that showed just how nasty the second half of coach Troy Taylor’s first season could be. Still ahead are games against Colorado, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Oregon State and Notre Dame. The best-case scenario at this point looks like 3-9. (20)
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Report: Big 12 again considering adding Gonzaga as a basketball only member
From the Action Network … The Big 12 isn’t quite done expanding yet. The Big 12 is seriously considering adding Gonzaga as a men’s basketball member for either the 2024 or 2025 school year, sources told Action Network.
“This would be a major coup for the Big 12,” a source said.
A decision on Gonzaga could come quickly, within the next two weeks, a source said. A key component is that Gonzaga could be willing to accept less revenue at the outset of joining the Big 12 — similar to SMU joining the ACC — before the Bulldogs would eventually receive full basketball revenue shares, a source said.
The Big 12’s decision comes just two months after the league announced it would add Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah in 2024.
The Big 12 is not considering adding Oregon State or Washington State, sources said.
Besides men’s basketball, Gonzaga also would join the Big 12 in baseball, women’s soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s tennis, a source said.
The Messenger first reported the Big 12 had resumed talks with Gonzaga.
After the Big 12 announced in August that it would add Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said the league was done expanding.
“Right now, we’re done,” Yormark said in mid-August. “We had a strategy and effectively we’ve been able to execute it. Initially, I wasn’t sure if we’d grow to 14 or 16 (schools). I think 16 was kind of a dream scenario.”
Yormark also said in August conversations with Gonzaga and UConn were done.
“Unfortunately things didn’t work out because the dream scenario (of getting to 16 schools) unfolded for us,” Yormark told The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast.
However, because of the changing economics of future alignment — such as Cal, Stanford and SMU going to the ACC — where incoming schools would initially accept smaller revenue shares, the Big 12 decided it would revisit adding Gonzaga if the school was receptive, a source said.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 9th
… Foe Pause …
Oregon State/Washington State and “Pac-10” agree to mediation
From the San Jose Mercury News … The Pac-12’s two remaining schools and the 10 departing universities have agreed to mediation in an attempt to settle their dispute over governance of the conference, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
“The talks have been productive,” the source said. “Everybody wants them to succeed. It just has to be on fair terms to everybody.”
“Them,” of course, is Washington State and Oregon State — the schools left behind in the realignment game that decimated the conference in early August.
One month later, the Beavers and Cougars took commissioner George Kliavkoff and the 10 outbound schools to court to gain clarity on the makeup of the governing board, which controls the assets.
Washington State and Oregon State believe the departing universities relinquished their board seats when they agreed to join other leagues starting next summer and that, if allowed to remain on the board, the 10 could vote as a bloc in ways that undermine the ability of WSU and OSU to possibly rebuild the conference.
A preliminary injunction hearing to determine the makeup of the board is scheduled for Nov. 14. in Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court.
The various legal steps prior to that point include an expedited discovery process, which could lead to sensitive information becoming public.
It’s not unusual for mediation to unfold alongside litigation. However, the willingness to engage a mediator hardly guarantees the sides will reach an agreement, especially given the early stage of the legal process.
A trial likely would be months away.
“We’ll see if the two sides can figure out a path and avoid a trial,” the source said.
… Continue reading story here …
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October 8th
… Foe Pause …
UCLA rejoins polls (four of CU’s final six opponents ranked); USC drops for third straight week
From ESPN … Oklahoma moved up to No. 5 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday, while a late-game gaffe nearly cost 25th-ranked Miami’s spot in the rankings and six basketball blue bloods made some history.
No. 1 Georgia, coming off its best game of the season in a rout of Kentucky, regained some of the first-place votes it lost in the AP Top 25 last week, when it needed a late rally to beat Auburn and stay unbeaten.
The Bulldogs got 50 first-place votes after getting 35 last week. No. 2 Michigan received 11 first-place votes as the Wolverines roll along unbeaten and untested.
No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each moved up a spot and received a first-place vote.
Oklahoma jumped seven spots after beating Texas on Saturday to reenter the top 10 for the first time since mid-September of last year, when it started tumbling toward a 6-7 season.
The Longhorns slipped six spots to No. 9.
No. 6 Penn State held its spot, as did No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon in the week before their Pac-12 showdown.
USC dropped a spot to No. 10 after escaping with a triple-overtime victory against Arizona. The Trojans have fallen in the poll for three straight weeks, despite remaining unbeaten.
Miami managed to hang on to a spot in the rankings, dropping eight places after losing for the first time this season. The Hurricanes’ 23-20 setback to Georgia Tech was Saturday’s most painful loss, not to mention a candidate for one of the worst in program history.
In position to kneel out the clock with the lead, the Hurricanes instead called a running play, fumbled the ball away with 26 seconds left and then watched as the Yellow Jackets went 74 yards in four plays for the winning score with one second left on the clock.
Hoop dreams
The traditional basketball powerhouses continue to shine on the gridiron in 2022.
The top six schools by appearances in the AP men’s college basketball poll are Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA and Louisville.
For the first time in the 87-year history of the AP football poll, all of those schools are ranked at the same time: North Carolina is No. 12, Louisville is 14th, Duke is No. 17, UCLA is 18th, Kansas is No. 23, and Kentucky is No. 24.
Louisville jumped 11 spots to its highest ranking since 2017 after defeating Notre Dame to stay unbeaten.
The Irish slipped 11 spots to No. 21 after a second loss in three weeks to an undefeated team.
| 1. Georgia (50) |
| 2. Michigan (11) |
| 3. Ohio State (1) |
| 4. Florida State (1) |
| 5. Oklahoma |
| 6. Penn State |
| 7. Washington |
| 8. Oregon |
| 9. Texas |
| 10. USC … -1 |
| 11. Alabama |
| 12. North Carolina |
| 13. Ole Miss |
| 14. Louisville |
| 15. Oregon State |
| 16. Utah … +2 |
| 17. Duke |
| 18. UCLA … +8 |
| T-19. Washington State … -6 |
| T-19. Tennessee |
| 21. Notre Dame |
| 22. LSU |
| 23. Kansas |
| 24. Kentucky |
| 25. Miami |
Others receiving votes: Missouri 69, Wyoming 42, Air Force 41, Wisconsin 41, Tulane 27, West Virginia 26, Clemson 17, Maryland 9, Iowa 7, James Madison 7, Texas A&M 5
Dropped from rankings: Missouri 21, Fresno State 24
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Pac-12 lines: Buffs favored by double-digits over Stanford
From DraftKings …
Friday, October 13th
- Stanford at Colorado … 8:00 p.m., MT, ESPN … Colorado is an 11.5-point favorite
Saturday, October 14th
- Cal at No. 16 Utah … 1:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Utah is a 13.5-point favorite
- No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington … 1:30 p.m., MT, ABC … Washington is a 3.0-point favorite
- Arizona at No. 19 Washington State … 5:00 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks … Washington State is a 9.5-point favorite
- No. 10 USC at N0. 21 Notre Dame … 5:30 p.m., MT, NBC … Notre Dame is a 2.5-point favorite
- No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon State … 6:00 p.m., MT, Fox … Oregon State is a 4.5-point favorite
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One Reply to “Pac-12 Notes – Stanford Week”
Four of our last six ranked… And if Arizona hadn’t let USC of the hook late early Sunday morning it might even have been five of six!
Won’t be easy to get that final win.
I’m disappointed in WSU actually. I thought they were a top three team in the conference after they beat Oregon state and since then… Oof.
Where did UCLA defense come from? They’re a surprise unit this year.