A few thoughts on the Pac-12…
♦ OFFICIATING: I’m beyond weary with the narrative every weekend in the Pac-12 shifting toward how inconsistent and atrocious the officiating is. It remains a glaring credibility and trust issue with fans; a real weakness that is a killer for the brand of the conference. ESPN’s audience watched in horror on Friday as Oregon and Oregon State’s dramatic finish was tainted by a terrible officiating sequence a the goal line. It’s become a regular thing. Every weekend. Groundhog Day. Until the conference gets serious about outsourcing the recruiting, training and retention of the best college football officials, this won’t stop.
♦ WHERE’S THE REF?: I’ve been thinking… did COVID-19 force some best and most experienced Pac-12 officials to opt out of the season due to health concerns? Or did the Pac-12′s decision to initially postpone the season force the best officials to seek work outside the conference? Are we watching the absolute best officials the Pac-12 has to offer? I’m not the only one that noticed a couple of the top-graded officials from recent seasons aren’t showing up on the Pac-12′s referee assignments. I’ve noticed that at least two that have even popped up working games in other Power 5 conferences. That leaves a minor-league feel to the Pac-12.
I asked the Pac-12 about it over the weekend, and Andrew Walker, a vice president, told me that the attrition of officials isn’t due to the pandemic or the late start or losing officials to other conferences. He said it was typical attrition. Hold up. Is the Pac-12 losing its top officials to other conferences every year? I’ve followed up with some questions. Will update in coming week.
♦ POLL: This week’s AP Top 25 poll is out. The Pac-12 doesn’t have a program ranked in the Top 16. USC is at No. 17. Oregon dropped to No. 21. Washington is 23rd. Really tough for the best programs to rise much without playing ranked teams. Also hard for them to rise in poll while sitting idle (USC), or playing unimpressive in a win (Washington) or while losing to an unranked opponent (Oregon).
♦ NORTH: Who wins the Pac-12 North Division? The quick answer is the winner of the Oregon-Washington game on Dec. 12. The Huskies (3-0) comeback against Utah salvaged the importance of the impending clash with the Ducks (3-1). If both win out, Oregon-Washington will be a big game for the conference. Oregon State (2-2) is lurking if the Ducks and Huskies should face plant, however. Washington hosts Stanford this week. Oregon plays at Cal. I’ll give my score predictions later in the week.
♦ SOUTH: Colorado vs. USC was the game everyone wanted to see. That it got cancelled due to COVID-19 gave us no resolution and a potential head-to-head that might not ever get played. The Buffaloes (2-0) are at Arizona this week. The Trojans are playing Washington State. Keep an eye out on both fronts for cancellations.
♦ NEWSLETTER: My weekly newsletter has a Pac-12 flavor. Drops on Thursdays. If you want to subscribe, the process takes approximately five seconds to complete. Just need your email address and your zip code.
♦ UCLA: The Bruins (2-2) have again climbed back to .500 under Chip Kelly. I spoke with Kelly this week on the phone and we talked for a moment about how physical his team played in a close loss at Oregon two Saturdays ago. They ran the ball well, but Kelly talked about turnovers and made it a point of emphasis. Against Arizona on Saturday UCLA rushed for 281 yards. Turnovers: 0.
♦ SPOTLIGHT: I want to see how Oregon responds vs. Cal after losing the rivalry game with Oregon State. The Ducks sounded embarrassed after the loss. Mario Cristobal talked about using it as fuel. What kind of fuel? We’ll find out soon. Cal has been wildly inconsistent and has just killed itself on special teams with penalties, turnovers and blocked kicks.
♦ NAME IT: I reached out to high-ranking athletic department sources at both Oregon and Oregon State to ask where they are with the renaming of the Civil War rivalry. The decision to drop the name was made in the summer. I think it’s a blown opportunity to wait so long, but nobody on either side seems particularly motivated to rename the thing. I’m beginning to wonder if they’ll rename it at all.
Said one source: “With everything else going on, it hasn’t been a top priority for either school. It’s going to be a process that will take awhile I imagine.”
The Rain Bowl? How about the Willamette Cup? Or the 44-mile War? Or The Platty? The Old Game? Something else?
Another high-placed source said, “In this environment no name, no matter how good, will be embraced.”
♦ MUNCHIE: Oregon State’s Jermar Jefferson has had 120, 133, 196 and 226 rushing yards in successive weeks. He’s got 675 yards and seven TDs. Everyone who watches OSU knows Jefferson is going to get the ball. What I find most remarkable is how the Beavers’ coaching staff continually puts Jefferson in position to succeed despite that lack of surprise.
“Our O-line, tight ends, and we get in some condensed sets where you’ve got to shed blocks and make tackles,” Smith said. “We want to have a balanced offense, but he is a good player and everyone on both sidelines knows he’s going to get the ball. Just like we know they’ll run some plays, now you’ve got to go stop it.”
♦ PSYCH 101: I’ve wondered for weeks what players on losing teams have to play for this season. They’ll get a year of eligibility back. They face uncertainty and tightening restrictions in some states. I know the teams chasing conference championships are mentally locked in. But what is going to happen in the next 2-3 weeks with the teams that are just headed to the end of the season? I expect if we’re going to see any cancellation trends it may manifest itself in the less competitive programs. Just a theory.
♦ UTAH: Anyone else confused by the Utes? Alternately great and inept. The Utes host Oregon State this week. We could maybe save some time and start that game with Utah up 27-23 and put the ball on the 5 and give the Beavers four cracks at the end zone. As long as the Pac-12 sends its best officiating crew, I’d watch.
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