Yes, it is; and no, they aren’t an elite program. Not anymore, and definitely not in the B1G. They thought losing to us was a shameful thing. What happens when they lose to Rutgers? Or Nebraska? Or get crushed by tOSU, Michigan, Penn State, Iowa or Sparty?
They went from a conference contender to an also ran who is about to find out why Hawaii loses so many games on the mainland. For equal opportunity purposes, you can add UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, and Washington to that list, too.
Hopefully they use their weight to form a more substantial western division in the B1G…that includes us.
The mocked up expanded B1G by some Twitter account that has us in a western pod with USC, UCLA, Washington, Oregon, and Stanford was a freaking dream. Too good to be true. But can you imagine?
Please not again. New blood is good blood.
No one does less with more than USC
So, basically the PAC as a division of the B1G.
Sounds like a great idea to me.
It would give us more opportunities to beat down Southern Cal.
Right, which means they’ll be the first to veto the idea.
Done.
Think things need to happen for the health of higher ed and football given the legal landscape.
2). Reorg all college FB into a regional tiered relegation system like soccer in Europe. Cut down on the travel cost snd balance out regional competition.
3). Us old dogs can sit around and remember what was till we pass away and the new generations forget in. 20 years that it was ever really a part of college.
2 BCS busting perfect years and becoming part of the PAC was the highlight of my college sports fan life. Think I’ll treasure what it was and how it felt for my remaining life. But college sports had mutated and imploded and honestly can’t see any reason to keep it inside and financially tied to the schools anymore. Cut the rope and let it sail off in its own.
This may well be the future. We’re all getting used to the idea.
Once left for near-dead by the WAC, the Southland has clawed back three former members.
Lamar played the 2021 football season in the WAC, but was back in the Southland by 2022.
Incarnate Word announced its departure for the WAC, but never actually left.
Stephen F. Austin has announced that it will leave the WAC to return to the Southland in time for the 2024 football season.
The new look Southland has 10 football-playing schools: Texas A&M-Commerce, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, SFA and UTRGV (beginning in 2025) in Texas, plus McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana in Louisiana.
The United Athletic Conference, a merger between the WAC and ASUN, will now have nine football-playing institutions - two in Texas: Abilene Christian and Tarleton, as well as Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, Southern Utah, and Utah Tech, with West Georgia joining this fall.
footballscoop.com article
A number of schools were left scrambling to find replacement opponents for the fall schedule.
anygivensaturday.com discussion
No one here cares.
Go, Utes.
ESPN+ article (archive.today snapshot)
Utah highights
The 16-team Big 12 is wiiiiiide open with Oklahoma and Texas leaving, so contenders start with Utah, Oklahoma State, Arizona and K-State.
…possible they face each other again in the playoff…Utah and Arizona. The selection committee won’t consider the possibility of rematches when it is creating its final top 25 of the season on Selection Day. The CFP doesn’t currently have any policy surrounding potential rematches.
That was an interesting use of punctuation. Where do you want them to go?
All the way, I suppose.
How is the use of punctuation interesting? Is the phrase not always a form of indirect address?
Here’s a question. As I understand it, there is a scholarship limit of 85. However, with the NIL deals, it seems pretty easy to get around that. Will we see a return of teams stacking their rosters just so other teams won’t get players?
That’s quite an interesting thought.
I would assume that this will occur. However, balanced playing time will function as a de facto cap, I’d think.