I don't get this. I read his stuff, I get informed, he sometimes guesses & misses, but no one was closely covering the PAC-12 until he came along with his hotline. LA reporters only care about LA, rabid Seattle fans (until today) only care about what's up with the Huskies, and the other areas had small local college coverage short of Canzano in Oregon. Wilner's not a poetic writer, but his coverage is solid. What has he done to piss (I assume) a small minority of you off?
He's generally a good sports business reporter BUT his actual sports reporting is pretty terrible. And Cal has been in his bullseye A LOT - so that's why everyone hates him.
A couple of things; UCLA is going to get pounded into oblivion in the Big Ten. There travel schedule will suck and their recruiting will suffer as a result. It's a path to doom for them. I honestly think USC will have big problems as well. Lincoln Riley runs an uptempo offense with a real shitty defense, typical of most teams in his former Big 12. I think in the ground and pound physical Big Ten that USC is going to have big problems with not just The Ohio State, but with Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and the rest. I think Lincoln Riley took the USC job because he knew he could succeed in the PAC12. Let's see how long USC keeps paying his YUGE salary when he can't be in the top three in the Big Ten. Fuck em. CAL will go 11-1 and end up in the Playoffs.
UCLA is going to get a huge recruiting boost from this up front. Like, there goes every recruiting battle we might have with them at least in the near term. I'm not as quick to assume they get pounded. Look at how Texas A&M improved in the SEC. (Bad/unique example perhaps.) But outside of Ohio State, the b1g isnt exactly full of juggernauts, and that ground and pound stereotype is mostly a thing of the past outside of Iowa and maybe Wisconsin. And Pac10/12 teams have historically held their own against the B1G pretty well when they play.
The PAC originated in 1915 with Cal, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon State. Cardinal and WSU joined by 1918. SC arrived in 1922 and UCLA in 1928. The rivalries and traditions and memories that were forged over a century have been casually dissolved with cynical disinterest.
I thought it was ridiculous when Texas and OK announced their move. I really think that this is even more ridiculous, short sighted and a mistake. Yeah money is important, but it can’t and shouldn’t dictate what you do in life. Another girding that’s helped stabilize society is falling. Even pro leagues have regional groupings of their teams for god’s sake!
If the P12 collapses, I think Big10 may look at Cal/Stanford due to AAU affiliations. It's a big deal to Big10 inclusion. All P12 schools except ASU/WSU/OSU are AAU members.
Cfb is ruined. Glad I got to grow up during cals glory days with tedford, this blog made it fun. Klindergoff forever. Go bears. Really sad day. Love Wilcox but cfb is changing so much it’s more and more of an uphill battle for him to get cal elite again
Careful....he hasn't done that just yet. My gut reaction in hearing this was good. At least Cal maybe doesn't have to play USC every year and get its teeth kicked in. Cause that's where it was headed with Lincoln Riley and all that NIL dough for the premium athletes that only SC can attract.
Ya, I was looking at the 4-loss part more. And you were right earlier about how this will gut Cal. Revenue sharing gonna take a big hit if SC, UCLA, and later, Utah, Oregon and Washington bolt the Pac 12.
Really the one thing in our favor — and it’s no small thing — is our market. You only have to look at that Big 12 map and see that they will need to find some balance on this coast. This is certainly not the last domino.
Actually, this is all on the previous and current PAC12 commissioners. In their zeal to have games for TV the went with stupid schedules with night games that no one in the midwest or east watches. We got fucked on TV dollars. We need someone in that position than knows how to bring viewers to TV and we need commitments from PAC12 teams to be more competitive; you gotta spend money to make money.
Probably wasn't decisive, but the PAC-12 commissioner voting against expanding the CFP couldn't have helped, especially with UCLA. UCLA probably had more reasons to stay, and the prospect of being able to sneak into an expanded CFP field without having to win the PAC-12 outright would have given them one more reason to stay.
Hey, Rugbear, what do you think Cal should do? Not, “what will they do”, but how could they best navigate this situation? I like your thoughtful comments
Hi ADDD, to tell you the truth, I have my opinion, but am not sure it is the answer. I think the powers that be need to be smart. I think this greed and the creation of super conferences will be self defeating. I actually think we would be smart to stay put and ad a couple of good teams to replace USC and UCLA. I think if we make some other changes in the long run, it will pay off. I don't think being a middling team or a doormat in the Big Ten would be a positive move for us. Here's an email that I sent to our TKEPrytikanias who happens to be a good friend of mine. I copied what I wrote him in response to the same question and have pasted it here:
I wrote up a fairly lengthy rebuttal on Cal rivals yesterday. Think about this as you create super conferences, you have less conferences overall. So you have fewer top teams overall. You have lots of talent being recruited every year that is looking to play for top teams. What happens to Oklahoma or Texas if they join the SEC and become mediocre? Do you think they’ll still be able to recruit? (although I think Texas really took a step up this year because of arch Manning). With USC in UCLA going to the big 10 they’re gonna have a number of problems. Number one it’s gonna be a horrendous travel schedule. Number two they are going to have Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and more to contend with. And most of those teams play ground and pound offenses for which neither UCLA and especially USC are set up for defensively. If they end up being a second tier team in the Big Ten their recruiting will suffer. They may make more money as part of the deal but how do you think the alums are going to feel when their teams are second-rate? Meanwhile in the abandoned conferences like the new PAC10 or Big12 there will be new teams that rise to the top. Over time the recruiting for these teams will get better, and with better recruiting the teams will get better and better. Cal could end up being an 11 win team with one loss and an invitation to the playoffs in a new PAC10. I can almost guarantee you that the national championship playoffs will be expanded in time. I don’t believe more than two teams from the SEC or the new super PAC 10 will ever end up in the national championship playoffs. There will be top teams from other conferences, like Cincinnati this year.
I think the issue for the Pac 12 and money has been horrible mis-management by PAC 12 commissioners both previous and current. They’re short term greed really hurt the long term prospects of the Pac 12.
Also think about how the ratings are gonna go for the super conferences. Halfway through the season more than half the teams will no longer be in contention, their games will no longer draw lots of fans. There will be more teams out of contention in big super conferences than in other smaller conferences. As you get towards the end of the season there will be even more teams out of contention and their games will not be of much interest to fans. In a new PAC conference you’ll probably have some undefeated and one win teams at the end that will be vying for the conference championship and perhaps more. This bodes well for TV viewing numbers.
Here are a couple of my thoughts. If I was a commissioner or coach in the Pac12 I would change our conference schedule from nine conference games to eight conference games like the SEC. That way we don’t cannibalize ourselves and we end up with teams with better records at the end of the year. We could schedule cupcake games like Alabama does late in the season (as an example they scheduled a game against New Mexico State for their 10th game of the season last year). ( I would never allow a game in the Midwest or the east to be scheduled before noon PST. Preferably they would be scheduled at 1:oo PST or later. Why? Because when you schedule a noon game on the East Coast that’s 9 AM Pacific time. That means kids are getting up for the game at 5 AM Pacific time. I don’t care what people say, that impacts how kids play, it’s a home-field advantage, and any smart coach who doesn’t have his balls all hanging out in a macho position will agree. Secondly, the Pac 12 needs to get rid of night games. We did it to accommodate TV networks and we fucked ourselves. No one in the Midwest or the east watches Pac 12 football at night. You could have USC playing Utah and you would have low ratings. If you do these three things our football teams play better against out of conference opponents, we end up at the end of the season with better records and get better bowl selection opportunities, and we’d get better ratings.
When that happens we start recruiting better as a conference and when we start recruiting better we start beating better teams. It’s not rocket science it’s just recognizing the short term greed on the West Coast is your worst enemy.
But the biggest problem to be sure is the NIL. Teams that can’t raise money to buy players will fall by the wayside. Maybe that’s why USC thinks they can compete in the Big Ten because they have gobs of money and will spend it.
I’m not sure if I have the right answer, but I certainly wouldn’t make one big jump quickly based on a knee-jerk reaction. If we went to the Big Ten will be a middling to bad team, lose our fan base, and face in real dark future. Cal needs to learn how to raise money play with the big boys, it’s that simple.
I’m just here for Kevin Durant’s next chapter in joining USC.
I remember the days when we were going to poach Texas.
The fact that Jon Wilner reports it makes me believe it's wrong.
I don't get this. I read his stuff, I get informed, he sometimes guesses & misses, but no one was closely covering the PAC-12 until he came along with his hotline. LA reporters only care about LA, rabid Seattle fans (until today) only care about what's up with the Huskies, and the other areas had small local college coverage short of Canzano in Oregon. Wilner's not a poetic writer, but his coverage is solid. What has he done to piss (I assume) a small minority of you off?
Besides his anti-Cal slant and terrible AP polls? I'm guessing you don't remember the "Wilcox to UW... no wait, Wilcox to Oregon" saga then.
He's generally a good sports business reporter BUT his actual sports reporting is pretty terrible. And Cal has been in his bullseye A LOT - so that's why everyone hates him.
Ted Miller was a much better Pac-10 reporter.
A bunch of other Pac-12 reporters (pete thamel, nicole auerbach) have corroborated his reporting.
Wilner's a terrible sports journalist, but he's decent on the sports business.
I go offline for 2 hours..
Relax. No need for personal shots in discussions.
you better start caring. Next time they do it, Cal might get relegated to DII!
1. P12 is done.
2. Cal may default on bond debt.
3. Do taxpayers pay bond holders if there is a default?
F—k UCLA. So unbelievably greedy and shitty of them.
A couple of things; UCLA is going to get pounded into oblivion in the Big Ten. There travel schedule will suck and their recruiting will suffer as a result. It's a path to doom for them. I honestly think USC will have big problems as well. Lincoln Riley runs an uptempo offense with a real shitty defense, typical of most teams in his former Big 12. I think in the ground and pound physical Big Ten that USC is going to have big problems with not just The Ohio State, but with Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and the rest. I think Lincoln Riley took the USC job because he knew he could succeed in the PAC12. Let's see how long USC keeps paying his YUGE salary when he can't be in the top three in the Big Ten. Fuck em. CAL will go 11-1 and end up in the Playoffs.
I don't think the move is about football success. it's about the money.
Fully agree. But when they start losing and can't recruit as well, how are the rich alums going to feel then?
UCLA is going to get a huge recruiting boost from this up front. Like, there goes every recruiting battle we might have with them at least in the near term. I'm not as quick to assume they get pounded. Look at how Texas A&M improved in the SEC. (Bad/unique example perhaps.) But outside of Ohio State, the b1g isnt exactly full of juggernauts, and that ground and pound stereotype is mostly a thing of the past outside of Iowa and maybe Wisconsin. And Pac10/12 teams have historically held their own against the B1G pretty well when they play.
It’s. About. The. Money
Well CFB was fun while it lasted. Once the Pac 12 collapse happens I will stop watching.
same boat for me. grew up on Pac 10 then Pac 12, most family and friends have some sort of allegiance. super bummed out
The PAC originated in 1915 with Cal, Washington, Oregon, and Oregon State. Cardinal and WSU joined by 1918. SC arrived in 1922 and UCLA in 1928. The rivalries and traditions and memories that were forged over a century have been casually dissolved with cynical disinterest.
This is a tremendously sad day.
I thought it was ridiculous when Texas and OK announced their move. I really think that this is even more ridiculous, short sighted and a mistake. Yeah money is important, but it can’t and shouldn’t dictate what you do in life. Another girding that’s helped stabilize society is falling. Even pro leagues have regional groupings of their teams for god’s sake!
"Another girding that’s helped stabilize society is falling."
Exactly.
sadness is my dominant emotion regarding all of this, thank you for putting it in a much more eloquent statement
I don't even know what to think anymore. My love for cfb and football in general just keeps slipping away.
Just because you (me too) loves something doesn't mean it's going to love you back.
Cal to the Big West!
Same
If the P12 collapses, I think Big10 may look at Cal/Stanford due to AAU affiliations. It's a big deal to Big10 inclusion. All P12 schools except ASU/WSU/OSU are AAU members.
I believe that horse has left the barn. AAU affiliations? Lol.
Cfb is ruined. Glad I got to grow up during cals glory days with tedford, this blog made it fun. Klindergoff forever. Go bears. Really sad day. Love Wilcox but cfb is changing so much it’s more and more of an uphill battle for him to get cal elite again
Cal will never be elite under Wilcox, unless elite is 8-4 with a bowl win.
Careful....he hasn't done that just yet. My gut reaction in hearing this was good. At least Cal maybe doesn't have to play USC every year and get its teeth kicked in. Cause that's where it was headed with Lincoln Riley and all that NIL dough for the premium athletes that only SC can attract.
JW was 8-5 in 2019 with a Redbox Bowl win. The 8 wins included the Bowl win.
Ya, I was looking at the 4-loss part more. And you were right earlier about how this will gut Cal. Revenue sharing gonna take a big hit if SC, UCLA, and later, Utah, Oregon and Washington bolt the Pac 12.
Respectfully, Steve, Cal has huge, huge issues because of this, and having SC vanish from the schedule doesn't begin to balance the scales...
Unless they follow to the B1G, this is devastating financially for the Cal athletic program. We're talking programs-getting-cut devastating...
I'm very scared of what will come of this re: all Cal sports
One thing for certain - it will be reactive, as opposed to proactive. No way the Admin can get its schitt together in time to make a positive move.
Really the one thing in our favor — and it’s no small thing — is our market. You only have to look at that Big 12 map and see that they will need to find some balance on this coast. This is certainly not the last domino.
They GONE
The Alliance fell apart just like Diplomacy taught me
Even the League of Nations and the Articles of Confederation lasted longer.
Ho Chi Wilcox, hotel dishwasher, tries to approach UCLloyd George and USClemenceau, gets dismissed.
This is just a realignment within the Alliance?
Okay, there is practically no way that Pac-?? and Big Ten will work together after this.
The Dark Side is strong within UCLA and USC.
I look forward to our new Alliance with the Big-12.
UW and Oregon have officially applied to join the Big10.
Let’s check in with Berkeley…
Tumbleweeds and crickets.
MWC here we come!!
gonna LOL when Oregon is rejected
Oregon will bring Nike money to seal a Big-10 deal
Cal and Stanford should join to create a 20 team Big 10 Conference.
The recent history of Cal football has felt like a controlled demolition.
Knowlton is scrutinizing the dessert card at Chez Panisse as we speak. Not sure he's even heard about any of this yet. Not that it would matter.
He's got bigger fish--like working out an extension for Mark Fox.
It's refreshing to know we have Knowlton on board to stabilize the ship.
Actually, this is all on the previous and current PAC12 commissioners. In their zeal to have games for TV the went with stupid schedules with night games that no one in the midwest or east watches. We got fucked on TV dollars. We need someone in that position than knows how to bring viewers to TV and we need commitments from PAC12 teams to be more competitive; you gotta spend money to make money.
Probably wasn't decisive, but the PAC-12 commissioner voting against expanding the CFP couldn't have helped, especially with UCLA. UCLA probably had more reasons to stay, and the prospect of being able to sneak into an expanded CFP field without having to win the PAC-12 outright would have given them one more reason to stay.
Hey, Rugbear, what do you think Cal should do? Not, “what will they do”, but how could they best navigate this situation? I like your thoughtful comments
Hi ADDD, to tell you the truth, I have my opinion, but am not sure it is the answer. I think the powers that be need to be smart. I think this greed and the creation of super conferences will be self defeating. I actually think we would be smart to stay put and ad a couple of good teams to replace USC and UCLA. I think if we make some other changes in the long run, it will pay off. I don't think being a middling team or a doormat in the Big Ten would be a positive move for us. Here's an email that I sent to our TKEPrytikanias who happens to be a good friend of mine. I copied what I wrote him in response to the same question and have pasted it here:
I wrote up a fairly lengthy rebuttal on Cal rivals yesterday. Think about this as you create super conferences, you have less conferences overall. So you have fewer top teams overall. You have lots of talent being recruited every year that is looking to play for top teams. What happens to Oklahoma or Texas if they join the SEC and become mediocre? Do you think they’ll still be able to recruit? (although I think Texas really took a step up this year because of arch Manning). With USC in UCLA going to the big 10 they’re gonna have a number of problems. Number one it’s gonna be a horrendous travel schedule. Number two they are going to have Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and more to contend with. And most of those teams play ground and pound offenses for which neither UCLA and especially USC are set up for defensively. If they end up being a second tier team in the Big Ten their recruiting will suffer. They may make more money as part of the deal but how do you think the alums are going to feel when their teams are second-rate? Meanwhile in the abandoned conferences like the new PAC10 or Big12 there will be new teams that rise to the top. Over time the recruiting for these teams will get better, and with better recruiting the teams will get better and better. Cal could end up being an 11 win team with one loss and an invitation to the playoffs in a new PAC10. I can almost guarantee you that the national championship playoffs will be expanded in time. I don’t believe more than two teams from the SEC or the new super PAC 10 will ever end up in the national championship playoffs. There will be top teams from other conferences, like Cincinnati this year.
I think the issue for the Pac 12 and money has been horrible mis-management by PAC 12 commissioners both previous and current. They’re short term greed really hurt the long term prospects of the Pac 12.
Also think about how the ratings are gonna go for the super conferences. Halfway through the season more than half the teams will no longer be in contention, their games will no longer draw lots of fans. There will be more teams out of contention in big super conferences than in other smaller conferences. As you get towards the end of the season there will be even more teams out of contention and their games will not be of much interest to fans. In a new PAC conference you’ll probably have some undefeated and one win teams at the end that will be vying for the conference championship and perhaps more. This bodes well for TV viewing numbers.
Here are a couple of my thoughts. If I was a commissioner or coach in the Pac12 I would change our conference schedule from nine conference games to eight conference games like the SEC. That way we don’t cannibalize ourselves and we end up with teams with better records at the end of the year. We could schedule cupcake games like Alabama does late in the season (as an example they scheduled a game against New Mexico State for their 10th game of the season last year). ( I would never allow a game in the Midwest or the east to be scheduled before noon PST. Preferably they would be scheduled at 1:oo PST or later. Why? Because when you schedule a noon game on the East Coast that’s 9 AM Pacific time. That means kids are getting up for the game at 5 AM Pacific time. I don’t care what people say, that impacts how kids play, it’s a home-field advantage, and any smart coach who doesn’t have his balls all hanging out in a macho position will agree. Secondly, the Pac 12 needs to get rid of night games. We did it to accommodate TV networks and we fucked ourselves. No one in the Midwest or the east watches Pac 12 football at night. You could have USC playing Utah and you would have low ratings. If you do these three things our football teams play better against out of conference opponents, we end up at the end of the season with better records and get better bowl selection opportunities, and we’d get better ratings.
When that happens we start recruiting better as a conference and when we start recruiting better we start beating better teams. It’s not rocket science it’s just recognizing the short term greed on the West Coast is your worst enemy.
But the biggest problem to be sure is the NIL. Teams that can’t raise money to buy players will fall by the wayside. Maybe that’s why USC thinks they can compete in the Big Ten because they have gobs of money and will spend it.
I’m not sure if I have the right answer, but I certainly wouldn’t make one big jump quickly based on a knee-jerk reaction. If we went to the Big Ten will be a middling to bad team, lose our fan base, and face in real dark future. Cal needs to learn how to raise money play with the big boys, it’s that simple.
He should be putting out a generic “EVERYTHING IS FINE” statement on July 5th.