Oregon
CardinalSportsReport – Big XII possible for Stanford, Cal, Washington State, and Oregon State?
With the Pac-12 for all intents and purposes playing its final season of existence, Stanford, Cal, Washington State, and Oregon State are all looking for a new home. The ACC has reportedly been moving towards adding Stanford and Cal along with SMU, but there is new reporting that indicates things might take yet another turn:
Connor Letourneau and Michael Silver of The San Francisco Chronicle are now reporting that Stanford and Cal are exploring the possibility of joining the Big XII along with Oregon State and Washington State. In essence, the remaining four Pac-12 schools without a home could end up in the Big XII, making it a 20 team coast-to-coast conference.
It’s important to underscore that Stanford and Cal would still prefer the ACC and that they hope it comes to fruition in the next couple of days. But, if the ACC continues to stall and can’t get their house in order to make the move, Silver and Letourneau report that talks with the Big XII will intensify between Stanford and Cal with Oregon State and Washington State expected to come along with them.
All of this is still very fluid. Silver reported earlier that Stanford and Cal along with SMU to the ACC was heating up and that all things were pointing in that direction. So, it’s really anyone’s guess of as to how things will shake out.
I will say this though: Just from a logistical and geographical standpoint, the Big XII makes a lot more sense for Stanford and Cal. Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Arizona State are already there along with BYU. That geography and travel works out really well. Along with Oregon State and Washington State, Stanford and Cal could form a four-team pod in the Pacific time zone, giving the Big XII teams in all four major time zones of the United States. That would be really cool for them.
The other piece of this is I’ve always believed the Big XII would take Stanford and Cal if they got the chance. If they took Colorado and BYU, there’s no reason they wouldn’t take Stanford and Cal. Stanford in particular is a far better athletic program than those two schools with the academic prestige and financial weight of Harvard. What’s not to like? And then Cal is an Ivy League level school with tons of potential if they get the right leadership.
As an extension of that, I think if the Big XII adds Stanford and Cal, it makes sense for them to add Washington State and Oregon State as well. For all the talk of Washington State and Oregon State not being power five level, their endowments say otherwise and they also have been pretty solid in football as of late. I think if the Big XII does add all four schools, they would strengthen their league significantly and form a really solid league that could certainly rival the ACC and nip at the heels of the Big Ten.
Just from a financial standpoint, word is the ACC would offer Stanford and Cal $8M-$10M per year and the league would gain $72M in total revenue per year by adding Stanford, Cal, and SMU. So in that sense, there’s really no reason for the ACC to not make this move. At the same time, the Big XII likely would offer more money to Stanford and Cal while of course offering Washington State and Oregon State more money than whatever they’d get from the AAC or Mountain West.
Now all of this being said, Brett McMurphy of Action Network has since reported that the Big XII has not had conversations with any of the four schools and has no intention in any form of engagement: “Despite various reports to the contrary, Big 12 has not had conversations w/any of the Pac-4 schools & has no intention in engaging with those schools, multiple Big 12 sources told @ActionnetworkHQ”.
With all these reports flying around, it’s hard to know who has a bite on what’s actually going on. If I had to guess, I would lean towards the truth being somewhere in the middle. It’s possible that so long as the ACC remains an option for Stanford and Cal, the Big XII won’t engage in talks with them or keep an arm’s length away. But if the ACC talks fall apart, that could of course change things. So I guess for now, that leaves us in a wait and see mode.
One other piece I would like to quickly bring up is from what I’ve learned, it sounds like Arizona State and Utah would likely be in favor of Stanford and Cal joining them in the Big XII. So there’s also the possibility of those schools working behind the scenes to make something happen on that front. Lots of variables and moving parts and pieces. These things are always fluid.
To wrap this madness all up, it does feel like the end is slowly but surely coming to this saga. Vibes I’ve gotten from Stanford have indicated that they feel things are moving in a positive direction and that they’ll have a resolution to all of this in the near future. While they don’t yet have a home, it does seem like things are indeed going in such a direction. The ACC is still a possibility and if they somehow don’t come up with a deal, despite the conflicting reports, I wouldn’t rule out the Big XII coming to the rescue. Either outcome would put Stanford in a power-five conference and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
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Dan Lanning looks to be turning Oregon into one of college football’s next great powers and Thursday night is arguably his biggest move yet.
In a move that may surprise some around the country, the No. 4 overall prospect, five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore, has committed to Oregon.
Moore, out of Texas powerhouse Duncanville (Texas) is the No. 1 ranked wide receiver prospect in the 2025 cycle.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder chose the Ducks over Texas, LSU, and Ohio State.
Moore was once committed to LSU, from August 2023 to May 2024, but reopened his recruitment before going on a string of official visits to his final four contenders. His final official visit was to Oregon the weekend of June 21.
The visit to Oregon was just his second time on campus, so the experience was a much needed one for Moore and his family. The visit was crucial for Dakorien to learn about the daily life of being at Oregon and everything in regards to life in Eugene.
“It was fantastic,” his mother, Marjahn Moore told Rivals following that visit.
“I love the staff there. The love they have for my son is so genuine I know they’ll take great care of him.”
“Since it was an OV, I was able to bring my family out and my boys fell in love with the city and the people that they’ve only known through the phone. (Dakorien) has a great bond with a few of the players already so he was able to tap in and pick their brain in regards to life in Eugene.”
As a junior at Duncanville, Moore racked up 1,486 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns on 69 receptions. This was after his breakout sophomore campaign in which he hauled in 44 passes for 747 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
With the addition of Moore, he is now the second five-star prospect in Oregon’s 2025 recruiting class, joining running back Jordon Davison. He is the 15th total commitment of the class.
His commitment also helps Oregon’s class move from No. 8 to T-No.4 in the 2025 Recruiting Team Rankings.
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
Oregon
Former Oregon Football Star Penei Sewell Rated Best NFL Offensive Lineman: Super Bowl Contenders?
As we get closer to 2024 NFL training camps, preseason rankings are dominating the sports news in Detroit with former Oregon Ducks lineman, Penei Sewell leading the way. He has been a dominant force dating back to his days when he anchored the offensive line for the Oregon Ducks and is now recognized as the highest rated lineman in the NFL. In addition, his Lions’ offensive line is also best in the NFL.
Sewell’s full college resume is far too long for inclusion here, but several of his accomplishments stand out. He was the first Polynesian, first sophomore offensive lineman and first Duck to win the Outland Trophy. Sewell joined LaMichael James (2010) and Marcus Mariota (2014) as the only Oregon players to be unanimous first-team All-Americans.
He finished his sophomore campaign as the top-graded offensive lineman in Pro Football Focus (PFF) history (since 2014). Sewell allowed just one sack over 1,376 snaps in two seasons as a Duck, and Oregon went 17-3 in the two seasons with him in the starting lineup.
Sewell opted out of his junior year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was Detroit’s 7th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. To no one’s surprise, his dominance has continued into the NFL. Sewell has allowed just three sacks over the past two seasons with the Lions, per PFF. Sewell has also earned back-to-back Pro Bowl honors and was named a 2023 first-team All-Pro.
As a result of his stellar play, the Lions and Sewell have agreed to terms on a four-year, $112 million contract extension that includes $85 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2029 season after factoring in Sewell’s fifth-year option, according to NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo. The $28 million in new-money average over four years makes Sewell the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL, besting Laremy Tunsil’s $25 million per year mark.
Twin falls, Idaho, during warm up before the NFC championship game against San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
Of course, Sewell is not the only highly ranked lineman in Detroit. PFF offered this rationale in naming Detroit’s line best in the NFL.
“When healthy, the Lions’ offensive line was arguably the best unit in the NFL last season. Right tackle was the league’s highest-graded offensive lineman, and earned the top spot among centers. The Lions only loss through free agency was right guard, Jonah Jackson. In response, Detroit signed veteran guard, Kevin Zeitler, who ranked 15th in PFFs grade among guards in 2023.”
In fact, all of Detroit’s 2024 projected starters rank in the top 15 at their respective positions.
LT: Taylor Decker — 81.1 (9th out of 81 offensive tackles ranked)
LG: Graham Glasgow — 74.9 (8th out of 79 offensive guards ranked)
C: Frank Ragnow — 88.8 (1st out of 36 centers ranked)
RG: Kevin Zeitler — 71.6 (15th out of 79 offensive guards ranked)
RT: Penei Sewell — 92.8 (1st out of 81 offensive tackles ranked)
Sewell is without a doubt the leader of this elite unit and has impressed coach Dan Campbell with his work ethic and attitude.
“I can’t say enough great things about Sewell,” Campbell said. “He’s our foundation. He’s one of those pillars that we talk about. He’s something else. He’s a man on a mission. I feel like we’re a team on a mission, but he is a man on a mission. You talk about being wired right, a guy that comes in every day, puts in the work, and he’s got so much ability but he’s got the right attitude, too, and I think that’s what makes him dangerous if you’re the opponent.”
Right tackle on a football team is not known as a glamorous position and usually only gets noticed when a mistake was made. In the case of Penei Sewell, he may not have raised awareness of the position, but he goes about his business, not looking for awards or recognition, but rather chasing championships. Ducks’ fans had a relatively brief view of what this man can do and now Detroit has that luxury with a Super Bowl title lurking in the future.
Former Oregon Duck basketball star Sabrina Ionescu has the highest honor of wearing Team USA across her chest for the first time her young, illustrious career. Before heading off to the Paris Olympics in the search for gold, she will have the opportunity to compete against the rest of the country’s best who didn’t make the cut.
The WNBA All-Star Game rosters are officially set and two of the top rookies in the league are leading the team. Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky will be teammates on Team WNBA. There was a lot of skepticism as to why the most popular player on the planet wasn’t named to the Team USA roster. A major head-scratcher.
Ionescu of the New York Liberty, Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty, Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces, A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury are apart of the stacked Team USA roster. The former Oregon Duck is currently averaging 18.7 points per game, 6.5 assists per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 1.0 steals per game this season. She is 41.9% from the field, 34.0% on three-pointers and 90.5% from the free throw line.
“You’re just able to tell how they carry themselves and how they go about their business every single drill, recovery, what they eat,” Ionescu said. “It’s just an opportunity to get the best players in the world together and figure out what makes them so great. Everyone’s so unique in their own way, and these opportunities don’t come by often.”
“Everyone wants to put USA across their chests and represent their country, and I never take one of these moments for granted.”
At last season’s All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Ionescu won the WNBA Three-Point Shootout. At the 2022 All-Star Weekend in Chicago, the Oregon star won the WNBA Skills Competition.
It should be a jam-packed All-Star Weekend in Phoenix this summer. You can catch the exciting action between Ionescu’s Team USA and the WNBA All-Stars on Saturday, July 20th at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Stay up to date on all things Oregon Ducks by visiting Oregon Ducks on SI daily and following Oregon Ducks on SI on Facebook and X.
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