Oregon
Is the Pac-12 favoring Oregon while giving USC the cold shoulder in 2023 schedule?
We’ve been speaking loads concerning the Pac-12 schedules that got here out this week, and one of many primary speaking factors for lots of groups out west is the truth that their draw could also be more durable than they anticipated.
That shouldn’t come as a serious shock, contemplating that the Pac-12 is predicted to be among the many greatest conferences within the nation this upcoming season, with 5-6 groups fairly belonging within the high 25. To attempt to make clear the scenario, I went via and ranked who had the hardest schedule within the Pac-12, what it would inform us going ahead. What grew to become clear throughout that train, and in listening to the narrative constructed over the previous week, is that the USC Trojan followers usually are not proud of how issues performed out within the schedule-making course of.
I believe their anger is justified, as effectively.
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Whereas plenty of detractors and non-USC followers will level to the off-week that the Trojans get in Week 13 forward of the Pac-12 Championship sport, take a second to take a look at the remainder of the schedule, and a few the stretches which are combined in there. In Week 7, USC goes to Notre Dame, after which has to show round and play Utah at house the next week. These are two probably top-15 matchups, with the sport in South Bend possible coming as a showdown between top-10 groups.
It doesn’t get a lot simpler after that. Whereas the Trojans get a rebound sport towards California in Week 9, they then need to host Washington in Week 10, after which journey to Oregon in Week 11 — one other pair of top-15, probably top-10 matchups.
Going 4-0 in that stretch is nearly unimaginable for any workforce. Even splitting these video games and going 2-2 looks like a win.
So why did USC get caught with such a tough draw in the midst of the season? I had USA TODAY’s Trojans Wire editor Matt Zemek on the Sco-ing Lengthy podcast to speak issues over. He gave an attention-grabbing take, noting that slightly little bit of spite and pettiness is likely to be within the combine.
First off, if you happen to’re George Kliavkoff, you need to be extra beneficiant to Oregon and Washington. Simply when it comes to the politics, you’d need to throw a bone to the groups which are staying in your convention, and to not those which are leaving. So it’s not as if Kliavkoff is an fool for smoothing the street for Oregon and Washington by giving them each an off-week earlier than their massive assembly. USC doesn’t have an off-week earlier than enjoying Washington or Oregon; USC has to play Washington and Oregon again to again. That’s not the worst a part of this for USC, although. The worst half is that in odd-numbered years, USC has to play Notre Dame in South Bend in mid-October. Should you’re a USC fan, the one factor they wished out of this schedule was ‘don’t give us a top-tier Pac-12 opponent — Utah, Washington, Oregon — don’t give us a kind of three opponents both the week earlier than or the week after Notre Dame. Properly, the Pac-12 gave them Utah the week after Notre Dame. That was the flip-the-bird second, and that’s actually the centerpiece of why the Pac-12 shoved USC out the door angrily and didn’t give USC an honest shake.
Should you examine that stretch of 5 video games for USC to the hardest stretch of video games on Oregon’s schedule — Week 7 at Washington, Week 8 vs. Washington State, and Week 9 at Utah — it’s clear which possibility I’d slightly have. On high of that, the Geese additionally get to play Utah the week after the Utes play USC, and USC the week after the Trojans play Washington. That’s not nothing.
George Kliavkoff made this schedule with ‘Daddy Phil Knight’ in thoughts. He wished to make good to Phil Knight right here. ‘Phil, that is my present to you. Phil, please be comfortable within the Pac-12. Phil, that is my greatest effort to easy the trail for you.’ That is Kliavkoff being a savvy politician and I don’t actually blame him for it, however he’s clearly making the very best effort to easy the trail for Oregon and Washington to say ‘Hey, you need to keep right here within the Pac-12.’
Oregon’s schedule isn’t straightforward by any means — I’ve it ranked No. 5 hardest within the convention — but it surely’s clear that I might slightly have the Geese’ outlook over the Trojans.
What’s attention-grabbing is that the identical pettiness didn’t occur with UCLA’s schedule. I’ve the Bruins ranked as the simplest schedule in the entire convention, with no Oregon or Washington on the horizon. UCLA is leaving for the Huge Ten as effectively, so why didn’t they get a tricky break of issues?
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I’m undecided what the reply is. Possibly behind closed doorways, the Trojans are the group that spearheaded this convention realignment and Kliavkoff wished to stay it to them due to the chaos that they’ve now delivered to the convention. Possibly it’s only a unhealthy break of issues.
Whatever the reasoning, I perceive USC followers griping concerning the shake that they received. If the Trojans are pretty much as good as they are saying they’re, although, then it ought to be no bother.
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Story initially appeared on Geese Wire