The PAC12 Celebration Thread

[LA Ute]

You've made this point a number of times and it's certainly not lost on me.

Good. At least someone understands what really matters around here.

[Paperback Writer]

That said, everyone here is forgetting the most important aspect of this NFL strike issue: how it will affect ME. If Utah plays USC on Sunday I won't be able to go. Nothing else in this discussion is important. Why can't anyone understand that?

I'm trying to understand. Forgive me if I don't remember your situation specifically. So security won't let you through the gates for USC/Utah if they play on Sunday?

I learned an important lesson in my youth. My father was on the HC and the SP scheduled a HC monthly meeting during an Oklahoma/Nebraska game. We had season tickets and went to the game.

[LA Ute]

I'm trying to understand. Forgive me if I don't remember your situation specifically. So security won't let you through the gates for USC/Utah if they play on Sunday?

I learned an important lesson in my youth. My father was on the HC and the SP scheduled a HC monthly meeting during an Oklahoma/Nebraska game. We had season tickets and went to the game.

You're still not understanding that this about ME, not your father, and what will make ME happy.

[OrangeUte]

picked up the trusty old phil steele guide. imo, his is the best and most comprehensive guide that there is. great use of space and tons of information on each team.

as for our beloved utes, this is from a very cursory review - i.e. i just hit the highlights and haven't read much.

he predicts the utes to tie for 3rd in P12 south with UCLA. say the utes streak of double digit wins is over, and does not have the Utes in any bowl game.

QB play should improve from last year as long as Wynn stays healthy.

RB's have the postential to be as good as last year, with 2 700+ yard rushers.

Receivers are less exprienced but should be about as good as last year's crew.

OLine is less experienced than last year's unit, but strong. With Cullen and Stevens back as well as Bergstrom, there is a solid group of leaders. The question i have is how good will Sam Breener be, nd how deep do we go? I know that Kemoeatu (sp?) is in the 2 deep, but i'm not sure who else there is. Maybe he's right and the OLine will be good - we need them to be incredible.

DLine will drop a few notches. i don't know if i agree with PSteele here. Our only losses are Siliga, Tui'one and Neli A'asa. we have 5 players returning with starting experiene, so i look for the DLine to be sick... (Siliga - what the hell were you thinking? man, i would love to see him back; dude was a beast!)

LBs are experienced and the addition of Blechen will make them stronger.

DBs are young but Whit has a habit of preparing inexperienced DBs. Going up against PAC12 receivers each week will be a challenge. i liked what i saw of Conroy Black and Ryan Lacy last year... Lucky Radley has apparently been seeing some time as a DB (not sure of the accuracy of this since i don't remember reading any spring ball reports that talked about Lucky Radley at DB...)

ST - losing Shaky and Joe Phillips hurts, but Sean Sellwood is a good punter, and Reggie Dunn gets 2nd PAC12 team kudos as kick returner... hopefully this unit will be strong.

Coaches - KWhit is supported but Sitake and Chow as primary assistants, and especially the Chow connections to PAC12 will be handy.

Thoughts... All in all, not a bad review on the specifics, but my reading of PSteele between the lines is that he thinks the utes will have a hard time with the week in and week out grind.

Seems to me that if the OLine can hold up, the offense can be very fun to watch - lots of unknowns with Wynn healthy and 3 exciting RB's (Langi, Palamo, and Radley/Dunn). Pass game will only really get going, imo, if we can get the run game established. i think Chow is right and we need to get a strong "downhill" running game going. Wynn needs to be protected and given time - lots of it, hopefully.

Phil Steele puts out the best and most enjoyable preseason publication. chalk full of information and gives you something to talk about for the next 2 months.

[cougjunkie]

If there is no NFL, major college games on Sunday would get a huge rating. It is great for people to say "I don't care about college, I'm an NFL fan" when there is NFL being played. All of a sudden there is a gaping hole in football it will be filled.

It isn't like the games that will be put on will be Washington State vs. Idaho. It will be Oregon/Stanford, USC/Oregon, USC/Arizona State, Stanford/USC all those games will feature ranked teams, maybe top 10 ranked teams.

If it becomes clear that the NFL is not returning I predict you will see all 5 of the major conferences set up Sunday games. Something along the lines of SEC/ACC/Big10 game taking the early NFL time slot, Pac12/Big12/Big10 game taking the late NFL time slot.

The ratings will be great and owners and players will both realize they better get things together because it was only 20 years ago that college football was much more popular than the NFL, and it can become that way again.

If all the major conferences put games on Sunday then it will water it down similar to Saturday games and I doubt you see much as big of a ratings spike as most think. Maybe from a 5 share to a 7 or 8.

[LA Ute]

PAC-12 Utah gear now available:

http://www.sierrasupply.com/Utah-PAC...ts-Shirts.html

[LA Ute]

From the Utah web site:

The state of Utah will declare Friday, July 1 as "Utah Pac-12 Day" in commemoration of the official start of the Pac-12 Conference. Local, state and University of Utah officials, as well as the Utah Marching Band and spirit teams, will lead a celebration of Pac-12 Day on the south lawn of the Utah State Capitol at noon on July 1. Admission is free.

[SCcoug]

No parade?

[Surfah]

From the Utah web site:

They had to announce it was free? Did they think to charge for this?

[LA Ute]

They had to announce it was free? Did they think to charge for this?

They wanted BYU fans to feel welcome.

[YOhio]

What a waste of taxpayer dollars.

[Flattop]

From the Utah web site:

Independence Day is three days later.

[LA Ute]

7th place PAC-12 teams goes to the New Mexico Bowl:

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/22345/pac-12-adds-new-mexico-bowl-for-2011

If you go 6-6 in the PAC-12 you're going to a bowl. I'm not sure many fans are going to some of those bowls, but that's a different question.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

If all the major conferences put games on Sunday then it will water it down similar to Saturday games and I doubt you see much as big of a ratings spike as most think. Maybe from a 5 share to a 7 or 8.

True, there is usually only 1 NFL game at a time.

[LA Ute]

Dennis Dodd:

Top 100: Scott rules college sports from Pac-12 roost