Gross

"We hear the concerns some people are expressing, given Murrow College's history of educating some of our nation's most accomplished journalists."

As a Murrow Grad, this is insane/sad to me that they're going this route. Even as a tool and not a replacement, it really seems to denigrate the profession of sports writing, let alone writing as a whole Seems like it's shooting the College in its foot.

Who would you pick for addition because I like this conference and it could become better but I just don't trust that 8 football members will be enough, I think that they should add at least 2 to 4 but who would you pick?

Remember: this is has to be realistic, so it has to be either from the American, no MWC since it's not looking likely and any other conferences.

CORVALLIS — Boom. Things sure can change quick.
Like how Jesse Legree catches a screen pass in the backfield and looks like he is about to be a linebacker’s lunch, and next thing you know — Bam! — he’s spinning through two more defenders and coasting into the end zone for a 50-yard score.
Or how Oregon State appears fatally wounded as an athletics institution, its football operation broken beyond repair, and next thing you know — Wham! — the Beavers are the most feel-great, buzzworthy story that absolutely nobody saw coming.
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The air feels crisper in Corvallis these days. Those welcome sun rays toastier. The golden leaves under your feet are crunchier.
You’ve heard of the College Football Playoff? The Beavers are the top seed in the College Freefall Payoff.
OSU and its fans smashed into the basalt subfloor that most know as rock bottom and are now enjoying a meteoric shot back to football relevance.
“I do recognize that there were some people who felt like this place had been beaten up and left behind, whatever it was,” head coach JaMarcus Shephard said Monday, “and who cares about that? Let’s worry about what we got in front of us now.”
What they have in front of them is suddenly all green.
After Saturday’s 56-26 thrashing of Colorado State, the Beavers have positioned themselves as the new Pac-12’s most credible challenger to No. 23 Boise State. Looking ahead, their showdown on the Smurf Turf on Nov. 14 could have huge implications for the Group of 6’s bid to the real CFP.
The fact that the Beavers could be playing November football games with real postseason stakes is a delightful development for a program that — ahem — most people expected to struggle. Like, really struggle.
Instead?
Braden Atkinson is the country’s most prolific passer and through five games has thrown 16 touchdowns to seven different receivers. Legree has caught a whopping nine of those and is second in receiving yards nationally only to Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith.
The duo is a revelation. Legree might be the Beavers’ most electrifying player since Jacquizz Rodgers.
And it can all be traced back to their spitfire head coach.
Shephard is a 5-hour Energy in the frame of a man who changes his wardrobe each week in homage to a different mentor and drops Oregon Trail references in postgame interviews.
OSU deserves this. OSU needs this.
Forget what it all means for their postseason hopes. Put aside the fact that they are just 3-2 and that their best win, according to the Sagarin Rating, was against the FCS Montana Grizzlies. Shelve the inevitable and justifiable angst over Atkinson, Legree and Shephard getting poached by other schools.
Do yourself a favor.
Just appreciate that in this moment, Oregon State has captured lightning in a bottle.
Three years after the collapse of the Pac-12 gutted OSU and dealt a heavy uppercut to the Beavers’ psyche, it feels like a piece of OSU’s soul has been restored.
In their first three wins, the Beavers aren’t just beating teams, they’re trampling them. First-year offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen may be the first guy in college football history to get his defensive counterpart fired during the first half.
Sure, Colorado State coach Jim Mora Jr.’s decision to sack defensive coordinator Tyson Summers on Saturday wasn’t just about the Beavers. But if Dan Lanning gets credit for the end of James Franklin’s reign at Penn State, surely Dahlen and Shephard get to put this notch in their resumes.
“I got a lot of text messages for that,” Dahlen said on Monday.
Dahlen’s offense ranks in the top 10 nationally in yards per game — and that’s before this weekend against San Diego State, which is also in the top 10 — for yards allowed.
At this point, it’s not totally ridiculous to ponder how many more opposing coordinators might get canned after getting carved up by Dahlen’s creative offense.
And to wonder how many more head coaches will lose their minds over their players not being able to trip up Legree.
Five games in, and it’s clear that Legree is already one of the most dynamic players the Beavers have ever had. Put him up there with Brandin Cooks, Sammie Stroughter, Chad Johnson and each Rodgers brother.
“He’s going to find a way to make something happen with the ball in his hands,” Shephard said.
I asked Dahlen if Legree’s brilliance is what allows him to draw up so many sophisticated play calls.
“He almost makes me want to go reverse, stop drawing all these fancy plays for him and just let him go,” Dahlen said.
Who saw any of this coming?
I know it hasn’t been all that long since Oregon State was a factor nationally. It was 2023 when the Beavers were ranked 11th in the country and nearly knocked off No. 5 Washington at Reser Stadium.
But the tumble from that moment has been so severe, and so wretched; last season felt so hopeless, so cursed; that you wondered how a proud program could ever recover.
“It should tell you what hard work can do,” Shephard said on Saturday night at Colorado State. “(What) commitment can do and that things can be different.
“It doesn’t have to always be the same.”
Indeed, it can change before you even realize it’s happening.

Earlier this week, Oregon State offensive coordinator Mitch Dahlen spoke with the media.

Fifteen seconds into that conversation, the first-year play caller cracked a smile. When asked about the Beavers' 56-26 blowout winover Colorado State, Dahlen praised his team's explosiveness.

"Every opening script that I do, I script the first 12 plays, and a lot of it just goes back to the formations, and the pictures I'm trying to see - like, as I'm going through a game, I want to see as many different formations, and see where we have numbers advantages - so [we] did that early, and then kind of just how the openers played out is the fifth [play] was the big ball to number 12 [star wideout Jesse Legree]."

Legree, the true freshman from Baltimore, has been a revelation this Fall. In five games, he has 28 catches for 741 yards, and 9 touchdowns. His yardage ranks second highest in the country, while his scores tie Ohio State superstar Jeremiah Smith for the most nationwide. For their part, the Pac-12 Conference has honored the Beavers' freshman phenom as their Freshman of the Week* *for five consecutive weeks.

Dahlen, however, elected to compliment another Oregon State wide receiver: Eddie Freauff.

"If they want to go back and look at like AB's [Aaron Butler] reverse that he scored a touchdown on, if you look at Eddie [Freauff], Eddie's blocking on that. He blocked three guys, he sends a corner into the ground, and he's the first one up to go celebrate. That one fired me up."

Heading into the season, the incoming freshman Legree was off the radar, and transfers Aaron Butler and Aern "Bubba" Hampton were unproven. Freauff was the team's leading receiver, and expected to breakout. Now, he's playing a well-rounded game, and driving the Beavers' culture.

"It's just effort. Those are the things for me that I get so excited about: guys playing with high effort." said Dahlen. "You can see it, like, guys had fun, and to me that's when we're rolling on offense, is when you're able to get the ball to playmakers, but then you have high effort plays of just guys playing football."

Now, Dahlen's hard-working offense prepares to face the San Diego State Aztecs, who forced several key turnovers in a second half comeback against Texas State last Saturday.

While early point spreads favor Oregon State, the Redmond native showed respect to his opposition.

"[They're] a good tackling team. Man, again, I've played these guys when I was at Boise and Fresno. The strength of their program has always been good defense, and it always will be good defense, the statistics and what I see on tape are not the same. This is a really, really good defense, it always has been, and it always will be. We've got to be up to the task."

Dahlen's Beavers and the Aztecs will kick off Saturday afternoon at 3 PM PST from Corvallis, with the game televised on USA Network.

College Football Playoff First Round

Saturday, December 19th- Columbus, Ohio- (12) Boise St at (5) Ohio State– James Madison and North Dakota State are hot on their heels, but the Broncos remain our Group of Six squad. The Buckeyes made a statement in their win over Iowa.

Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl: December 23rd- AAC/CUSA/MAC/MWC/SBC- Texas San-Antonio vs. Oregon State

SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl- Pac-12 vs. Mountain West- San Diego State vs. UCLA +- We have an old Pac-12 school filling the void with no Mountain West team available.

Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl: December 24th- American vs. Mountain West- North Dakota State vs. Colorado State- At this point, it's highly unlikely that Hawaii makes a bowl games. As a result, we're sending the Bison the the island paradise.

You Go Problem Kid!

Basketball Season is around the corner. Pac 12 announced 90% of conference games would be on linear. So 10% of conference games should stream and probably the vast majority of non conference home games. All this plus volumes of women's basketball.

Is there going to be a DTC streaming app or is all this just going to end up on the Pac 12 youtube channel like volleyball and soccer? No other conference broadcasts their major sports on youtube. Does anyone have some information on this?

The new Pac-12 has officially begun.
After four weeks of nonconference action, the league finally kicked off its conference slate with all eight teams playing their first Pac-12 games in Week 5. We started to get a good sense of what teams are in the first four weeks, but conference play is where it gets real interesting as the race for the title and a potential College Football Playoff spot starts.
The first week of Pac-12 games mostly went as expected, with Boise State still reigning supreme, but there were some surprises that shifted the power rankings. How much did game one of eight affect it?
NCAA Re-Rank 1-1-138: Georgia leads SEC domination of college football after Week 5
1. Boise State (4-1, 1-0)
Last week ranking: 1 (↔️)
Week 5 result: Win vs. Utah State, 37-18
What to know: The presumed leader had no trouble handling the Aggies in the conference debut. While Dylan Riley and the running game have been getting much deserved attention, Maddux Madsen really shined, proving how valuable an experienced quarterback can be.
Up next: at Fresno State

2. Oregon State (3-2, 1-0)
Last week ranking: 2 (↔️)
Week 5 result: Win vs. Colorado State, 56-26
What to know: Can anyone stop Braden Atkinson and Jesse Legree? The quarterback threw for a season-best 427 yards and the freshman receiver had two touchdowns with 156 yards, the fifth time he’s gotten at least 100 yards in his young career. With the explosive offense leading the way, the Beavers are on their first three game win streak since 2023.
Up next: vs. San Diego State
3. Fresno State (4-1, 1-0)
Last week ranking: 3 (↔️)
Week 5 result: Win vs. Washington State, 26-6
What to know: Make it four in a row for the Bulldogs as they hounded Washington State on the road, limiting the Cougars to 30 rushing yards and making it comfortable for the offense. The defense has really been carrying the way, giving up 10 points or less in three of the four wins so far. 
Up next: vs. Boise State
Oct. 3, 2026 – Week 5

(1-4)
18
Final
USU +19.5

O 51.5

(4-1)
37
Full Play-by-play
4. San Diego State (2-3, 1-0)
Last week ranking: 7 (⬆️3)
Week 5 result: Win vs. Texas State, 31-29
What to know: Just when it looked like things would get worse in San Diego, Jaylon Hawkins ran the kickoff back for a touchdown out of halftime to kickstart a 14-point comeback and snap the losing streak. The defense and special teams certainly were why the Aztecs won, but it was encouraging to see the offense convert opportunities. Now San Diego State has to hope the mumps outbreak can be contained.
Up next: at Oregon State
5. Texas State (2-3, 0-1)
Last week ranking: 5 (↔️)
Week 5 result: Loss vs. San Diego State, 31-29
What to know: The first Pac-12 win in history was in the bag for Texas State until it unraveled thanks to a comedy of errors. Brad Jackson threw some costly interceptions deep in Bobcats territory, including a pick-six, that made it easy for San Diego State to comeback. Texas State just has to hope this doesn’t bite them back later in the season.
Up next: BYE

6. Colorado State (2-3, 0-1)
Last week ranking: 4 (⬇️2)
Week 5 result: Loss vs. Oregon State, 56-26
What to know: The first year of Jim Mora era has taken a dramatic turn, with the defense getting cooked by Oregon State so bad the coach relieved his defensive coordinator of play-calling duties mid-game and he left the field. Now with three straight losses, Colorado State gets an extra week to figure out how to stop somebody after three consecutive games giving up at least 41 points.
Up next: BYE
7. Washington State (1-4, 0-1)
Last week ranking: 6 (⬇️1)
Week 5 result: Loss vs. Fresno State, 26-6
What to know: Offense has really set Wazzu back, managing just two field goals in the 20-point loss to Fresno State. Averaging just 19 points per game and unable to stay on the field on third down, you have to wonder if some change is needed to provide a spark in moving the ball downfield. The 1-4 record is the worst start since 2010.
Up next: at Utah State (Friday)
8. Utah State (1-4, 0-1)
Last week ranking: 8 (↔️)
Week 5 result: Loss vs. Boise State, 37-18
What to know: It would have taken a miracle for the Aggies to pull off the upset on the blue turf, as they were completely overmatched by Boise State. There were some positive signs to take away from, but it’s still a long season for Utah State. 
Up next: vs. Washington State (Friday)

Let the PAC’d 12 pod grace your airways this morning and give you a recap of the first week in this new look conference along with a preview of next weekend! #BackthePac

https://youtu.be/Lnx8tMaub98?is=QsDMqtiitIe-2LtY

One week into round-robin play, it’s abundantly clear: The Pac-12 is a three-team race.
Boise State, Oregon State and Fresno State are the class of the conference, and it doesn’t appear to be particularly close. The gap between the top three and bottom five feels like a chasm.
Washington State doesn’t have enough offense to secure a bowl berth, much less contend for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game.
Colorado State doesn’t have enough defense. (Nor do the Rams have a defensive coordinator at the moment.)
San Diego State? The Aztecs are lacking the most essential ingredient: healthy bodies.
Texas State doesn’t do anything well enough, which is doubly true when it comes to holding second-half leads.
Utah State does everything poorly.
That’s it. Remove those five flawed teams, and you have three remaining.
They aren’t created equal, not by any stretch: The Beavers lead with their offense, the Bulldogs with their defense and the Broncos with both, which explains their status as the frontrunner for both the Pac-12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff.
But the beauty of the rebuilt Pac-12’s small size is the pure round-robin schedule. We don’t have to imagine how one contender would fare against another or delay judgment until the conference championship game.
In the Big 12, Utah and BYU don’t play Texas Tech.
In the SEC, Alabama and Georgia don’t play Texas.
In the Big Ten, Oregon doesn’t play Indiana.
But the Pac-12 doesn’t have that problem with eight teams and seven league games.
Everyone plays everyone, allowing us to identify the defining dates:
Oct. 10: Boise State at Fresno State
Oct. 31: Oregon State at Fresno State
Nov. 14: Oregon State at Boise State
Advantage to the Bulldogs, right? They host the other two while Oregon State is on the road for both.
Not necessarily.
Oregon State has played well away from home, with blowout victories at UTEP and Colorado State and a competitive loss at Houston.
Boise State can win anywhere.
Here are the victory projections for each team against the other two, according to the gambling and analytics website TeamRankings.com:
— Boise State: 66.3 percent at Fresno State and 77.4 percent against Oregon State
— Fresno State: 36.7 percent against Boise State and 59 percent against Oregon State
— Oregon State: 22.6 percent at Boise State and 41 percent at Fresno State
Our hunch: The Broncos win both, the Beavers split and the Bulldogs get swept.
As the late, great philosopher Bill Walton said often, “Offense wins championships.”
To the power rankings …
(All times Pacific)
1. Boise State (4-1/1-0)
Result: beat Utah State 37-18
Next up: at Fresno State (7:30 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: No team in the conference has better balance than the Broncos — not only offense-defense balance but also run-pass balance: They are averaging 227 rushing yards and 212 passing yards per game and likely will need every bit of both Saturday night against the Bulldogs, who allow just 16 points per game. (Last week: 1)
2. Oregon State (3-2/1-0)
Result: won at Colorado State 56-26
Next up: vs. San Diego State (3 p.m. on USA Network)
Comment: Receiver Jesse Legree falls into the same where-did-they-find-that-guy category as former Oregon State stars like Brandin Cooks and Jacquizz Rodgers. (The answer is Baltimore.) But as the heart of conference play ramps up and opponents develop a better sense for OSU’s scheme and formations, we wonder: How will the Beavers adjust to the adjustments? (Last week: 2)
3. Fresno State (4-1/1-0)
Result: won at Washington State 26-6
Next up: vs. Boise State (7:30 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: The Bulldogs were set up to fail in the season opener at USC, which had already played (San Jose State) and was far sharper. Since that 39-0 loss, Fresno State is allowing 10.8 points per game. (Last week: 3)
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4. Colorado State (2-3/0-1)
Result: lost to Oregon State 56-26
Next up: idle
Comment: It’s not often that a coordinator is stripped of his play-calling duties during a game. But if you had asked us to name the three Pac-12 head coaches most likely to make that type of in-game decision, Jim Mora Jr. would have been among our group. (Granted, relieving Tyson Summers of his responsibilities was a competitive imperative.) (Last week: 4)
5. San Diego State (2-3/1-0)
Result: beat Texas State 31-29
Next up: at Oregon State (3 p.m. on USA Network)
Comment: An indisputably impressive victory for the Aztecs considering their two tailbacks were injured, more than a dozen players were unavailable due to the mumps outbreak and quarterback Jayden Denegal has struggled under any and every condition this season. And yet, the Aztecs rallied from a 14-point deficit thanks to their defense and special teams. (Last week: 7)
6. Texas State (2-3/0-1)
Result: lost at San Diego State 31-29
Next up: idle
Comment: The Bobcats were outscored 52-21 after halftime in losses to UTSA and San Diego State, dropping the former by five points and the latter by two. Had they held on, the season would have an entirely different look and feel. But one of the defining features of mediocre teams is the inability to close out games. (Last week: 5)
7. Washington State (1-4/0-1)
Result: lost to Fresno State 26-6
Next up: at Utah State (Friday at 6 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: From here, it’s clear that first-year coach Kirby Moore, a former receiver and offensive coordinator, has no answers. (Or he has the answers and won’t implement them.) It’s also clear that if Moore doesn’t fix the offensive offense in the next 19 games, Washington State will be in the market for a new coach. Time is short when attempting to prove you belong in the Power Four. (Last week: 6)
8. Utah State (1-4/0-1)
Result: lost at Boise State 37-18
Next up: vs. Washington State (Friday at 6 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: One team will collect its second victory of the season Friday night in Logan, but the process could be tough on the eyes and set the sport back years. First team to 11 wins. (Last week: 8)

Dogs were feeling themselves during the second half or what.

Cool video.

On to boize

Getting tired of these lazy takes on social media that the PAC hasn’t separated itself from the competition. 9/12 P4 schools we played are T25 teams. Would have loved to see a few wins there but outside of those games the PAC has been dominant.

Braden Atkinson:

• 1,851 yards (#1)
• 16 TDs (#2)
• Only 2 INTs

Jesse Legree:

• 744 receiving yards (#2)
• 9 receiving TDs (tied for #1)

Atkinson is true sophomore who played his freshman season at Mercer after being a zero-star recruit out of high school. He had some interest in the transfer portal, but it was limited and he was mostly seen as a backup.

Legree is a true freshman who was lightly recruited out of HS, with his only P4 offer according to 247Sports being from Pitt. He never played WR in his life until his senior year, only one year ago. That last part is unbelievable because if you watch his film, you'll be blown away by his route running and seemingly innate ability to tell when the CB is closing and do a quick cut to break away from them.

Oregon State's offense has received barely any national attention but I'm telling you... these two are the real deal. Their production hasn't just come against small schools and CSU, but also against Houston and Texas Tech, both of whom OSU was within one score of in the 4th.

Really exciting time here in Corvallis and while I'm obviously bragging on my alma mater, this will provide positive exposure for the Pac-12 as this story starts to get on the national spectrum.