Pac-12 media day preview: Commissioner George Kliavkoff to make first public comments since the Big Ten raid
Jon Wilner (Bay Area News Group) — The Pac-12 will conduct a football media showcase unlike any in conference history Friday at the Novo Theatre in Los Angeles.
The participant list includes commissioner George Kliavkoff, chief of football operations Merton Hanks, head coaches and players from every school, and an existential crisis.
With USC and UCLA bound for the Big Ten in two years and the conference fighting for survival, the fast-approaching 2022 season, which carries significant intrigue unto itself, will have to share the stage.
The top storylines to watch …
The second-year commissioner will offer his state-of-the-conference remarks at 8 a.m. with no shortage of topics to address.
We don’t expect any thunderous news on expansion, mergers, alliances or media rights contracts. It’s simply too early in a negotiation process that likely will last weeks, if not months.
But Kliavkoff assuredly will lend perspective on the key issues and attempt to frame expectations for the upcoming season.
Odds are, he’ll take the highest of roads with regards to the defectors, USC and UCLA, whose athletes must spend two years as children of divorce.
That said, Kliavkoff cannot sidestep the fragile reality now facing a 107-year-old conference.
His counterparts in the Big Ten (Kevin Warren) and Big 12 (Brett Yormark) offered bold declarations of unity, prosperity and predation during remarks at their preseason media events — all of which served to minimize the Pac-12.
Kliavkoff hasn’t uttered a public peep since the Pac-12’s world changed on June 30.
In both tone and content, he must make the case Friday for a robust future worthy of the Power Five, which, as everyone knows, is really the Power Two and the Middlin’ Three.
We’re curious to hear Kliavkoff’s perspective on reports that the College Football Playoff could expand to 16 teams, not 12 — and how that might impact the Pac-12’s strategic position relative to the ACC and Big 12.
2. The Lincoln Riley show
USC’s first-year coach figured to be the star of the event before the Big Ten move was announced, with a barrage of questions about leaving Oklahoma, USC’s playoff prospects, like in L.A. and a rebuilt roster featuring quarterback Caleb Williams.
Now, the Trojans’ future matchups against Ohio State and Michigan threaten to overshadow anything on the 2022 schedule.
It won’t be much different for UCLA coach Chip Kelly, whose standard zero-nonsense tact with the media will be pushed to the brink when he’s asked about road trips to Rutgers and Purdue.
The remaining 10 head coaches will attempt to espouse the virtues of their 2022 rosters while being grilled about the Pac-12’s next move and options for their programs.
Oregon’s Dan Lanning and Washington’s Kalen DeBoer are in unique positions as first-year coaches whose schools are hoping for invitations from the Big Ten.
At least for now, Lanning’s season opener against Georgia isn’t the top-of-mind issue for the Ducks.
Arizona State’s Herm Edwards, who carries the additional burden of an ongoing NCAA investigation, might be the only coach eager to field questions about the Pac-12’s survival.
3. QBs or no QBs?
Each team will be represented by its head coach and one player from each side of scrimmage.
The list includes just four quarterbacks but six offensive linemen — a sign of the times for a conference that has lacked star power at the skill positions in recent years.
In fact, one of the conference’s top returnees, UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, won’t even attend. Instead, the Bruins are sending lineman Jon Gaines II.
But make no mistake: Quarterback play is one of the central themes of the 2022 season after a substandard showing by the collective in ’21.
At least seven teams will have new starters — all of them transfers: Arizona, ASU, USC, Cal, Oregon, Washington and Washington State.
Of those, only USC’s Williams and WSU’s Cameron Ward will be in attendance Friday.
Like their peers and the head coaches, they won’t be able to escape the specter of realignment.
ocregister.com
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My reflections on Pac12 Media Day. USC will be much, much better than last year. Will they be good enough? Utah is expected to be the team to beat. Oregon is expected to have a tough defense. Can Chocolate Chip Kelly rally his troops? Lots of questions. Sept. 3rd we will have answers, Utah/Florida and Oregon/Georgia. Sept. 10 more answers, WSU/Wisc, ASU/OkSt, USC/Stan., Ariz./MissSt. Sept. 17th we are set, Cal/ND, Oregon/BYU, Col/Minn, Wash/MichSt. UCLA plays nobody till Col. Sept 24. George K and the Pac12, he is looking at media markets and regional to add members. On the West coast… Read more »
It wasn’t until I watched George Kliavkoff today at the P12 Media Day that I truly realized just how much bad blood exists between Mike Bohn (the Montana vacation wrecker!) and himself. USC left the P12 in the undeserved lurch per Kilavkoff, and he did everything but announce it with a giant bull horn. High drama. I’m so glad USC finally stuck up for itself and did the right thing. If the P12 had earlier presented USC with a viable option to stay, maybe Bohn would have said yes, though I doubt it. Too much monetary advantage for USC in… Read more »
Sources: USC commit Malachi Nelson, No. 1 recruit in 2023, to visit Texas A&MPaolo Uggetti, ESPN Just a few days after overtaking Arch Manning for the top spot in ESPN’s 2023 player recruiting rankings, five-star USC commit Malachi Nelson is taking a visit to Texas A&M this weekend, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday night. Nelson, a 6-foot-3 quarterback out of Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, California, did inform USC head coach Lincoln Riley and the program that he would be visiting College Station, Texas, sources said. Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, the Aggies put together the top recruiting class in 2022. Nelson flipped his commitment… Read more »
Is this kid turning into a head case? Has driving around the OC this summer in his 2022 Mercedes AMG GLE 53 Coupe got him thinking he’s all that and more?
Anthony Davis was in school when I was. He was quite a showman and liked to drive around USC showing off in expensive cars, often wearing provocative, Disney-like feathered hats. It was always my impression that the amazing #28 always thought “he was always that and more.” Anyone who ever saw AD play against ND and perform his unique knee dances after scoring 11 career TDs would agree with him. To this day, his opening 2nd half runback against ND in ’74 leading to 55-24 is amongst the top five USC plays I have ever seen, along with: Top five… Read more »
Good list. I was there for all of them except the Jarrett catch. My two trips to South Bend produced no memorable moments. Additional candidates, all of which I witnessed: Reggie Bush’s run against Fresno State that sort of traced the route of OJ’s ’67 run. I’m in the minority here, but I think the noise level in the Coliseum was higher at that moment than at any time during any SC game, including ’74 ND. Speaking of ’74 ND, David Lewis’s hit on the kickoff immediately following AD’s second-half kickoff return. When AD caught the kickoff the score was… Read more »
Can’t resist Sam Dickerson’s catch in the dark Coliseum EZ corner right in front of us in ’69 to beat UCLA 14-12 — Tommy Prothro’s toughest loss to USC ever.
Yep. First SC-UCLA game with my wife, who didn’t understand why I had to pick her up at 8 a.m. for a 3:00 kickoff.
Perfect time to start a game in November. Day-to-Night-to-Lights.
I always preferred 1:30 kickoffs in November (when the games took 2 1/2 hours to play), with the sun setting below the rim in the fourth quarter. That was the closest we ever got to fall football weather in L.A.
Not as tough as the ’67 loss, with NC on the line. Missed XP and two blocked FGs in a one-point game.
#4 would be #1 for me. Not just Jarrett’s catch, the whole drive, the clock snafu, and finally the Push! I was not there but sitting on my couch I literally thought I would go into cardiac fibrillation. The whole season would be over with a loss there.
I would add one that I did witness in person, 2011, Barkley to Woods with 1:04 to go in the 4th quarter to beat UCLA 50-0. The best part was this was after Nuehisel called a time out and the Ruin thugs wanted to go to blows at mid field.
How do you edit your posts here?
Look for the * in the bottom right, that is the edit button.
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Thanks
50-0 was a bunch of fun, but the late TD you’re remembering was in 2009. Pete Carroll did that when the score was 21-7. Not even Neuheisel is stupid enough to stop the clock in the last minute of a 43-0 game.
thanks for the editing tip.
I stand partly corrected.
I had forgotten about the late TD in the 50-0 game, but that came after Kiffin called timeout, up 43-0 with his starters in the game. Neuheisel called timeout in the 2009 game and pissed off Carroll, who had been content to run out the clock.
I do forget which game was which. I remember late in the game, late at night (hate Pac12 at night), USC has the game in hand and UCLA calls time out. SC promptly throws a bomb for a TD. So which game did UCLA bench comes on the field? They were humiliated and butt hurt in both games.
The bench-clearing was in 09, but right after the final TD, not after the game. Good times.
For me, the greatest “play” that I witnessed in person was the “drive” by Barkley against tOSU to win that game in the Horseshoe. My second greatest “in person” “play” was the last 4 downs against Cal with Aaron Rogers at QB at about the SC 10 with the entire season on the line. The Coliseum was electric. My third was the TD catch by Keyshawn Johnson to beat Stanford for the Rose Bowl. The best plays I have witnessed in person: Reggie Bush’s kick off return for a TD against the Bruins followed by Maurice Drew-Jones following up the… Read more »
As far as addressing games I actually attended, one of my all-time faves without a doubt is the wonderful 1996 USC win over ND in the Coliseum 27-20 in OT, USC’s first OT game in L.A. USC looked like another sure-fire addition to the loser column, after 11 straight years of losses and 13 straight years without beating the Irish. But captain Sammy Knight recovered a key fumble he caused near the Trojan goal line, and the rest is history. We all stayed in the Coliseum for a long time before leaving, some of it spent on the crowded, turbulent… Read more »
My favorite play from that game with the back-to-back kickoff return TDs (2003) was the botched extra point that UCLA returned for 2 points near the end of the first half. That made the score 30-2, but out came all the Bruin cheerleaders and flag bearers to do a full field victory lap. It was pathetic and hysterical at the same time. I almost felt sorry for them.
Should we be concerned? After all, in the era of NIL, some players are simply taking checks from boosters running “media companies” to play their players NIL money when they are in no significant media market (talking to you ALA & TAM). Can player hold-outs for more NIL money be on the closer than expected horizon?
Recruits love to take all of their allowed visits to schools recruiting them—but now there is real money involved….
ATL, If Caleb is making $5 million a year without taking a snap for SC and Nelson made $1 million on the hope he would play for SC, he is not going anywhere. If he is as good as advertised, he will make more money playing for SC than anywhere else. In the era of transfers, he is simply being smart. Build up the market.
Hope you’re right RJJ, but I could not help thinking out loud….
Post-Jar Jar the Cat, I am always nervous about SC’s world falling in on itself. It happened under Uncle Clay–theoretically it is possible that it would happen again.🤔
Yes
UCLA agrees to settlement of more than $67 million in dispute with Under Armour LAT — “A six-year saga that started with smiles and handshakes ended with a sterile settlement document, Under Armour agreeing to pay UCLA $67.491 million to resolve the school’s lawsuit against the sports apparel giant, according to a document reviewed by The Times. “The settlement that was reached in late May ended a fractious dispute that started more than two years ago when Under Armour attempted to unilaterally terminate its record 15-year, $280-million contract with UCLA, prompting the university to sue the company for breaching its agreement. UCLA initially sought more… Read more »
Nice pay day for SUCLA. How much do the Ruin lawyers get, or are they state employees? Is Newsom gonna take the settlement and give it to Cal? 😂🤑
The more pertinent question is how much UCLA will distribute to the less fortunate UC athletic departments in the name of equity.
baby-blue wearing suckers!
You have to wonder how UA evaluated their deal with UCLA two years in and how that compared to their pre-deal projections. They had to know it would eventually cost the something like what they paid to settle and that they’d lose any brand value of being associated with UCLA for 15 years. But they decided it was worth it to walk away after 3 years.
Totally agree. The strategy to litigate saved AU both money and brand value. My guess is UCLA is now totally hosed when dealing with sponsors.
George Kliavkoff didn’t say anything earthshaking to open up the Pac-12 media day. He’s not open to any questions concerning people or other teams he may be talking to. He did say, “We haven’t decided if we will be ‘shopping in the Big 12’. Merging with the Mountain West hasn’t been discussed. “I’m not focused on what other conferences are doing. (But) every corner of the Big 12 has been trying to ‘destabilize’ our conference.” Basically, he’s still very “bullish” about the Pac-12, its Conference of Champions tagline, and is actively exploring adding new partners who fit the Pac-12’s “cultural… Read more »
Pac-12 Preseason Media Poll (33 media members who cover the Pac-12):
1. Utah – 384 points (26 FP Votes)
2. Oregon – 345 points (2)
3. USC – 341 points (5)
4. UCLA – 289 points
5. OSU – 246 points
6. UW – 212 points
7. WSU – 177 points
8. STAN – 159 points
9. CAL – 154 points
10. ASU – 123 points
11. ARIZ – 86 points
12. CU – 58 points
Well ….That Saturday October 15th (at Utah ) game will be one worth circling on the Calendar ! …….Fight On !!!!!
The week prior to Oct 15, UTAH plays in the Rose Bowl vs dangerous UCLA. USC plays WSU in the Coliseum. As a set-up, advantage USC.
But this USC/UTAH game should be a barnburner. The Utes are likely the more physically talented team per all the preseason CFB mags.
It’s just amazing that this Ute/Trojan square-off could determine the winner of the Pac-12 after just last year, the Utes walloped woeful USC in L.A. 42-26. They have 14 returning starters from a Rose Bowl team and Whittingham also hit some home runs in the transfer portal per Phil Steele.
November 19, USC/UCLA and Utah/Oregon, huge weekend.
For USC to be essentially tied for 2nd after how bad they were last season is nothing short of an amazing turn around. Preseason polls usually mirror the end of last season’s polls. Expectations are high for Utah, probably deserved after finishing last season with a blow out win over Oregon and playing OSU close. Boy after the top 3 or 4 there is not much to be impressed about the rest of the Pac12. Still, the bottom 8 is going to surprise the top 4 somewhere.
GT, This has to be the greatest turn around of a team in history. Last year, SC was rated 83rd out of I think 110 teams (and that was too high – Cal was rated 93rd and it beat SC). Without Drake London, the team was probably about 95th or so. That is bottom 10%. This year it should be top 10%. So, SC went from the bottom 10% to the top 10% in one year! It is truly remarkable. I think we miss just how great a player Drake London was. With him, the team was decent, without him,… Read more »
IMO, the most realistic view of the Pac I have seen in years. Utah is the best team in the league, but not by much. It has the best overall talent and a quality coaching staff. Oregon and SC are about equal – both are unknowns. But, both have talent. UCLA I would rank UCLA on a par with the top, in large part due to schedule. UCLA should be undefeated when it plays Utah in the Rose Bowl. UCLA plays three quality teams this year: Utah, Oregon (road) and SC. SC plays four: Utah (road), ND, UCLA (road) and… Read more »
I was recently watching a re-run of one of my favorite older Robert Redford movies, All the President’s Men. There’s a scene 40 minutes in where Redford, playing Bob Woodward, is talking to Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook). Holbrook’s trying to keep Redford, stalled on the Watergate story, pointed in the right direction. Holbrook says, “Forget the myths that the media has created about the White House. “The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. Follow the money. Just follow the money.” Seems like nothing’s changed in all these years. Back to Redford: Each… Read more »
2022 USC Football Media Guide
Hail Lincoln Riley!
The Future of B1G expansion: Wait and See Nicole Auerbach (The Athletic) — Nearly a month has passed since the Big Ten added USC and UCLA, and each day has brought fresh informed (and uninformed) speculation of potential new additions to come. And they may come someday, but it’s not yet clear when that someday will come. “The Big Ten is not in the active market,” B1G commish Kevin Warren tells The Athletic. “I’ve got to make sure our 14 (members) are solid and strong. We’ve got two that are coming in who I want to over-deliver to. “Then, I think, it’ll be apparent… Read more »