Five things you need to know for Week 8 in Pac-12 Football…
1. The GameDay factor
Hotline is forever looking for context. This week, we found a pile hidden in plain sight.
The rise and fall of the Pac-12 during the era of expansion tracks campus hits with ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
It makes sense, doesn’t it? The very popular pre-game show goes where the big games are.
On Saturday, “GameDay” will be broadcast live from Eugene, as Oregon’s No. 9 host UCLA’s No. 9 in a fallout encounter—for the conference race, the playoff chase and possibly the Heisman Trophy campaign.
But examine the history of “GameDay” within the Pac-12 imprint since the conference expansion in 2011 and you’ll notice a distinct pattern.
The show has appeared on a regular basis for six years, an extension that coincided with a barrage of 10-win seasons and top 25 rankings for the conference, as well as two supplement berths.
But in the past five years, as the Pac-12 has faded from its importance, “GameDay” has become a rare visitor to the West Coast.
Appearances per year (with campus):
2011: Three (Oregon, University of Southern California, Stanford)
2012: Two (Oregon, USC)
2013: Three (Washington, Oregon, USC)
2014: Single (Oregon)
2015: Two (Arizona, Utah)
2016: Two (Utah, Washington)
2017: none
2018: Two (Oregon and Washington State University)
2019: none
2020: None (Covid)
2021: one (UC)
‘GameDay’ debuted in 1993 and is making its 11th appearance in Oregon, leading the Pac-12. (Only USC, which has hosted 10 times, is very close.)
We’re a little skeptical about another visit to the West Coast this season, not because of the lack of quality matches but because of the locations.
The Washington-Oregon and Utah-Oregon games could be candidates, but they are both in Eugene and GameDay doesn’t appear twice on the same campus.
That seems to leave only one option: the USC-UCLA showdown, which falls on November 19 – the weekend before Ohio – Michigan.
2. Hello, bye
This is the lightest weekend of the season, with only four games left: USC, Arizona, Utah and Washington State are idle.
Once Week 8 is over, only two teams will have to say goodbye to taking down the streak: Oregon and Washington. They are idle October 28, then crash in Seattle on the first Friday in November.
This weekend’s light line-up leaves the conference with only two games on the major networks: Oregon-UCLA on Fox at 12:30 p.m., while Washington-Cal on ESPN will be in the night window. Other games are on Pac-12 Networks.
3. QB Questions
Only eight teams are on the field, but three of them have quarterback positions worth keeping an eye on:
– Colorado will make a game time decision on new player Owen McCown, who reportedly “had a blast” against Cal and left the game in the second half. His replacement, JT Shrout, threw the winning touchdown pass into overtime and will be available if McConne isn’t ready.
Arizona State’s Emory Jones, who removed a concussion protocol after being injured two weeks ago, is expected to start the win over Washington. If he struggled, the Sun Devils would turn to Trenton Bourguet, who threw three touchdowns against the UW.
– Oregon is expected to start freshman Ben Gulbranson for the third game in a row as Chance Nolan is still concussed. Gulbranson is 2-0 as a start, with wins over Stanford and Washington.
4. Help Arrival
We’re used to firing Pac-12 coaches mid-season, but Cal took the opposite approach this week.
Bears persuaded Steve Greatwood to retire. Pac-12’s longtime assistant will serve as an analyst and will revive Cal’s distressed play along the offensive line.
Greatwood is well aware of the school and the job, having coached the position for decades in Oregon and Cal. Essentially, he’s answering coach Justin Wilcox’s plea for help.
The Bears were terrible in attack, with 22 points (combined) against Washington State and Colorado, and a flopped streak is the main reason.
We suspect that Greatwood’s influence will be felt immediately despite the analyst’s role.
5. Notes and nuggets
Oregon, Oregon and Washington are eligible for wins this weekend. USC and UCLA have already hit the six winning threshold.
Washington scored more points in seven games (295) than in 12 last season (258).
Arizona State University’s last victory at Stanford was in 2007, the first year of Jim Harbaugh’s reign.
Cale has won six consecutive home games, the longest running streak since the peak of the Jeff Tedford era in the 2000s.
Oregon’s 22-game winning streak is the third longest winning streak in FBS. The Ducks have not lost at Autzen since 2018 (Stanford).
Finally: UCLA’s last road win over a top-10 team was in 1990, when the Bruins beat Washington.
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Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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