USC YouTube show looks at Trojans’ 2023 roster, Oregon to Big Ten, and more

.@Tim_Prangley and @LBCTrojan examined the #USC roster with the season approaching. They also discussed the #B1G Oregon news.

College football commentators and analysts are trying to pull off a juggling act right now: They’re trying to preview the 2023 season and examine rosters while also keeping pace with the whirl of realignment rumors, reports, and plot twists across the country. Here in the Pac-12, we’re entering the final football season in conference history, but we also are wondering where Stanford and California will land.

It’s a complicated time for anyone who talks regularly about college football.

At Trojan Conquest Live — found on the USC YouTube channel at The Voice of College Football — co-hosts Tim Prangley and Rick Anaya pulled off this balancing act. They tackled the key questions and plot points on the 2023 USC football roster, and they also discussed the implications and meaning attached to the Big Ten’s acquisition of Oregon and Washington.

There’s so much to talk about in college football and in the college sports industry. Tim and Rick provide an extended show packed with insights, and with responses to viewer questions:

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Ducks Wire reacts to Oregon’s arrival in Big Ten, joining USC

We’re sad the #Pac12 is dead, but we’re excited about the #B1G games next year. @Ducks_Wire joined us to look ahead to the Big Ten.

It really and truly is a bummer that the Pac-12 is dead. I grew up in Phoenix and lived nearly 20 years of my adult life in Seattle. The American West has been my home my entire life. Pac-12 culture, Pac-12 rivalries, Pac-12 intrigues, and Pac-12 memories have shaped my existence as an American and as a college sports fan and observer. Seeing this conference die is a wound and a source of great frustration.

Our guest on the new Trojans Wired podcast, Zachary Neel, is the editor of Ducks Wire. He is a University of Oregon alumnus. The death of the Pac-12 is a source of pain for him, too. We don’t like this. It is a downer.

Yet, we can all see and understand that USC and Oregon both needed to get out of the Pac-12, a sinking ship which has been horribly managed by the Pac-12 CEO Group. Business is business, and USC made a sensible business decision last year. Everyone can see that more clearly, one year after the fact.

Oregon has now joined USC in the Big Ten. The Ducks have an objectively better situation. We’re all sad about the Pac-12, but we know USC and Oregon did what they had to do. Now we look forward to the Big Ten era with Zac Neel and Ducks Wire.

Find out what Zac said about the future for the Ducks in the Big Ten. We did spend a few minutes wondering if Stanford is going to join Oregon and USC in the Big Ten.

Ian Hest produced the show:

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USC can’t shake Oregon as Ducks move to the Big Ten

Oregon fans are loving that they get to follow USC. Trojan fans don’t care. They know USC’s better than the Ducks. #B1G

We love the fact we get to continue working with our friends at Ducks Wire as conference partners. USC and Oregon have not played a football game since Ducks Wire came into existence. This year’s game will be the first … and it will not be the last. That’s good, but USC fans aren’t exactly thrilled to have Oregon as a conference neighbor in the Big Ten.

It’s not a secret that USC’s move to the Big Ten — when it happened in 2022 — had seemingly given the Trojans freedom from Oregon. That, plus the reality of competing in a better conference with more resources, was going to give USC a long-term competitive advantage against the Ducks. Now that unique advantage will not exist.

To be clear, however, USC fans will tell you (and they’re right!) that USC should be better than Oregon regardless of circumstances.

Oregon fans, of course, are loving that they get to stay in the same conference with the Trojans.

Reactions on social media were colorful and emotional, as you might expect:

Realignment calculus changed quickly for Big Ten once Colorado left Pac-12

The #B1G didn’t want Oregon and Washington the same way it wanted USC, but it pounced when UO and UW became available.

Part of the reason we are here, with the Pac-12 just about dead and the Big Ten at 18 schools, is the Pac-12 didn’t think ahead.

More specifically, George Kliavkoff didn’t realize the stakes of Pac-12 survival were not the same for all the member schools.

We wrote:

“Oregon and Washington could legitimately and honestly say they stuck around in the Pac-12 and really did want to make things worse for the conference … but that if Colorado and then the Arizona schools leave, they would not be crushed or crestfallen about the death of the Pac-12.

“’Welp, I guess the Big Ten will just have to scoop us up, since the Big 12 is collecting the Four Corners schools and won’t have room for us.’

“Oregon and Washington administrators and leaders would never say or suggest anything like that in public, but internally and privately, that could have been their thought process all along.

“Would it be that shocking if that was actually true?”

In a similar vein, Big Ten administrators might never have preferred to invite Oregon and Washington (after all, they probably would have done it last year if they really wanted it to happen), but when the Pac-12 crumbled, adding the Ducks and Huskies wasn’t an extreme hardship. It’s a minor inconvenience that will build the Big Ten brand in a few obvious ways.

Let’s look into the Big Ten’s changing calculus a little more:

Twitter reaction to Oregon joining the Big Ten Conference as Pac-12 dies

Oregon is now officially in the #B1G alongside USC. The #Pac12 appears to be dead. Wild times. Twitter went nuts.

Oregon has officially accepted an invitation to the Big Ten Conference. The school’s board of trustees unanimously approved the move. The Big Ten extended the invitation. Done deal.

Speaking of done: The Pac-12 appears to be done as well, given there are hardly any schools left to cobble together a conference. The Pac-12 has been picked clean, down to the bone. It’s very hard to imagine Stanford and Washington State inviting UNLV, Rice, Fresno State, Tulane, New Mexico, and Wyoming to be part of a lower-tier Pac-10 with Cal and Oregon State.

For Oregon, this move is a lot like USC’s move to the Big Ten a year ago. The move was done for money and stability. The Ducks escaped a sinking ship. They didn’t genuinely want to leave the Pac-12, but they had to. USC had to last year. USC got this process started. Oregon joined the Big Ten on the back end and in a more urgent situation, with the Pac-12 about to die. That’s an obvious difference between the two schools. Yet, in the end, both UO and USC realized the Pac-12 was a clown-car conference and had to be left behind.

You can imagine how wild X, formerly known as Twitter, was during all of this. Here is a small sampling of the many memes, jokes, and official statements which flew across social media when the Ducks flew to their Big Ten new home:

Realignment: the best outcome for Oregon

.@Ducks_Wire knows what it wants. It just might get what it wants, too.

Our realignment discussions continue with our friends at Ducks Wire. The topic of this brief conversation: the best outcome for Oregon.

What is the ideal result for the Ducks?

Matt Wadleigh, Trojans and Buffaloes Wire: The best outcome is the Big Ten, although the bigger question is whether the Big Ten wants to bring in Oregon. The Ducks getting that revenue share would be huge.

Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: Have Washington, Stanford, and Cal join them with USC and UCLA. Then make a Big Ten West along with Michigan and Ohio State.

Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire: The Big Ten. Frankly, it’s in Oregon’s best interests that the Pac-12 dies. The Ducks didn’t create the problem, but they’re not going to be heartbroken about it. They shouldn’t be.

Zachary Neel, Ducks Wire: It is now and always has been a spot in the Big Ten. Even with a fractional share, UO will get the eyeballs necessary to continue to grow a large national brand and compete with the best competition in the nation. A CFP berth will be harder to come by in the Big Ten, but to be the best you have to beat the best. Bring it on.

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Realignment: What will happen with Oregon?

What will happen to Oregon in the coming days/weeks/months? @ZacharyCNeel and @Donald_Smalley of @Ducks_Wire weigh in.

The Pac-12 could soon die. Realigment is going to dominate our lives for the next 72 hours if not the next few weeks before we finally get back to watching actual college football on television.

The staffs at Trojans Wire and Ducks Wire discussed realignment scenarios. We start with Oregon and what will happen to the Ducks.

Don Smalley, Ducks Wire: I never believed it before now, but I think with the lack of a decent media deal, Oregon has no choice but to jump ship to the Big Ten.

Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire: The Big Ten doesn’t necessarily want Oregon or Washington, but if the Pac-12 dies, will the Big Ten have a choice? Superconferences will emerge, and Oregon will be in the Big Ten.

Zachary Neel, Ducks Wire: The end result in my mind has always been Oregon following USC to the Big Ten. Whether that happens now or in six years, I truly believe that is the final result. Let’s get it over with now and stop talking about it.

Matt Wadleigh, Trojans and Buffaloes Wire: With all of the smoke going on around the country, it would be stunning not to see Oregon join the Big Ten. It makes sense for all sides, especially with the Pac-12 getting worse by the day.

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Oregon tries to make its next move, with Big Ten and Big 12 in the picture

.@Ducks_Wire asked the million-dollar question: Should Oregon want the #B1G or the #Big12?

Our friends at Ducks Wire are in the middle of a fascinating drama. Whereas USC and UCLA went to the Big Ten in a stealth move which wasn’t leaked to the public and hit the headlines with maximum force, Oregon’s conference situation is up in the air. More than that, it might not be something the Ducks have control over.

After Colorado’s departure to the Big 12, the Pac-12 is at risk of dying. Oregon might have some leverage compared to other schools in terms of finding an ideal conference home, but the Ducks aren’t calling the shots. They hold some cards, but not most of them.

Ducks Wire is exploring Oregon’s realignment future.

Here’s a small sample:

“While we’ve talked about potential options for Oregon going forward, and how a move to the Big Ten would be desirable for both parties in the end, we’ve also touched on where the Pac-12 might look to expand if they want to make a last-ditch effort to keep things intact,” Zachary Neel wrote.

“Should the Ducks end up leaving the Pac-12 and finding a new home, we need to start vetting their landing spot. The Big 12 may be the more likely option at the moment, but the Big Ten is certainly the more-desired outcome. But is the Big Ten that much better than the Big 12, and if so, why?”

These are great questions. Read Ducks Wire to get more insights and details.

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Report: Oregon, Big Ten holding preliminary discussions to determine if Ducks are ‘compatible’ in league

Is Oregon a good fit for the Big Ten? That’s what is apparently being discussed right now

Is Oregon a good fit for the Big Ten? That’s what is apparently being discussed right now.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network is reporting Oregon has initiated preliminary with the Big Ten on whether the Ducks are “compatible” in the Big Ten. This comes on the heels of McMurphy reporting last week that the Big Ten was “not done expanding” and that numerous Pac-12 teams — such as Oregon — could be in play for joining the league.

Other programs linked to potential further expansion for the Big Ten include Notre Dame, Washington, Stanford and Cal. There has also been speculation of the conference considering Florida State and Miami (FL) should the Big Ten want to expand into another geographic region.

To read more on this report from McMurphy, click on the link below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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Report: Big Ten targeting four west coast schools in expansion efforts

Where will the Big Ten go next for expansion?

Rumors surrounding conference realignment have gone into a tailspin since news of UCLA and USC leaving town for the Big Ten conference broke earlier this month.

There was realistic speculation about the Big Ten looking to continue their addition efforts now that the Trojans and Bruins are on board, and according to a new report from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd the conference may be heading back to the Pac-12 well.

Dodd mentioned four west coast schools, and a pair of Florida schools in his latest report. Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren shut down the rumors at media day, but did not completely shut down the idea of adding members. “We’re not targeting anyone,” said the Big Ten commissioner on Wednesday at media day. “I really like our 14 current schools and I really like our two new additions that are coming in 2024.”

Which schools did Dodd mention in his latest report as potential additions? Here is a look: