When you have a statement win like [autotag]Notre Dame football[/autotag] had against Pittsburgh, it typically reflects in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
That’s exactly what happened after Week 9’s action, the Irish benefitting from teams ahead of them ([autotag]Oregon State[/autotag], and [autotag]Utah[/autotag]) losing on Saturday. No surprise in college football, every weekend seems to bring at least a few upsets.
Although the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] is a long-shot, making a New Year’s Six bowl game is still within the realm of possibilities, the chances seem to be increasing with every win Notre Dame racks up.
Find out below where the Irish landed on the most recent update of the coaches poll below.
Wazzu and Oregon State believe they should have control of #Pac12 assets. New developments appear to bolster their case.
Washington State and Oregon State received what appears to be very good news for the two schools in their legal fight against the Pac-12 Conference.
Without going too deep into the weeds, WSU and OSU — the so-called “Pac-2” — filed a lawsuit against the Pac-12. The purpose of the lawsuit is to gain control of the Pac-12’s assets, given that the other 10 members — by leaving the conference for other conferences — have relinquished the right to sit on the board and thereby have any rights to those assets.
Relinquishing their spots on the board — Washington State and Oregon State have argued — cuts off the 10 departing schools from having any say in conference matters. It prevents them from being able to claim any portion of Pac-12 revenues attached to bowl game and NCAA Tournament distributions, among many other things.
The big news is that Washington State and Oregon State just gained a much stronger legal position due to a sworn statement from Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff, unearthed by Jon Wilner of the Wilner Hotline.
“Weeks before the Pac-12’s collapse, Kliavkoff issued a sworn statement to San Francisco Superior Court in which he stated that UCLA and USC had, in fact, already relinquished their board positions after announcing they would be joining the Big Ten,” Wilner wrote.
That statement by Kliavkoff was a declaration to the court filed on July 12. The key portion of the statement is as follows:
“The University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Southern California, are no longer among the member institutions represented on the Board of Directors.”
In September of this year (one month ago), Kliavkoff attempted to convene all of the current Pac-12 presidents and chancellors. That’s when Washington State and Oregon State stepped in and filed their lawsuit, claiming that only they had any say in conference business and any control over conference assets. The point WSU and OSU were making: Leaving for another conference created an automatic trigger which removed those schools from the Pac-12 board. Leaving was tantamount to a declaration of departure from the conference.
This sworn statement from Kliavkoff appears to affirm the legal argument Washington State and Oregon State were making all along.
A hearing on this matter is scheduled in Whitman County (Washington) Court for November 14.
If Wazzu and OSU win in court, the schools would presumably gain control of Pac-12 assets and could invite a large number of Mountain West schools into a reconstituted Pac-12 Conference. The key point is that WSU and OSU would be able to retain Pac-12 New Year’s Six bowl and NCAA Tournament distributions, shared with the new members of the Pac-12 Conference. At least, that would be the likely plan for the Cougars and Beavers.
Much has been made over the past few weeks about the likely demise of the Pac-12. With only four schools currently slated to be members in 2024, the conference’s future doesn’t look good. Or does it?
DJ Dunson of Deadspin has decided that Notre Dame needs to be the savior of the remaining programs. California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State apparently have become important enough to Notre Dame that it needs to upend its entire future for the sake of these particular teams. Here’s the idea in full:
“The ACC’s ham-handed attempts to scoop up Stanford and Cal were reportedly at the behest of Notre Dame looking out for their natural rivals. For now, that quid pro quo is on life support. Props to them for making an effort to rescue the eggheads in Palo Alto from a sinking ship, but you know what would help?
Why not join a conference that is seeking a media rights deal and join the Pac-12? The Pac-12 appears to DOA, but what does Touchdown Jesus represent if not the resurrection? It’s not a super-conference, but a mini-conference is a solid middle ground.”
No. No. Notre Dame does not owe anyone anything, least of all a group of teams they have very little history with except for the Cardinal. And the beauty of independence is that you can have this attitude and not worry at all about the shifting conferences around you.
Thanks for the offer, but if the day were to come that the Irish absolutely had to join a conference, the other side of the country is the last place they would consider. The aforementioned schools will just to find another way to sustain themselves.
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Details from the final, franctic moments before 5 #Pac12 schools abandoned ship add to the humiliation for this dying conference.
What does panic look and sound like?
It sounds like Pac-12 presidents in the days and hours before five conference schools abandoned ship, leaving behind four schools: Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State.
You have probably heard that University of Arizona President Robert Robbins destroyed Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff in public for his woefully inadequate Apple TV deal.
Solidarity and sticking together … except for those two schools in the Northwest without any power. It’s such a bad look for the Pac-12.
That’s basically what the Pac-12 is all about: making itself look worse, and worse and even worse.
Here’s the reaction to another astonishingly embarrassing part of the Pac-12’s collapse and implosion, and the absolutely nonexistent leadership that brought about this disaster:
However, On3’s prediction model doesn’t see it that way.
Defensive linemen are all the rage in the 2024 recruiting cycle. One of several high-end DL recruits to keep an eye on over the next few weeks is Cedar Valley (Utah) four-star edge Devoux Tuataga.
According to 247Sports, Tuataga has offers from 13 different programs right now. However, Adam Gorney at Rivals reports that Oregon State and BYU appear to be in the driver’s seat for his commitment.
“Oregon State is definitely a team to watch in Tuataga’s recruitment especially after his visit to Corvallis, where he loved the feel of the town and he’s developed a great relationship with position coach Legi Suiaunoa. The Beavers and BYU have the edge right now for the Eagle Mountain (Utah) Cedar Valley standout who loved the culture in Provo as he’s LDS. But Oregon and Nebraska are also in there.”
However, On3’s prediction model doesn’t see it that way. They have Oregon as the favorite at 42.5%, followed by Tennessee (10%) and Nebraska (8.6%). Oregon State is tied with BYU at 7.1%, along with several other programs.
The latest news is that Tuataga will be visiting both Oregon and Nebraska before the end of the month, so perhaps we will be getting some more clarity on his recruitment after that.
For now, Tuataga (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) is ranked No. 36 at a deep position group, No. 4 overall in Utah and No. 507 nationally going by the 247Sports composite rankings.
Notre Dame’s 2023 season could go a variety of ways.
Perhaps Sam Hartman exceeds the hype, the offense goes wild and defense is better than assumed, and the Irish win 11 games and end up in the College Football Playoff.
Or perhaps things don’t go as planned and six or seven wins becomes the reality – and Tyrone Willingham memories will be come to mind.
Or maybe there is a middle ground that sees the Irish short of the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six but still having won nine games or so. If that’s the case where would Notre Dame end up?
Athlon Sports released their college football preview magazine and in it they had Notre Dame going 9-3. The bowl game they have the Irish headed to?
The Holiday Bowl in San Diego to take on Oregon State.
Notre Dame checked in 14th in the Athlon Sports preview rankings while Oregon State was No. 19. See the full rankings 1-40 here.
Oregon State won both games against Notre Dame – the 2001 Fiesta Bowl in blowout fashion and the 2004 Insight Bowl where the Irish were playing following the firing of Tyrone Willingham. Neither was particularly competitive.
Luke Musgrave is one of the draft’s top tight ends and could be an option for the Commanders after the first round.
The 2023 NFL draft is only days away, and we here at Commanders Wire will look to profile multiple 2023 prospects daily leading up to day one of the draft.
We will focus on prospects who could be available for Washington and who fit a position of need. Our prospect profiles will not be exclusive to projected first-round picks only but also players who will be selected on the second and third days of the NFL draft.
The Commanders are first on the clock at No. 16 overall.
Today, we profile Oregon State tight Luke Musgrave.
Up next in the Unpacking Future Packers draft preview series is Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave.
Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis currently sit atop Green Bay’s tight-end depth chart. That duo has combined for 48 career receptions.
With Jordan Love set to embark on his first season as a starter, the Packers need to surround him with playmakers and given the state of Green Bay’s tight end room, it’s reasonable to expect Brian Gutekunst to select a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A player that Gutekunst could target in the second round is Luke Musgrave. The Oregon State tight end checks in at No. 12 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
#OregonState TE Luke Musgrave is such an interesting eval, became a focal feature part of their offense late in 2021 that carried over to his only 2 games into 2022.
Vertical ability up the seams, but also in the threat in boundary — ran double move vs Oregon, Fresno State. pic.twitter.com/NUSGTKHmc7
Musgrave, a three-star recruit out of Bend entered the 2022 season with 36 receptions and one touchdown to his name.
The Oregon native entered the 2022 season on the Mackey Watch List and was primed to enjoy a monster season. In two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Musgrave hauled in 11 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown.
Musgrave competed in alpine skiing, lacrosse, and track. He was No. 27 on Bruce Feldman’s Annual Freaks list. That freaky athleticism was on display at the combine when he clocked a 4.61 40-yard dash and a 10-5 broad jump.
Top size/speed combo at @seniorbowl? It was Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave, who had 16th fastest max speed (20.05 mph) of any player…AT 255 lbs! Next heaviest who ran faster was Cincy LB Ivan Pace Jr (20.58 at 231 lbs). Trusted sources think Musgrave could run 4.4 at Combine.👀 pic.twitter.com/qa3xtXm3WA
“Musgrave is gifted with regard to his skill set, but it’s no secret that the reason he’s shooting up draft boards is that he’s an athletic freak,” Carter Bahns, the senior writer and editor for BeaverBlitz said. “A six-foot-six, 253-pound tight end who runs a 4.61 forty. Yeah, that’ll play. The physique and athletic tools are exactly what caught our eyes at BeaverBlitz the first time he took to the practice field at Oregon State, and they only got better year after year. It’s exciting to see his skills start to catch up to his athleticism because while it took a little while, we always felt that once it happened, he’d be one of the best tight ends in the nation.”
The Oregon State tight end is a size, speed threat. Musgrave has the tools to be a mismatch nightmare at the next level and a weapon inside the 20s. He’s a big target with the speed to threaten the seam. With his frame, he has a large catch radius and natural ball skills. He accelerates quickly off the line of scrimmage and shows good route urgency.
Teams will have questions about his hands, as he dropped eight passes on just 80 targets during his time at Oregon State.
“Musgrave made much-needed strides in this department as his collegiate career progressed,” Bahns said. “For his first couple of years in Corvallis, Musgrave left much to be desired when he consistently dropped passes in the open field. There were legitimate concerns about his ability to reach his potential as a receiver because he simply couldn’t hold on to the ball. But it’s possible much of the struggles were more mental than physical, and by the end of his Oregon State career, they were gone. In the small sample size before his season-ending injury in 2022, Musgrave was the Beavers’ leading receiver by a wide margin, and that reliability as a downfield target was the number one sign that he was finally breaking out.”
Once Musgrave catches the ball he can be a load to bring down for defensive backs. With his speed and long strides, he’s able to quickly chew up yards after the catch.
“Musgrave has elite speed for a tight end,” Bahns said. “That certainly showed up at Oregon State when he made defenders miss and sprinted past slower linebackers after the catch. Again, the sample size was limited because he didn’t make an outrageous number of catches until late in his career, but we saw him make enough open-field plays to confirm that his after-catch abilities are about as good as or better than any tight ends in the Draft.”
Musgrave is wired right as a blocker. He brings the required effort as a blocker. He does a good job of sealing outside run lanes. While he gives the required effort, there are questions about his functional strength to hold up in-line at the next level and he needs to do a better job of keeping his feet moving to create movement.
“Blocking was the area in which Musgrave needed the most development when he arrived on campus in 2019,” Bahns said. “Spending a couple of years in the same room as an elite blocker in Teagan Quitoriano went a long way in helping him make strides. By the time Musgrave left Corvallis, he was an integral part of a blocking scheme that has consistently ranked among the nation’s best, though he still projects as more of a downfield receiving threat than a short-yardage bludgeoner. This is maybe the lone concern with his game right now.”
Musgrave is dripping with tools that teams covet. On top of all those traits, Musgrave brings special teams experience to the table. During his time at Corvallis, Musgrave logged 328 snaps on special teams. He recorded two tackles and returned his own blocked punt for a touchdown.
Fit with the Packers
Draft a player for what they can become, not who they are today. Due to a season-ending injury, Musgrave didn’t get to showcase his skillset this past season. He finished his career at Oregon State with just 80 career targets.
If a team is drafting Musgrave, they are doing so hoping his football skills continue to catch up to his athleticism. He improved each season at Oregon State and there is no reason to think that growth won’t continue at the next level.
“Anyone who passes on Musgrave will miss an athletic specimen who has improved in every facet of his game on an annual basis,” Bahns said. “The sky’s the limit for the Bend, Oregon native, and while it’s entirely possible that he’ll need a season or two to acclimate to the NFL, betting against him as a potential star three to five years down the line is a fool’s errand. His meteoric rise is warranted by his athletic tools alone, but when combined with the skills he’s developed as a receiver and blocker (and that he’ll continue to refine), Musgrave looks like a bona fide stud in the making.”
The Packers are in desperate need of more playmakers for Jordan Love. Musgrave would give Love a big, athletic target working the middle of the field, something that’s been missing in Green Bay for quite some time.
If Musgrave is still on the board when the Packers are on the clock in the second round, it would not be surprising to see Gutekunst pull the trigger on the 6-5, 253-pound tight end with 4.61 speed.
#Chiefs scouts continued their tour with attendance at Oregon State, Oregon, Northwestern and Clemson pro days.
Pro day season continues for the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the NFL.
Scouts are traveling throughout the next month-plus to get a final look at all the draft-eligible players ahead of the 2023 NFL draft. So far the Chiefs have attended pro days for Texas, Purdue, UNLV, Columbia,Illinois and South Carolina. They’ll continue to fill in the blanks on those players who weren’t at the combine and otherwise in order to make the best decisions in the draft.
In the early 1970s, few women golfers could match the accomplishments of Mary Budke of Oregon State University.
In the early 1970s, few women golfers could match the accomplishments of Mary Budke of Oregon State University. From a 1972 U.S. Women’s Amateur champion to a 1974 year that included the national collegiate individual championship and a winning record on the U.S. Curtis Cup team, Budke was a key figure in women’s golf.
And she never wanted to turn pro.
“I am so delighted that I didn’t try to make a living playing golf,” said Budke, retired for more than a decade from a career as an emergency medical doctor and now a resident at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. “I thought I was good enough to be a mediocre tour player. And I was never a very good putter.”
Budke may have never made a mark in the pro game, but her achievements as an amateur at Oregon State have earned her another in a long list of golf honors over the last five decades. Budke was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor, which since 2002 has honored excellence by athletes from conference schools as well as coaches and athletic administrators.
“Very surprised,” Budke said of the news of her induction. “Frankly, I didn’t really know it existed. So I was surprised but also surprised that Oregon State selected me to be going in.”
Each of the 12 conference schools selects one person for induction, but this year all 12 are women in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
“Budke laid the foundation for the Oregon State women’s golf program,” the university said in announcing Budke’s induction. “As she said, there were no more than four players on the team during her college career, practice wasn’t organized; it was on the individual. Budke also played volleyball and basketball during her time at Oregon State, but golf is where she thrived.”
A career full of honors
Budke’s career goes beyond her USGA championship or her win for the 1974 title in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, which ran women’s college sports before the NCAA took over later in the 1970s. A state high school individual champion, Budke also won three consecutive Oregon Junior Girls Championships and advanced to the semifinals in the 1970 and 1971 U.S. Girls Junior Championship.
She was an eight-time Oregon Amateur champion and won the Bill Hayward Award as Oregon’s top amateur athlete in 1972. She is in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Oregon Golf Hall of Fame, the National Golf Coaches Association Player Hall of Fame and the Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame. But Budke’s pull was toward pre-med studies, not pro golf. Budke enjoying playing with top amateurs like Laura Baugh, Jane Bastentury Booth and JoAnne Gunderson, a five-time U.S. Amateur winner known better as a pro named JoAnne Carner.
“When I was really tied into golf, all of my goals were in amateur golf, really, and some of the best players were amateurs then,” Budke said. “It’s certainly not true now, the women’s tour is so good now. But back then I felt like the 10 best amateurs could really take on the 10 best pros.”
Budke eventually did become a doctor, working at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center into the 1980s, then in Granada Hills into the 1990s before moving back to Oregon to work in Eugene for 15 years.
Dr. Mary Budke during her playing days at Oregon State University. Budke represented that university in the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in Las Vegas.
During her days as a doctor, with a focus on medicine and not golf, Budke somehow lost what had been a championship game.
“I thought, well, it’s not a problem, I can pick it up,” she said. “Well, it was a problem.”
She even shot a 39-59 score in the Oregon Amateur tournament she had dominated in the past.
“It was bad for a while. It was really bad,” she admits.
But being named the captain of the 2002 Curtis Cup, the international competition she had played 28 years earlier, sparked Budke’s love of the game.
“To be the captain and see all of these college players, other than Carol Semple, who was a contemporary of mine and who was on my team, then I wanted to start learning again. Anytime you are learning, that’s what keeps you going. I have really loved learning about golf again.”
Budke’s game returned so strong that she has continued to play competitively, even playing in the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur in Anchorage, Alaska last July. She reached the match-play bracket of 64 players.
“Then I ran into the three-time defending champion Laura Tennant,” laughed Budke, who lost that first-round match 4 and 2.
After years of coming to the desert for spring break to see her snowbird parents and visiting the desert more often as she prepared to retire from medicine, Budke moved to the desert after that 2011 retirement, met her current partner and lived in Palm Springs until moving inside the gates of Mission Hills two years ago. At 69, Budke says she has shot her age three times and hopes to continue playing competitively.
“I hit the ball pretty good,” she said. “It was fun to learn. That is true with medicine, too.”
