Tag: Washington

Big Ten expansion marks the end of an era for legendary advertisement

Big Ten expansion marks the end of an era for legendary advertisement

With the Big Ten conference expanding to 18 teams officially on Monday, the end of June marks the end of an era for the legendary Big Ten map television advertisement.

The ad takes the viewer from the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, to each of the current 14 Big Ten campus locations from west to east, wrapping up at Rutgers, while “Silver Lining” by Guards plays in the background.

The current iteration of the Big Ten came into effect in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers joined the conference, expanding to 14 teams for a decade. Now in 2024, Oregon, USC, UCLA and Washington will all be joining the Big Ten.

It’s unclear if the conference will simply adjust their popular advertisement, adding the new the programs, or if they’re scrap the whole thing and go a different direction.

Nonetheless, it’s the end of an era for the Big Ten and the future is officially here for the 18-team conference.

USC should be quietly optimistic about November Big Ten game at Washington

USC visits Husky Stadium on November 2. It might be favored when that game arrives.

Washington hosts USC in a Big Ten football game this November. Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound right at all … but it’s reality. Welcome to the new and bizarre world in which four West Coast schools are part of the conference of the Upper Midwest in the United States. USC should, at this point, feel optimistic about that Big Ten road trip to Seattle. Why?

The Wilner Hotline offered this early assessment of the 2024 Huskies on the gridiron:

The Hotline holds a negative outlook for Washington in Fisch’s first season, for a slew of reasons: The disruption caused by the coaching change; the massive loss of talent, especially at quarterback, receiver and offensive line; and the difficulties posed by life in the Big Ten.

The Huskies won 14 games last season and played for the national championship, but that’s not our standard in 2024. Our standard is winning eight or nine games and competing for a top-tier finish in the Big Ten.

And we don’t see that happening.

It could be a long fall on Montlake.

USC visits Washington and Husky Stadium on November 2.

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Kinsey Fiedler signs with Tennessee softball

Washington transfer Kinsey Fiedler signs with Tennessee softball.

Tennessee softball and head coach Karen Weekly have signed Kinsey Fiedler.

Fiedler is a transfer from Washington and a riding senior. She posted a career .283 batting average, 23 home runs, 71 RBIs, 92 runs, a .530 slugging percentage and 27 stolen bases in three seasons with the Huskies.

Fiedler played every position except pitcher and first base.

In three seasons at Washington, she appeared in 150 games, including 143 starts. Fielder helped the Huskies advance to the 2023 Women’s College World Series. It was Washington’s first trip to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma since 2019.

In 2024, Fiedler, a native of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, recorded a .365 batting average, seven home runs, 27 RBIs and 30 runs.

Ben Lonergan/USA TODAY Network

Four-star tight end picks Notre Dame

Nice get.

Notre Dame has developed a reputation in recent years as the landing spot for many quality tight ends. Our own Nick Shepkowski has taken to giving Notre Dame the moniker of “Tight End U.” Well, he’ll able to keep calling it that for the foreseeable future.

Many experts are high on [autotag]Nate Roberts[/autotag], and the 2025 four-star recruit from Washington, Oklahoma, picked the Irish during a live announcement on 247Sports’ YouTube channel:

Roberts, Oklahoma’s No. 2 recruit and the nation’s No. 3 tight end in the 2025 class, appropriately received his offer from the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and was getting offers as recently as June 6. [autotag]Gerad Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marty Biagi[/autotag] led the charge in recruiting him, and this definitely is a big win for them. He’s comparable in size to [autotag]Michael Mayer[/autotag] and could very well catch up in at least that department by the time his collegiate career begins. Maybe the Irish should start the process of trademarking “Tight End U”?

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Rutgers faces USC and Washington at different times of the season

Rutgers playing USC and Washington at different times of year offers a Big Ten measuring stick.

USC plays Washington on November 2, but before that, both USC and Washington will face Rutgers. We talked to Rutgers Wire editor Kristian Dyer about the Scarlet Knights’ two Fox Friday night Big Ten college football games against the Trojans and the Huskies. The USC game is the one we are most interested in, but it’s worth getting a sense of how Washington compares to the Men of Troy. It’s also worth seeing if Rutgers really feels it can pick off Washington at home.

Trojans Wire: You also play Washington on a Friday, but that game is in late September at home. Is it good or bad that you’re playing the Huskies earlier in the season and not later?

KD: Washington is a bit of an enigma, aren’t they? Jedd Fisch returning to New Jersey will be interesting. I think you want to play a new Big Ten team that is rebuilding a bit earlier in the season and try to catch them off guard. This is a big potential game for Rutgers if they want to make a bowl game.

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The destruction of the Pac-12 and football tradition — is it worth it?

Tradition is taking a beating. Is it worth the 12-team playoff, the new revenue streams, and more?

The end of the Pac-12 means the end of the classic Rose Bowl we grew up loving and cherishing. We’re not going to have the Pac-12 champion against the Big Ten champion in the Rose Bowl at 2 p.m. in Pasadena on January 1, unless the College Football Playoff seedings and brackets happen to work out perfectly. Tradition is fading away in college football. Modernity is bringing something new to the landscape as USC moves to the Big Ten with Washington, Oregon and UCLA.

We are saying goodbye to the Pac-12 here at Trojans Wire. We are interested in what our friends at the other departing Pac-12 schools are thinking about all of this. This is not the world our fathers and grandfathers lived in. It’s not the college football environment we grew up with. Is this devastatingly sad or something we should simply embrace in a forward-looking approach to the future? How much of a loss is this for college football?

We talked about these topics and more with UW Huskies Wire editor Roman Tomashoff. Here’s the show:

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Commanders, D.C., attempting to bring NFL draft to the city

Could the NFL draft be coming to Washington?

The NFL announced this week that Pittsburgh would host the 2026 NFL draft. Next year’s NFL draft will take place in Green Bay.

Dallas, Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Detroit have hosted the draft since it went on the road in 2015. For years, the NFL draft was held in New York City at Radio City Music Hall.

With the next two host cities known, the 2027 NFL draft is the next one up for grabs. Which NFL city could be the next host?

If the Washington Commanders have a say, it will be in Washington, D.C.

According to Nicki Jhabvala and Mark Maske of The Washington Post, D.C. representatives and Commanders officials are vying to host the event and are confident they can land it in 2027.

As expected, the District will have plenty of competition.

But while several of those connected to the D.C. effort are confident that Washington will be selected as the site of an NFL draft in the coming years, others within the league cautioned that the competition is intense, as many cities with NFL franchises aspire to be picked to host the popular and increasingly lucrative event.

Per the Post’s report, the Commanders were among 12 teams in Detroit at the 2024 NFL draft to conduct site surveys.

The draft has proven to be an economic boom to each of the previous host cities, so landing the draft would be good for D.C. and the Commanders. With Dan Snyder no longer in the picture, Washington’s chances have dramatically improved.

Commanders rookie Johnny Newton wants to learn from Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne

Johnny Newton looks forward to learning from Daron Payne and Jon Allen.

Things haven’t gone smoothly for Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton since he was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft over three weeks ago.

Newton, who had surgery on his foot to repair a Jones Fracture he suffered during his final college season at Illinois, learned the injury was healing on schedule, but he had a similar condition in the other foot.

So, at last week’s rookie minicamp, Newton was in a walking boot, and head coach Dan Quinn revealed that he needed another surgery. Of course, that sent Washington fans into a panic. Did this new regime fall into the same trap as other previous regimes?

Many had projected Newton as a first-round pick, but he slid to the Commanders at No. 36. Was this because teams knew Newton needed surgery on both feet?

Regardless of when the Commanders found out Newton needed another surgery, they believed they had a steal. Newton underwent successful surgery last week, and Washington is optimistic he’ll be ready for Week 1.

The good news is that the Commanders don’t need Newton for Week 1. Washington has arguably the best pair of defensive tackles in the NFL, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

Going into a situation with two established stars in front of you could be disappointing for most rookies, but Newton sees it as an opportunity.

“You’re talking about guys I used to watch when they was in college, so transitioning to the NFL, of course, I still watched them,” Newton said, per Zach Selby of commanders.com.

“Playing next to those guys, outstanding, an amazing feeling. [They’re] Older guys who have had success [in] college and in the NFL. So, I’m really happy.”

The Commanders have some depth at defensive tackle with Allen, Payne, Newton and third-year players John Ridgeway and Phidarian Mathis. Mathis, a 2022 second-round pick, could be fighting for his future in Washington this summer.

Saints will play two teams coming off of bye weeks in 2024

The New Orleans Saints will play two teams coming off of bye weeks in 2024:

NFL teams always want more time to prepare for their next game, but the inverse is also true — it’s frustrating whenever an opposing team is getting more time to rest and plan for them. Fortunately for the New Orleans Saints, they’ll be playing just two teams coming off of bye week breaks in 2024. And both of those matchups are scheduled for kickoff at the Caesars Superdome.

The Cleveland Browns will be off in Week 10 before traveling to New Orleans in Week 11; last year, Cleveland limped into the playoffs with an 11-6 record after injuries sidelined starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Nick Chubb, only to get shellacked by the Houston Texans in the wild card round. The Browns have built a playoffs-ready roster with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

As for the Washington Commanders? They’re visiting the Saints in Week 15 after resting during their Week 14 bye. Few teams have experienced as much turnover as Washington this offseason. They only won four games last season before cleaning house in the front office and on their coaching staff. They’re a bit of a wild card themselves with all these new pieces, including head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but the Saints can’t take them lightly.

What about the Saints themselves? Their bye week this year is in Week 12, and they’ll come out of it hosting the same Los Angeles Rams team that embarrassed them last December. Head coach Dennis Alllen and his staff must come up with a better game plan than we saw last year, and they’ll have plenty of time to do so before this rematch in New Orleans.

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Another former Washington Husky assistant joins USC basketball, Eric Musselman

Eric Musselman has now hired multiple former Washington Husky assistants at USC. This should be interesting.

Quincy Pondexter is staying on the West Coast but is switching programs in the Big Ten. Pondexter, a nine-year NBA veteran and Fresno native who has experience coaching against USC in the Pac-12 era at Washington, has been hired as a Trojan assistant coach by Eric Musselman.

The University of Washington alum spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach on the Huskies’ bench under Mike Hopkins. The Huskies went 50-46 over the last three seasons while Pondexter was there on the bench. Hopkins was fired and replaced by Danny Sprinkle. Musselman has rounded out his coaching staff after replacing Andy Enfield at USC several weeks ago.

During his senior year at UW, Pondexter averaged 19.3 points per game and was named to the All-Pac-10 first team, leading the Huskies to the NCAA Tournament. He was selected 26th in the 2010 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 36-year old-Pondexter played for the Hornets, Grizzles, Bulls and Spurs in an injury-plagued nine-year pro career. In those years he averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Pondexter joins a USC staff with another former Washington Husky assistant. Will Conroy also worked at UW before moving to USC. It will be fascinating to see how these former Huskies work with Musselman in Los Angeles.

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