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Some questions have been edited for readability and brevity.
How aggressive would Washington be within the rapid future if Kalen DeBoer had by no means left? And will the Huskies have made the School Soccer Playoff? Wouldn’t it nonetheless have been “Oregon and everyone else,” as you urged in a latest article? — Veronica S
It is a wealthy matter that hits so many points and requires time to work by.
However let’s begin with what we view as Washington’s main mistake: There ought to have been a mammoth contract supply on DeBoer’s desk the morning after UW beat Oregon in that epic regular-season showdown.
We’re speaking six or eight years at $10 million yearly — a deal that he would have been hard-pressed to refuse given the circumstances at that second.
DeBoer had employed super-agent Jimmy Sexton by then. And Sexton most likely knew there was an opportunity his No. 1 shopper, Nick Saban, would retire. However it was hardly a definitely, and DeBoer wasn’t fairly the feeling at that time that he would change into in January.
Logic suggests UW had a greater likelihood to retain DeBoer with a large, proactive supply in October than by ready till late November to slip one thing throughout the desk.
(Keep in mind, then-athletic director Troy Dannen was simply getting settled on the time of the Oregon sport, so the onus to maneuver aggressively was on former president Ana Mari Cauce and her govt employees. They stumbled, bumbled and fumbled on the worst potential time.)
Anyhow, the season performed out with UW beating Oregon within the Pac-12 championship, advancing to the CFP and finally dropping to Michigan within the title sport.
By that time, the Huskies had no likelihood to maintain DeBoer.
However what if that they had?
Properly, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was headed to the NFL it doesn’t matter what. The identical goes for the stellar group of receivers and several other different key starters. (In all, 10 Huskies had been drafted.)
However clearly, there wouldn’t have been a mass exodus to the switch portal. The Huskies may not have misplaced middle Parker Brailsford, receiver Germie Bernard, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and others.
And, in concept, they might have retained offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
Sure, DeBoer wanted a alternative for Penix, nevertheless it’s cheap to conclude that he and Grubb had sufficient juice to lure a prime quarterback out of the portal (in the event that they didn’t imagine anybody on the roster was able to stepping in).
Might they’ve landed Julian Sayin? Or Cam Ward? Or Will Howard?
Sure, Jedd Fisch ended up with a strong quarterback, Will Rogers from Mississippi State. However the mixture of DeBoer, Grubb, their hovering inventory and the continuity would have, in our opinion, resulted in a top-tier switch.
With so many different items in place, plus the playbook, the 2024 depth chart would have been in vastly higher form than the one Fisch inherited. And with out the teaching change, the switch portal wouldn’t have swung open to UW gamers within the second half of January.
So the place would which have positioned the Huskies final September, after they launched into their Massive Ten journey?
We aren’t satisfied the ensuing roster may have competed with Oregon, Ohio State and Penn State for the convention title. Washington’s NIL sport, even with DeBoer on board, merely wasn’t sturdy sufficient to draw the high-end expertise required.
However there’s a center floor, people. The Huskies might need been a half-step under the Geese and Buckeyes however a full tier above the place they had been in Fisch’s first yr.
With a number of breaks and cheap well being, they might have gained eight or 9 video games (possibly 10) and maybe contended for the ultimate CFP berth.
Final level: The long-haul challenges dealing with Washington within the Massive Ten — challenges with NIL funding and a decent price range and the stadium debt and the half-share of convention income — would nonetheless exist had DeBoer remained in Seattle.
And for that purpose, the Huskies wouldn’t have been as properly geared up as Oregon to compete for the convention title frequently.
However as an alternative of framing the Massive Ten’s West Coast quartet as Oregon and everybody else, we might have been tempted to explain the state of affairs as Oregon, then Washington, then the L.A. colleges. There would have been three ranges as an alternative of two.
Hope that helps. The Hotline loves hypotheticals as a result of they supply an avenue for addressing broader themes and developments. Admire the query.
What shocked you, if something, about Week 1 of the season? — @MrEd315
There have been loads of draw back surprises, however let’s determine 4:
— Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s throwing mechanics had been astoundingly unhealthy. The ambiance in Ohio Stadium and the Buckeyes’ protection undoubtedly performed a job, however he by no means regarded snug or basically sound.
— Alabama’s lack of power general and absence of physicality on the strains of scrimmage within the loss to Florida State ought to be extra regarding to DeBoer than the loss itself.
— The poor showings by UCLA and Oregon State, which have second-year coaches with loads to show, was not anticipated. If DeShaun Foster (UCLA) and Trent Bray (OSU) don’t make important enhancements ahead of later, darkish clouds will collect over their tenures.
— Boise State’s efficiency at South Florida was far worse than we might have ever imagined, even when accounting for the post-Ashton Jeanty transition.
As for upside surprises, listed here are three:
— We anticipated a bounce-back season from Utah however didn’t envision the Utes working with midseason effectivity of their opener. Few groups anyplace had been as spectacular. In the event you’re searching for a Massive 12 frontrunner, contemplate the Utes.
— Ohio State’s protection, below new coordinator Matt Patricia, exceeded our expectations given the attrition (to the NFL) and Patricia’s lack of latest faculty teaching expertise.
— No rookie quarterback was extra spectacular than Cal freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, whose poise and accuracy had been what you’d anticipate from top-tier veterans. Can Sagapolutele play that properly on a weekly foundation? Most likely not. However even 75 p.c of his Week 1 kind can be ok to get the Bears again to the postseason.
Might Texas, Alabama, and Clemson see the School Soccer Playoff format debate otherwise after their outings this previous weekend? — Steve Q
Beneath the Massive Ten proposal that creates 13 automated qualifiers and simply three at-large spots, the non-conference outcomes would impression solely CFP seeding. Entry would rely fully on success in convention play.
Our sense is the SEC and ACC are content material with the 5+11 mannequin and wouldn’t be swayed by a single weekend, and the identical goes for the precise colleges talked about.
Just like the Massive 12, the ACC can’t settle for any mannequin that codifies its standing as lower than the SEC or Massive Ten.
And the SEC favors the 5+11 mannequin as a result of it needs to maximise participation. The convention believes 5 – 6 at-large berths can be potential yearly — greater than it could obtain below the Massive Ten’s proposal.
How lengthy will the convention proceed to be referred to as the Pac-12? There aren’t 12 colleges and plenty of of them are removed from the Pacific Ocean. How concerning the ‘State Eight’? — Paul P
Sure, the presence of eight colleges with state within the identify presents fodder for jokes. However we totally anticipate the convention to retain the Pac-12 identify. In spite of everything, it’s one purpose the Mountain West colleges made the transfer: They needed to profit from the worth that accompanies the Pac-12 model.
Clearly, that model worth isn’t what it was once. It’s a fraction of what it was once, the truth is. However there may be extra model worth related to Pac-12 than the Mountain West, which has solely been round for 1 / 4 century.
The Massive Ten has retained its identify by all of the membership additions — to 18 — due to the model worth. The Massive 12 stays the Massive 12 regardless of having 16 groups. The Pac-12 is following precisely the identical technique, simply on a a lot lesser valuation scale.
It strikes us that altering the variety of colleges referenced within the identify can be a mistake till the Pac-12 settles on its membership state of affairs.
Additionally, Gonzaga can be a bit offended with any identify referencing eight colleges.
Which convention has essentially the most negotiating leverage within the School Soccer Playoff format debate? — Jon J
The SEC, for a lot of causes that we will summarize on this method:
— Commissioner Greg Sankey is extra influential than any of his friends, together with the Massive Ten’s Tony Petitti, who’s comparatively new to the job and the business.
— The SEC’s community associate, ESPN, is the unique rights-holder to the CFP by 2031.
— The SEC’s place, in favor of the 5+11 mannequin, higher aligns with the general public’s desire than the Massive Ten’s mannequin, which is usually considered as radical and a risk to the common season.
Additionally, the ACC and Massive 12 are on the SEC’s aspect of the negotiating desk, whereas the Massive Ten is successfully alone in its help for the automated qualifier mannequin (4-4-2-1-3).
Our hunch is the SEC’s transfer to 9 convention video games will immediate the Massive Ten to relent and help the at-large mannequin (5+11), thus guaranteeing playoff growth for the 2026 season.
I used to be performing some Wikipedia “research” and am pretty sure that is the primary yr since 1965 {that a} California staff hasn’t been within the Related Press preseason High 25. What’s your view of the state of affairs within the Golden State? — Chris P
We are able to verify that is the primary time this century that no California colleges appeared within the AP preseason ballot, however the Hotline hasn’t regarded past that time. (It could not be tough: Begin by checking any yr USC doesn’t seem within the preseason ballot.)
In our view, the first situation isn’t the Trojans’ standing a lot because the concurrent downturn from UCLA, Stanford and Cal.
Sure, the Bears had been bowl-eligible final season, however they’ve been a mediocre program that not often cracks the AP ballot. Stanford has been irrelevant for years, whereas UCLA has slipped from the eight- or nine-win editions below coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
The aggressive panorama ties on-field success to monetary assets and fan ardour like by no means earlier than, and people are clearly points for all three colleges (in a single kind or one other).
Granted, the query wouldn’t have been posed if USC had cracked the preseason ballot. However the collective battle at Cal, Stanford and UCLA is completely price watching.
Any rumors with Stanford’s seek for a everlasting head coach for subsequent yr? Is there a deadline? — U Johnny
We have now not heard a lot on that entrance, which is sensible on this regard: Stanford’s new athletic director, John Donahoe, who was employed July 31, isn’t on the job but. He begins Monday.
We anticipate soccer basic supervisor Andrew Luck to guide the search, however Donahoe can be concerned. Past some primary background work, the college most likely hasn’t executed a lot, if something.
Additionally, the outcomes of the 2025 season may play an instrumental function in shaping the candidate pool.
The truth that Donahoe’s first day on the job will come six-and-a-half months after the resignation of his predecessor, Bernard Muir, speaks volumes concerning the sense of urgency — or lack thereof — inside Stanford’s administration.
To an extent, it’s comprehensible: Luck is operating the soccer operation; and males’s basketball is ready organizationally with coach Kyle Smith and basic supervisor Eric Reveno. Additionally, president Jonathan Levin has different issues with the layoffs and price range shortfall.
However given all of the circumstances, we don’t anticipate substantive progress on the teaching search till November.
Is it higher for the brand new Pac-12 to have its soccer championship sport at a impartial website or on campus? What ought to it prioritize with its determination? — @BartWal82497033
That matter was undoubtedly broached throughout the media rights negotiations that led to CBS changing into the convention’s main broadcast associate and rights-holder to the convention championship.
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We aren’t conscious of a closing determination, nevertheless it’s potential the Pac-12 is leaning closely to at least one choice or one other.
In our view, a impartial website sport in Las Vegas, Los Angeles or some other NFL stadium can be a mistake. Not sufficient curiosity. Too many empty seats. Too sterile an environment. In spite of everything, lots of the energy conferences have problem filling stadiums for the title video games.
How many individuals would attend Washington State vs. Colorado State in Las Vegas? Or Boise State in opposition to Texas State in L.A.? Not almost sufficient to generate an optimum atmosphere for the groups or first-rate visuals for the TV broadcast.
Play the sport on the house discipline of the No. 1 seed, because the Mountain West does now.
And there’s one other piece to think about: Many followers possible would choose in opposition to touring to a impartial website convention championship with the intention to save money to attend a playoff sport.
Let the highest seed host. It’s higher for everybody.
In the event you had been attending an Oregon sport, acquired invited right into a room with a number of hundred followers and requested to talk, what would you inform them? — @Jimmy0726
First, I’m not massive on public talking engagements. However in that state of affairs, I might merely open the ground for questions. That’s usually a extra productive strategy than simply babbling on and on about myself, my profession, and many others.
Given the myriad off-the-field points that impression the sport and curiosity followers, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all dialogue level.
Some followers have an interest within the staff and the season.
Others wish to learn about points just like the switch portal and NIL.
Many are interested by media rights and the media ecosystem.
Only a few — very, only a few — care a lick concerning the inside-journalism points that I would in any other case be tempted to handle. It doesn’t take lengthy for a monologue to start out sounding like Charlie Brown’s trainer.
One of the best ways to fulfill the most important share of individuals within the room can be a prolonged Q&A session.
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