Big 10 Predictions: Dan Lanning & Oregon’s massive hype, can Lincoln Riley rebuild USC? | 3 & Out

Intro what's up everybody Welcome to three and- Out YouTube page I'm John middleof and we are talking football all day every day make sure you subscribe like the video share with your friends let's roll baby what is going on everybody John middleof three and out podcast college football is here it's here we got games all weekend long buckle up uh cannot wait we this is an exciting time lot of hype so what I thought I would do is have on John kazano who now runs one of the bigger substacks who is dialed in with the Pack 12 forever covers Oregon and lives up in the Portland area now the Big 10 he's going to join me and we're going to discuss a little bit everything but college football the break up of the Pack 12 the hype on Oregon some thoughts on Washington with the bich and the carols around uh he's awesome I mean he's he's been doing this for a long time and really fired up later we'll have a video with DAR NOA who is the lead analy or the lead uh anchor for the SEC network uh now Texas Oklahoma going in there he's an Oklahoma guy and just I mean these are the two conferences that matters right the Big 10 the SEC with a little Clemson in Florida State maybe Miami Notre Dame I mean that's kind of where we're at in these crazy times don't get get me wrong kind of sucks because I like the individual conferences the regionality of college football but those days are dead and sometimes you just have to accept defeat and can't fight it because they're not only is no going back as we'll discuss with kazano they think this thing is only going to um I I would say conform more with these these conferences becoming one big one and Bec the Hales and the have knots and it kind of is what it is so we'll just have to embrace it enjoy it gamble on it watch it and have good Saturdays for the next three or four months because that's college football you're talking some of these teams are going to play 15 16 17 games so we got to buckle up my guy John kazano John kazano decom uh bald guy so we we got a very very bald show today and if you want to go to one of these games uh or if you ever youve never been to bson Stadium would highly recommend it place rocks if you want to go to any college football game this this fall if you want to go to an NFL game you want to go to a concert you want to go to a comedy show I got you covered in these inflationary times anytime that you can save a little money you got to jump on it I don't even need to thank you just Hammer a promo code with the official ticketing app of this podcast game time take the guesswork out of buying tickets with my friends at game time download the game time app create an account use the code John that's JN for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem the code JN for $20 off download the game time app today last minute tickets lowest prices guaranteed let's dive in [Music] kazano okay uh very very excited to uh John Canzano joins the show have on a fellow bald man and a guy that knows one of the best college football programs in the country better than anyone uh longtime Oregonian and now just a big 10 guy who would have thought John kazano who was crushing it on substack John how you doing I'm doing well man Rick neisel told me at Big 10 media day he was like who knew I'm a big 10 Alum now you know and they're uh they're claiming everybody so I think it's going to be fun to see some new cities though and some new matchups certainly the there's a lot happening in college sports you've been talking about a lot a lot yeah before we dive into the Oregon and just college football coming up you know I I have a lot of admiration for anyone that started kind of in the old school traditional media and who's transitioned and your substack the ball truth is just is Big Time and you have to be one of the bigger sports substacks in America so I I want to say congrats because that that's awesome and just you know your your journey over the last how many years now a couple your entrepreneurial Journey yeah you you know Mike Leech I talked to Mike Leech when I was making the jump and he said he said you're going to be amazing without the structure of traditional media around you and to some respects it it has been amazing and I fashion the thing like it's a pirate ship in honor of Mike Leech but it uh you know I had been at six different newspapers and I had worked in that structure and I everything I learned at those newspapers I still use and it was valuable to me so I get young people going hey can I just go right out on my own and I say no don't do that go into mainstream media and and pick up that sourcing and learn what you need to learn but I had sort of hit a ceiling and you know I'm hosting a radio show that's afternoon Drive radio show that airs across the state and I'm was writing a column Forever at the state's biggest newspaper and I'd been there 20 years and you know we're everyone knows what's happening to newspapers the The Newsroom was down to like nine reporters it had 68 when I got there 20 years ago and I was being asked to do a bunch of things that had nothing to do with my job and so it was scary though to to take that actual leap where you leave like a secure situation that you could stay at Forever uh it was kind of a scary thing and I I talked to a lot of entrepreneurs and small business owners about kind of the exhilaration of waking up every day knowing it's on you knowing you have to create you know that you know that pressure it really uh it was it's been good for me and it's been a lot of fun and the readers I think readers are are now conditioned with Hulu and Netflix and YouTube and everything that they they cons assume I think they're conditioned to kind of go and seek out the information and subscribe here and subscribe there and kind of Peace meal together what they're reading these days so the readers have been fantastic it's been uh really cool to see the reaction from sources like you know I would the Big 10 credential me for media day and yeah they they did you know they they recognized me as a uh you know as a as a nation so to speak so I I think it's just been a lot of fun and you know it's I get to go now where the story are and the readers have been great you know I I'm from Northern California born and raised and uh I was The state of West Coast college football a pack 12 die hard I used to go to games at at C Memorial Stadium with my dad in the 90s but it's safe to say you know the way the SEC and and now the Big 10 those programs is it safe to say you were kind of uniquely suited because the Ducks are your bread and bunner but even Oregon state Washington Washington State have a pretty rapid fan base for West Coast College Football which in the bay ners Trump everything I mean Stanford was a top five program they couldn't get 10,000 people there that is just not the case with obviously Oregon but even now that Washington's good Oregon State in Washington state yeah I mean you just look at it you know we talk about the stadium sizes in the SEC and the Big 10 and they're huge but you know if you start piecing together the fan bases at Oregon Oregon state Washington Washington State you start going through the Pack 12 I grew up in the Bay Area too my last job before coming to the state of Oregon was at the Mercury News I was you know I've been in immersed in the Pack 12 for you know since a kid like I I wore a cow jacket to school as a kid you know and St rooted for Stanford I was a Bay Area guy and so I think you know watching 108 years get blown up was really sad and there's a lot of tradition and I thought about the eucalyptus trees and the in the parking lot at Stanford and going to see an East West shrine game and going to you know see a cow football game and uh you know having those experiences and and then you know kind of contrasting it with what was going on from the business standpoint in major college athletics was really sad but yes like I left the newspaper in like February and here came or you know by summer UCLA and USC in June said we're leaving and so all of a sudden I was kind of uh in a fortunate position to be like okay I'm sourced with all these schools and all these presidents there's a lot going on and so the last 25 months or so John have just been absolutely um you know Non-Stop there's no off seon uh all the reported the Washington State and Oregon State fans are anxious the Oregon fans are excited but also kind of lamenting the loss of like some tradition the Washington fans are in the same boat and you know I think still there's a lot of you know readers and listeners in the Pack 12 footprint who are still kind of following all the teams to see what happens what happens to Utah in the Big 12 what happens to Arizona Arizona State and Colorado uh but you know certainly I was in a fortunate position to kind of be sourced and connected to all those schools where with all the drama going on that date between you know this specific timeline but between USC and UCLA being announced going which kind of came maybe you knew but for most of us out of nowhere and then to win Oran and Washington what was that like a year less than a year yeah it was uh it was June 30th that of 22 that USC and UCLA announced and I'll tell you everyone was surprised Oregon's athletic director Rob Mullins was in a meeting when it happened and it was like a what what happened he had he had no clue nobody had any clue nobody at Oregon nobody anywhere had any clue and so they tried to downplay that and be like oh yeah yeah okay we s saw science but no and everybody got blindsided by that and then it became what do we do they were already kind of reaching out to Consultants to be like Hey where's our value where's the future College athletics going to be so you know Oregon hired their firms Oregon State and Wasington state everybody kind of kind of uh hired their firms their consulting firms to figure out what was happening but for that next year John it was largely six or nine months of the schools saying we have solidarity we're in this together we're negotiating and in the end uh you know Colorado leaving in July uh you know 11 you know what 1213 months after USC and UCLA left Colorado left and then came that August 4th where you know I think everybody went to bed on the night before thinking Oregon and Washington were in because that's that's what Oregon and Washington was telling everybody else they were tell president and Oregon told the president of Oregon State we're staying the only way we would leave for the Big 10 as if they offer us a full share and then came the following morning you know Oregon State and Washington State signed the grant of rights but Oregon and Washington didn't show up to the zoom meeting and they only got a half share right they got a half share for a time and then they'll eventually be you know transitioned into a full share clearly they were negotiating and you know publicly and privately they wanted the Pack 12 as a fallback but I put a lot of this on Pack 12 presidents I put it on Pack 12 Commissioners that stuff's all been done but you know it's just a total failure of leadership because the Pack 12 was a good conference we saw them in football a year ago they were good teams they played in the national championship they had Heisman Trophy candidates that you know they're going all those teams are going to go off into their new conferences now and you know the best teams are going to compete at the top of those news conferences so this is really just Market consolidation and unfortunately the Pack 12 got got picked yeah I mean to me Oregon and Washington had no choice but to try to join the party and who got screwed were Washington State takes football seriously with Mike Lee I mean that was a real program and obviously Oregon State Jonathan Smith I'm sure you agree is a star uh those two programs really really got screwed now inevitably I'm a little confused I I understand you know you go to espn.com they're just buy themselves yeah inevitably they're a Mountain West program now but it's it does suck for those two programs there's no way around it right I'll I'll I'll push back on that a little bit I I met with Oregon State's president on Friday and what I got out of that meeting was uh they are not ready to accept relegation and I think what they're thinking about you know A source told me too there'll be two bites of the Apple for Oregon State and Washington State and we hear that term in legal in legal courtrooms where they say you can only take one bite of the Apple well I think for 2025 and 2026 they're going to try to play a better schedule they're going to try to put together some kind of alliance or partnership with the big 12 ACC where they play some football games that that are higher profile football games that kind of move them away from The Narrative of hey they belong in the Mountain West so I'm looking for that in 2025 and then they think there's going to be a fracture again in in college athletics and I think you know Kyle Whittingham told me the Utah coach told me that he expects that it's going to be 40 or 50 teams it'll happen anywhere from 20 months to four years from now they're going to break off it'll be a super conference so what Oregon State and Washington State are both trying to do is they're trying to say hey we we want to be as well positioned as we can when that happens so if they if you see them in 26 accept relegation a reverse merger I would view that as a complete fallback position for them that something went wrong as they tried to forge forward with this ACC or Big 12 plan because they've got the attention of the CW right now now and the CW president Dennis Miller told me that he's looking to expand that relationship they're already broadcasting ACC games and then the two pack 12 teams this season I wouldn't be surprised if the CW comes in and says to the ACC hey do what the Mountain West is doing have Oregon State and Washington State play your schools in 2025 work them into the schedule you don't have to put them into the conference but work them in as a non-conference opponent and will buy those games it gives the ability of the ACC to sprinkle a little more cash over the members who were all disgruntled so keep an eye on that is like the bite one and then bite two is like hey can you do enough in the next two years to position yourself much the way Oregon and Washington did over 20 years you know to position themselves as hey we're on the right side of that line when that division comes Utah is a great example of this look they came from the Mountain West came into the Pack 12 and had success now they're in the Big 12 they're going to win the Big 12 this year and then when that division comes I have no doubt that Utah is going to end up on the right side of the line so Oregon state Washington State have to win games and stay visible so when you talk to all these guys and you're as plugged in as anybody and we you know we guess about this because it feels inevitable but like almost like the NFL AFC NFC which was essentially be this big 10 and add some teams this SEC add some teams Clemson Florida State Miami already W in whoever else from the West Coast if Washington State Oregon State a stford you know join Notre Dame joins it's it's pretty clear where this is all headed like the way you've alluded to right yeah and I think everyone sees it and you know it really comes down to TV we all know TV is running this and so what does fox what does ESPN want will the CW or someone else get in on this and if there is an upper division let's say there is super conference and let's say it's not 40 or 50 let's say it's only 32 is there a possibility here that there's a relegation model and a promotion model where there's a second division which would be pretty sweet like it would really incentivize those teams in the middle to continue to fight you know because it would be pretty demoralizing let's say let's say you are Utah and they say hey you're School 33 you know we just couldn't get you into the top 32 and you know we love you but you're you know if Utah wins that lower division do they move up and do they play you know and then the lower teams move down I mean it could be a really interesting model that could add a little twist because I think college football still has to be different than the NFL and I think what we're really risking here is we're risking going okay well the NFL's the best of the best like why are we tuning in to see Alabama Georgia if you didn't go to school there if it just looks like the NFL so I think there have to they have to think about some differences between these two things and and and stay to that we had the appetizer last week now it's time to Feast college football is back don't miss any of the action jump into draftking Sportsbook It's a Full Slate of games for week one including the big matchup in Atlanta between the preseason number one and number 16 it's going to be the DraftKings biggest college football season to date enjoy the ride now all the way through the extended playoffs plus all newbies getting into the college Spirit here's something extra special new DraftKings customers bet five bucks to get 200 in bonus bets instantly score big with DraftKings all college football season long download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and use the code John that's code JN for new customers to get 200 in bonus bets when you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings the crown is yours he let's The hype this season on the Oregon Ducks talk about Oregon who's really thrown their hat in the ring over these last what would you say 25 years of being a blue blood and you know growing up in the Sacramento area Ontario Smith Grand High School Botti my cousin played at Fresno State they used to have some battles got to know Jeff Schwarz that that Botti run was awesome then chip took it to another level hell rich in the year with with with Marcus but now Dan Lanning right is just has this thing rolling he you know Mario had some issues as a head coach but could really recruit Dan looks like the combination of both can recruit and not the hype on this individual season as big as any over the last 25 years up there with a chip season yeah I think so I think maybe you know the chip season kind of snuck up on people a little bit because you know he had taken over remember he lost his first game to boy State and you know there were larett Bunch uh blunt punch and all that happened and so there was a little bit of you know how good can this be where is the ceiling and will chip leave this Landing thing feels um like it's got real legs to it and and the anticipation combined with joining the Big 10 and getting that Ohio State game Ohio State's coming to Aon Stadium they're going to play they're already standing room only seats they're selling you know for ridiculous amounts of money like this will be the largest attended sporting event in the state's history like there'll be more people at that game than any other sporting event ever so uh there is uh unprecedented excitement but you know you hit on it like I think that Ascension from Brooks to bot Rich Brooks to Mike bot to to Chip Kelly that really accelerated Mark helrich was just there long enough and then there was you could kind of see a decision that was made by Phil Knight and the University Administration like okay we've been with our guys for like 30 years and those assistant coaches that were there even during the hell era had been there for 30 years like all of them and so we've done our thing do we need to go outside the family and go get recruiters because if we're really going to accelerate do we need to get recruiters and so even the hire of Willie tagert was a diversion from our we're promoting our own guy or you know promoting from within and we're keeping our assistance and keeping that momentum so it was kind of greeted with some anxiety and then Mario Chris Ball yes you're right I mean unprecedented recruiting and he he left the place better than he found it uh it was a really tumultuous time and then Landing comes in it's clear they're recruiting at a level they've never seen you look at their offense um you know they've got six transfers they're probably going to start on offense including three wi outs that are going to be transfers in the quarterback Right Guard right tackle transfers defense they're going to start seven transfers these are players and there this is depth that they've never had before and size at the spring game I'm on the field John and it and I'm watching these guys and it's a size thing that you it's just not Oregon like even Oregon in 2011 when they played in the national title game in 2015 in the national title game they weren't big they were they were built like those 49ers teams you grew up watching that had you know Randy cross you know playing guard right it was yeah these were very athletic offensive lineman the guys they have now make Dylan Gabriel look small and you know and he's not a real tall guy but he's not like 5'9 510 and that's how he looks back there and so I initially thought gosh how small is Dylan Gabriel and then I stood next to Gabriel and I was like that's not it it's his offensive line is bigger than ever well when you look at Dan Lanning I Pressure on Oregon coach Dan Lanning to win is high looked at his five losses one to Kirby Smart in the first game of his career which he was a heavy Underdog yeah he's lost to dbor three times and two of them could have gone either way and debor is at Alabama so that that one aged pretty well and two years ago to Jonathan Smith who I think would be the Washton coach right do you agree with that if everything hadn't happen the way it did Jonathan Smiths a stud so I mean those I would say those five losses are pretty good losses uh the pressure on him clearly Bama sniffed around he's making a ton of money I mean I looked at the the odds they have the third best odds to win the national championship behind Ohio State they have the second best odds to win the conference they have I mean they're they have better odds than Michigan obviously going through a little transition with Harbaugh leaving and Penn State who's a consistent 910 winner I mean it's pretty strong going to this conference just viewed as not quite an equal to Ohio State but pretty darn close so the pressure on this coach seems pretty high yeah it it's set up that way isn't it and and it's funny that you mentioned the coaches and those are good losses right but but we kind of look at them differently because he got out coached in that game at Washington that first game where he went for it and went for it and went for it and didn't get anything and you know what I saw him in the hallway after that game he looked sick I mean he just he looked like he knew and but I also think that's kind of his brand and it's kind of what makes him a good recruiter the kids love that he's a little bit of a gunslinger and a little bit you know he's a fun guy to be around and he'll go for it he believes in his guys but you know I talked to him this offseason and he said you know he's really he knows now he knows like the decisions he makes have huge impact on what happens to Oregon and football and he you're not at a blackjack table like deciding to double down here you got to you got to be uh within reason take the points when it's there and then the Oregon State game Jonathan Smith just out foxed him I mean Oregon State at halftime was down two scores in that game third quarter they're down two scores in that game and Oregon State figured something out and they ran the ball like 17 straight times and Oregon couldn't stop them and it was just it was Oregon State's Run game and Jonathan Smith knowing hey when I've got something I just go back to it and so it's I think Dan lannings had you know he's if he were a first year head coach with this kind of expectation and this roster I would think differently but I'm seeing a guy who's more locked in seems to have the program buttoned up in ways that he didn't before his offseason I think was very busy he knows that there's a little bit of a team chemistry team culture question when you have as many as maybe 13 transfers starting among your 22 you've got to really work hard and fast to get them kind of all on the same page and make them real teammates and so you know the offense went off to the Oregon coast the and the defense went off on a retreat and Dylan Gabriel took the receivers down to Southern Oregon kind of did a retreat uh they're trying to do some things to really kind of get some cohesion and I don't think they're alone I think that's a question with the portal in general if you're taking that many transfers hell I've seen it with the Trailblazers back in the day like you can't just assemble like all the best players regardless of character regardless of personality you got to have some cohesion so I think Oregon's trying to find that pretty rapidly and and here comes October 12th in Ohio State well he hit a grand slam Can Dillon Gabriel fill Bo Nix's shoes? taking B Knicks which at the time was not viewed as some can't miss transfer portal guy and I'm sure you've seen him play for Denver he looks pretty darn good yeah now Dylan Gabriel who I knew he played well last year but looking at the stats Oklahoma was good and he was really good so he was available not because he can't play partly they have this super hyped guy Jack Arnold at Oklahoma he comes here he's been playing a lot like Bo Knicks for a long time I mean his college career started in 2018 so the the hype on Dylan Gabriel trying to fill in BO Nick's Shadow it's kind of a tough spot though this guy older player had a lot played a ton of games had a lot of success coming from Oklahoma has to make it a much easier transition for him yeah and he you know he got here early even though he's only got eight months to make this happened I mean Bo Knicks took two years and nicks was a better player that second season than he was the first one and I think that's that's a real interesting distinction is Gillan Gabriel's got to do it and he's got one year of Eligibility so but you know Nicks set the all-time NCAA record for starts by a college quarterback you know and I wrote when he was leaving uh hey uh nobody will ever do this again and Dan Lanning told me on media day he goes bad take because Here Comes Dylan Gabriel who's gon to break that record if he stays healthy so it's no secret what they're doing they're finding an experienced older quarterback who's got a ton of snaps and they're putting him in an offense where he's got great receivers great backs great offensive line will Stein's a real creative offensive coordinator and I think it was interesting to watch Nicks uh in Denver in that last preseason game because you know by the way you know out of the gates after the draft he was 16 to1 to be the the rookie offensive Rookie of the Year Caleb Williams was two to1 probably a pretty good bet b Knicks at 16 to1 but it it was interesting to me because it didn't look like Nicks was unprepared for anything and it was the same at Oregon you know he went from two offensive coordinators Kenny Dillingham who's now at Arizona state was his first coordinator then will Stein both of those guys had him just distributing distributing distributing I expect the same for Gabriel and I it's probably unfair because you know to put B Knick's numbers and project them you know you talk about Gabriel would be in the Heisman conversation he might be a finalist he might win it uh but I you know I think that's of the stakes right now a lot of pressure on Landing a lot of pressure on Dylan Gabriel to perform can we go on B Knicks really quick because I I was scouting actually when Bo Nix's potential in the NFL Mariota was playing and clearly he's from a character standpoint I mean like a 12 out of 10 just physically doesn't quite have the talent but he was the number two overall pick Herbert who physically is much more gifted but was nitpicked in weird ways went six uh bo Knicks was I mean it was a historic quarterback draft six guys in the top 12 and he was fast and it like I'm not trying to overreact to two preseason games but looks like he's in a pretty good spot and going to work do you see similarities in those three guys obviously Super High character guys hard workers love football people love them but you know Bo Knicks a little like Herbert Little underlooked and just nitpicked in ways like are we sure that we're not overthinking this one yeah and I remember when the questions about Herbert were there about you know is he is he too soft spoken you know I was like gosh he's yeah too nice of a guy and but the thing that I loved about Herbert was you know he played for Mark helrich he played for Willie tagger he played for Mario crisal it was like all of this transition he's gone to the NFL and what's happened transition transition transition and with his head coaches it's why I'm looking at Jim Harbaugh and Herbert together and I'm like this is the first time Justin Herbert has had a guy who he knows is going to be there it's going to be kind of cool to see what he can do but I think the Common Thread was you know you look at the maturity of Herbert he was at Oregon for all those years and played for all those coaches and dealt with it you look at Nicks he goes from Auburn to you know where he was booed out of town he goes to Oregon plays for multiple coordinators very mature Mariota had a real maturity about him right when he arrived even as a freshman he was you know he was out handing out granola bars to homeless people and doing things like you know really just had a great heart you know and so I think there's a maturity to those guys and then when you combine that and you know this like look I covered the NFL before coming to the state of Oregon I was around the Niners and Raiders a lot and Rich Ganon was the quarterback in Oakland when I was there and and Jeff Garcia was in San Francisco neither one of those guys were high draft picks they had lived a little they had flown under the radar and they were the highest rated passers That season for the AFC and the NFC and I asked Bill Walsh I said what is this about and he goes so much of being successful as a quarterback is being mature and the system you're in and the opportunity and the coaching staff coming together so when I saw Shawn pyton draft B Knicks I immediately went to DraftKings and looked at the odds and went okay what are the odds here on B Nicks as the Rookie of the Year and I was like 16 to one it's not a dumb bet like you know Caleb Williams has got a lot of weapons around him but I don't you don't know what's gonna happen but I I just think it was Shawn pton B Knicks together and then when even when the in the preseason when he was put on the third team dep tart I thought what a smart thing for Shawn pyton to do there's there's no downside in putting your rookie and saying I'm taking all the pressure off him until I need to put the pressure on him and so even at this point you know you got B knck who will turn 25 this NFL season it's not like having a very young inexperienced quarterback I'll look at I the comparison I like to make is Brock pie who started like 48 games at Iowa State by the time Brock py got into the 49ers offense it wasn't his first thing like he had been a starter for like four years Bo Knicks has that experience between Auburn and Oregon I think there's something to I I've started I've played I've seen some stuff well one Is DIllon Gabriel a potential first round pick? thing I think we learned with Bo Nicks and P penic when they showed up two years ago to Washington Oregon not a soul if I would have said one guy's gonna go eight the other guy's going to go 12 and they're both G to be pretty damn good no one would have believed you so when you look at Dylan Gabriel who's on this loaded team will Stein to me is a name I have circled that if they have a big year he's going to be interviewing everywhere a young offensive genius I I mean could we be looking at a first round pick I mean a Heisman Trophy winner you talk about odds I mean is this guy's gonna put up stupid numbers is he not if he stays on the field yeah you know you know I got I spent a little bit of time with Dylan you know in Indianapolis during the Big 10 media day he's very he's just chill I mean and he's from Hawaii and he kind of has that Island vibe to him and and I just I left that going I was far more impressed with him cuz you watch him play and you kind of go okay but who is he really and can he handle the transition can he handle kind of the glow that Oregon's going to have this season and particularly look you know as much as you want to Circle October 12th it's like the way that Oregon's season schedule unfolds they play a Big Sky opponent in week one then they get boisey State who could be the group of five champion who goes to the playoff like that's going to be a really interesting test that comes in week two for Oregon and I like that that game's position there and then you know it becomes the Oregon State game the Civil War they should they should blow Oregon State off the field they have far more Talent even though the game's at Oregon State then you get UCLA as a conference opener that's a very manageable first Big 10 conference game weird Big 10 game at the Rose Bowl then it's Michigan State and Jonathan Smith back at home it's like Dan lanny's getting to avenge some of the ghosts of his past and then you get the October 12th game with Ohio State and I kind of think there's going to be such a frenzy around that game Rick neisel told me he thinks Oregon's going to win that game because just because the uh electricity and the enthusiasm around it and they're at home and they're talented but that will be the biggest game in Oregon's history like you look back to the late 1800s they haven't played a game that is going to be that exciting and that big they had were they both top five maybe it was David Shaw's first or second year in Oregon I think David Shaw beat him they're both pretty highly ranked but I if both these two teams are undefeated come into that game I guess if George is undefeated to it'd be one or two verse three which now with the with the playoff has a little different meaning it's not like this could knock you out but uh yeah I mean it's it it's really exciting on the quarterback thing is it safe to say that Oregon moving forward Is Oregon going to look to the portal to find a QB every year? is just just going to play in this free agency thing every year and try to get one of these plug-and-play players or is that something you talked to Dan Lanning would they like to just have like their red shirt freshman be a three-year starter eventually I think eventually they would he doesn't want to close the door on that he was real careful when I talked to him about that the last time because I I look at his quarterback room and I can tell you like it's not just Dylan Gabriel you've got Dante Moore who was highly recruited out of high school went to UCLA and you got Austin novas sad and they continue to kind of Chase High School quarter the best high school quarterbacks that they can sign and but I think there is a little bit of a push back from the high school guys who are looking at Oregon and going hey wait a minute do I want to go there or can I get there by going to somewhere else first I want to play right away and so it'll be interesting to see like you know D I asked Dan Lanning about the room and I said okay how do you keep those guys happy and he said you have to really sell the idea that they see the Long play does Austin novad in the spring game was the best passer of the three quarterbacks Mike Riley the former Oregon State coach you know snuck over to the Oregon Spring Game he watched it I said what do you think of the QBs he said I kind of think novas ad's the best pure thrower and so I you know I could see spots was he a high school recruit like they get him out of high school and so they you know they've got him in there but I could see spots like if they're trying to keep Dante Moore or Austin Nova sad kind of feeling like they're part of it I could see like they're going to get some playing time in the early part of the Season particularly because look at this I mean there's the potential that you're going to play 16 or 17 games if you get to the national championship and you need to have depth and you don't want to have Dylan Gabriel out there you know in a in a game you're leading against um you know your Big Sky opponent or boisey state or Oregon State for the whole game and so I I think it'll be really interesting to see how they manage that room in the early part of the season and then games that kind of get away do they leave Gabriel in there to kind of pile up numbers the way LSU did with you know Jaden Daniels or you know do they uh do they kind of pull the Reigns back a little I know I think B Knicks came out at halftime last year of their game against Portland State and I kind of expect that's what they'll continue to do you've been around these programs for How the portal has changed recruiting a long time obviously the change of when you lost out on a huge recruit to USC or to Texas or to whatever he was gone I mean I don't fall High School recruiting that closely but I remember Dante Moore I mean that was a big deal they wanted him goes to UCLA plays up and down chip Lees boom he's right to Oregon so you could argue now when you lose out on a big recruit you you keep that relationship because that thing can change and it can change fast yeah and and the kids are aware of it and you can kind of see the way that you know when they when they choose a school now it's almost like you know you don't uh you don't close that door ever you don't blow the bridge up behind you um Degan Rose is you know a highly recruited quarterback came out of of central California he's playing at Clovis High School this season he had offers from uh Auburn Oregon Utah you know all these schools wanted him he's committed to Oregon State he wants to play and he knows he can go to Oregon State and he can play right away now Oregon State's job is to try to retain that kid and everybody else's job is to see what he turns into in a year or two and see if they can try to get him in the portal and that's the game the name of the game and Jonathan Smith who's at Michigan State now he's got Aiden Charles I asked him I said kind of do your earlier point is this just GNA be how it is and he said yes he said you're going to see the major programs that are going to kind of look around and try to cherry-pick lower college football the mid Majors the group of five schools um you know you're going to see a lot of activity in the portal and then you're going to see other schools that are going to go out like you know Washington state did something interesting you know 23 of the 25 SES in December were high school seniors it was it was strange because everybody else is going in the portal and Jake Dicker said he hey I can get him now and I can get them and I can try to sell them on the idea that this is where they need to be you know and if I recruit out of the portal I'm never going to see those kids I'm never going to get them at least I get a year or two with them to try to convince them this is the right place and he got a kid from your old uh neighborhood out of the Sacramento area way Sean Parker is a fresh true freshman running back who is going to be a star and he was Electric in the spring game he may start start for Washington State but now the job is can you keep that kid yeah see to me what gets tough and and I was a ga at Fresno State I mean how do these programs that guy what what Cal did with their running back they got pretty lucky right he's they obviously paid him but he was pretty loyal to them I would imagine everyone was calling him and so this running back that goes to Washington State let's say he has a huge year well who do you think's on the phone with them Washington Oregon hell Texas who knows the the whole country is fall it's like you have these scouting Department I don't know if you saw the story dore's guy that he took his GM is making $825,000 so because he and he probably has 15 20 people working for him so it becomes very very challenging which is I'm a huge Jonathan Smith guy I mean I I just Does Jonathan Smith regret taking Michigan State job? think he's I was a pat hill guy he reminds me of that old school slam the ball he's a throwback for being a younger guy clearly he freaked out which I don't blame him the the move and he goes to Michigan State who paid him a lot of money but he had coached at Washington under Peterson he's a Pasadena guy UCLA Washington do you think he said oh my God I mean it was hard to turn down whatever he got 80 million but yeah do you think he regrets that 100% he's not GNA say it but you know I talked to him at Big 10 media day and i' I talked to him after you know before and after he left and I the it was interesting two or three days before he announced that he was going to Michigan State I asked him are you in in contact with other schools is your agent in contact with other schools he was on my radio show and he did something that no coach would has ever done he said my agent better be on the phone talking to other schools that's what I'm paying him for and he said I'm not trying to be like you know tried about this he goes but that's the guy's job to get out and see what opportunities there are for me but I think he got scared and he took that kind of any port in a storm mentality and he chose the Michigan state job because it it was safe and secure I think if if he doesn't go to Michigan State probably Michigan State goes after Jake dickard at Washington State so uh you know I think you know that those two schools were left in a Lurch so to speak but if Smith waits he either gets Washington or UCLA and he was a Pasadena kid who you know grew up going to USC games those two jobs were better jobs than the job he took because he's in the Big 10 much like at Oregon State he not going to be Ohio State or Michigan he's got Oregon and USC and Washington deal with now um you know what's a good season at Michigan State anymore like his best season is it you know being third or fourth in that conference so I do think he probably regrets it he'll never say it you think it's safe to say that Washington's just Why Washington is a better coaching job than UCLA a better job in this current landscape than UCLA yes it is a better football job for sure it's yeah you know even look back when was you know UCLA's last success and like you look I I worked at the Fresno be many moons ago okay so I was covering those Pat Hill teams those Fresno State kids wanted to play UCLA they had a chip on their shoulder CU they said you didn't recruit me I was good enough you didn't even drive to my house to see me and you know they play him in a freedom bowl or you know or a conference game that Reggie Bush game where Fresno stake throw Haymakers and so you know there was a chip on your shoulder mentality there but look look at UCLA football historically when have they ever really in the last 20 years had success they're a basketball school going into the Big 10 conference they're going to get their teeth kicked in that could be a three or four win season for DeShaun Foster but who I I'm looking at Washington and I'm going look even in a rebuild even with the boore leaving you know they're going to have a nice start to their season I think in about week five or six it'll turn on them because their schedule gets tough but you know I'm not going to be surprised if Washington wins seven in a transition year and UCLA also in a transition year I think is looking at three or four I think they needed a guy like Jonathan Smith to kind of who knows how to kind of overcome and you know Oregon State hadn't had real success except for Dennis Erikson one season and Mike Riley had a little run where there was an uptick Jonathan Smith kind of brought some stability there and was doing things that nobody really before him had consistently done you know what's funny is when I was at Fresno State We we played Rick neisel UCLA team and Pat Hill on the Sunday of that week the way he opened the meeting he said raise your hand if you had a scholarship offer from the school Ryan Matthews was was the only guy that raised and then we beat him and you know I think Washington State Oregon State you Fresno State Boise State always had that mentality and it's served them for a lot of success and they've had a chip on their shoulder Washington you know from I'm Washington's advantage with OCs Steve Belichick and Brennan Carroll from Davis so that that bot Chris Peterson that group my my dad always took a lot of pride in he was a UC Davis guy I I was texting with a scouting buddy who was at Washington within the last week and a half and he said Steve bich the practice I was at bill was right by his side the entire practice and Bren and Caroll Pete was right by his side the entire practice so major transition year I think I read was it three or four guys from the two deep returning so but they do have some star power in name even if it's the kids the dads aren't working and if you ask me do you think Bill bich is advancing every opponent for them I would say I would bet he does yeah so they do have an advantage of those two guys being around yeah I mean they've got some master chess players in the room and and and you can talk all you want about hey who has extra assistance and who has extra analyst but if you give me Pete Carol and Bill bellich in the room you're G to figure some stuff out and you're gonna you're G to do some things that others aren't thinking about and it's just what jedf fish needs right I mean he's an offensive guy he's an offensive mind their offense at Arizona was dynamic because of Jed fish I just love that he's kind of leaning into his weakness and then he's selling like with no shame the idea that we've got NFL experience you know come here and you can be part of an NFL program and by the way these guys are at practice and so I don't blame him for doing that and I think they're gonna have a real nice start to their year week three is dicey they have to play that apple cup game against a very ticked off chip on your shoulder Washington State team that's got a lot of returners so that one's going to be a little dicey but beyond that I could see them being like 5- one to start the year and having you know maybe be ranked at the bottom of the top 25 but you look at their back into of their schedule it's brutal and it finishes with Oregon but the back end of their schedule has him at Penn State there's Oregon in there I think it's going to unravel for them down the stretch but I think Jed will be able to sit you know stand tall and go hey we won seven or we won eight and we feel good about year one and and that's a that's not a bad place to be after your first year do you think as this obviously the Civil War now is going to Is the Washington/Oregon rivalry poised to BOOM? be moved up it was clearly a huge rivalry if you went to Oregon or you went to Washington played there you live in that area do you think nationally this rivalry is going to get put on steroids over the next decade given that it's going to be at the end of the year now and has a chance to really really grow and be something cool on a bigger picture scale yeah and I think you know the Oregon fans would would always say you know they that Oregon State's their rival in state but it was the Washington game that had a little extra for them because for a while their Oregon State wasn't competitive and and I think this year's game with Oregon State's not going to be competitive everyone's pointing to end of the year and fox is going to blow that thing up I mean that is going to be yeah it's they're gonna they're going to do everything that the Pack 12 should have done to make that game bigger than ever and and they they'll understand the mar they're invested in it they'll understand how to Market and how to brand that game and how to make it feel and look bigger than than ever but uh I know you know Oregon fans are I think interested and excited to try to finally win that game I mean Landing has not won that game and I think Washington's going hey if we can go and go to uh Aon stadium and win that game will Dan Lanning ever beat us like you know I think there's just a lot of intrigue at the end of the season and by the way with the expanded playoff that could be a pretty pivotal game from seating standpoint or you know does Oregon already have a loss you know I think the the expanded playoff because it's lowered the bar for how you know how many losses you can have it is g to create all this interesting kind of down the stretch appeal with jockeying for position jockeying for seeding who are in those top four seeds that don't have to play that first playoff game on a campus or do you want to play that first playoff game on your campus Because you know it's bigger um I just think it's going to be really fun hey let's end on this uh when the news was announced they gave $120 Can Lincoln Riley and USC bounce back? million and they stole Lincoln Riley away it was like geez USC is back and then you watch him last year you're like can Lincoln build a defense can he build a tough team he inherited a pretty good thing from Bob Stoops in Oklahoma I'm not sure they're going to be very good uh relative to the expectation just your thoughts being around these programs obviously Oregon's rolling now the way that they're discussed when it comes to USC because it feels I don't want to say irrelevant but nowhere near where they thought they would be three years into Lincoln Riley getting $120 million and getting them back to I would say National prominence that that was the mindset and giving the guy that money right yeah when his ad introduced him he said we're going to change the landscape of college football with this hire and you know the song girls were there and the band was there and uh Mario Chris Ball told me at the time and he said not so fast he goes you know he hasn't USC hasn't been able to recruit the big guys remember Oregon was recruiting the biggest baddest players out of the LA Market Oregon was going to the Coliseum and beating USC with you know Southern California kids and so it was you know Ken Lincoln get those guys and then oh by the way Caleb Williams comes in Dynamic player probably the MVP of college football in the last two seasons really if you look at everything he did like you know how much how many deficiencies at USC did he cover up by just running around and you know playing techmobile back there I mean it was phenomenal to watch him play but now he doesn't have him and so I'm kind of I'm in an interesting position with this because I talked to Lincoln riy in Indianapolis big Ted media day he seemed a little humbled and that worried me because I thought you know if we don't need need him humbled we need you know the rest of this conference needed Lincoln riy walking around thinking like he was the best thing ever but suddenly you know he was getting beat up a little bit by the questioning people were saying are you an upper tier team you know these were questions USC doesn't get and so you know they they didn't pay him $120 million to go in there and win seven or eight games so there's a lot of pressure on him and I'm be I'll be really interested to see the new defensive coordinator can anybody put a defense together with the way that offense plays it's a little Mike Leech like can you you know can you or Chip Kelly like even too because they put a lot of pressure in your defensive coordinator when you play the way they play on offense but here's the thing like there's something about this season John where I'm a little looking at USC going could they be a little bit of a surprise like now that we're not expecting anything you know what I mean like the trend is usually your friend but every once in a while it'll bite you so I kind of look at this and I go is this the year the USC is sneaky good all of a sudden when we don't nobody's expecting them I don't know they still have some talent I think Lincoln Riley can coach offense like crazy he's just about as good as anybody if they find anything on defense could they be a little more balanced and therefore could they be better I don't know will they sneak up on anybody you know I always Does USC fit Lincoln Riley's identity? had the theory in College Football pre transfer portal that it you know the head coach if he's from that overall region it's much easier when you look at the West Coast Jeff Tedford Cal West Coast guy Pete Carroll La guy USC Chris P Peterson UC Davis Boise you know Oregon bot West Coast guy maybe now with transfer portal it doesn't matter as much I mean Dan landing's a good example I do think the Lincoln fit though smalltown Texas guy Oklahoma is a little weird in La I'm sorry it just is I saw you know not to be stalkerish but I saw like a picture of his house and you know the Lincoln Riley buys a house was the headline and here's the photos of the and I was looking at all the bedrooms and the backyard had a pool and and I was like this is not kind of what he came up in and it's not at all him and and you bring up Mike Leech like you know he was a fit at you know Texas Tech and he was a fit at Washington State and he was a fit at Mississippi State like Mike Leech at Oregon you know wouldn't wouldn't have worked and so I do kind of wonder if that is a little bit of the problem the identity of the school doesn't fit the identity of the coach Landing is another example though too he's a Kansas City guy rural Kansas City guy he went to William juwel College he doesn't have an alma moer calling him home he uh you know I think a lot of people believe he'll stay at Oregon unless it's the NFL like if the Kansas City Chiefs call him 10 years from now maybe he goes like but you know Lanning grew up on like five acres and and is kind of a country kid and now he's at Oregon but there's enough of the woods in Eugene and kind of like it's you know still beautiful country like he's not completely you know out of out of his element there and so I think it works to a certain extent Jonathan Smith pointed out like when I was telling him hey Michigan State like he goes it's really just Oregon state in the Big 10 he goes it's a lot like Oregon State the fan base you know and I was like you would have looked so much better at UCLA but you know who who knows man but I think it's a good point on Lincoln Riley like maybe maybe the act just doesn't fit the stage yeah I mean I I got that thing just red flagged especially if it gets weird this year so What is a successful season for Oregon? I'll end on this actually what's a successful season for Oregon do they have to win the national championship can they make the final four if they are in the Big 10 championship game against Ohio State like how would you view it to be like you know what that that was his third year that went well yeah I think look he won 10 games in year one he won you know went to a bowl game I think he won 12 last year uh with the postseason and the championship game involved but I the expectation right now is that they're a top three top four team so you know even though making the playoff would be nice I think he's got to get to the semi-final and and show that like there's a shot in another year or two that they could win a National Championship Phil Knight put a billion dollars into the University of Oregon he and his wife have have donated a billion dollars in you know tutoring center in a library in a law school in the Odon stadium in the football offices and you don't put a billion dollars into something to you know see your team just make the playoff or you know play in a holiday bll or whatnot so I I think the disappointment would set in if they're not playing in that semifinal weekend they've got to play in that semi-final weekend if they get to the title game great if they win the national championship Phil Knight will have everything that you know he's invested in he's never going to say it but I think Oregon really wants to get him a national title so I'll say this if they don't get to the final four it's a disappointment tell everyone where they can find you John kenzano dcom if you want to read me get a free subscription or a paid subscription that's what I tell people and uh you can find uh find me on the radio or podcast or the radio show just uh just Google me love to hear from people John you're the man and uh exciting times in the Pacific Northwest because I I can't I think like most people can't wait to watch this Oregon team play yeah well I'm a big fan of your work over the years so I appreciate you uh having me on it was I was excited to do this one thanks John talk to you soon