Episode #276: Interview with Hythloday Almond, PAC-12 Analyst | Ty Turner Show

In this episode, Tyler Turner interview Hythloday Almond, a PAC-12 analyst and Football Film Reviewer for Addicted to Quack.

Contributors
Ty Turner – @TurnerCast
Hythloday Almond – @hythloday1

Transcript

Tyler Turner
Welcome to the sports cast. Today’s date is September 28. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe in all our channels, YouTube, Periscope and iTunes. If you’re on iTunes, please leave a rating and review. It will help us out a lot. Visit us at sportscast. dotnet also follow us on Twitter at the sports cast. Today we are here talking a little patchwall football You know they’re back. They came back last Thursday in all their glory and I as a patchwall fan, Oregon duck tend to be specifically. I’m just absolutely excited. And today I have with me with him for day he, like just want a lot platforms. But he writes on addicted to the clack. So what how’s it going today man?

Hythloday Almond
I’m good how are you?

Tyler Turner
Good. So we were chatting a little offline conversation started to get really intense. You’re talking about I was trying to give Chris Peterson and he’s like, and he’s like, No, no, no, don’t go there. We’re not we’re not giving Chris Pearson praise. You’ll never catch me giving Jimmy light praise. I might I might give, I might give Chris Peterson praise because I actually kind of did like minutes Boise State days, I will never give Jimmy light grace. Today we’re talking about kind of where the PAC 12 is that going into this abbreviated 2020 season and where we think that all these teams line up as far as baseline talent, production coming back how they kind of marinate with each other. And if a day does a lot of great deep dives into a specific roster, how they’ve performed, how the talent has performed actual talent that they have on the roster has performed if it outperformed their, their talent and they underperformed their talent.

So she’s kind of started off. If you were to say

no to this, we’re looking at this things completely objective way. If you were to say coming into this abbreviated season, which team with what they have coming in, there’s players opting out left and right even with the season having begun your jevin all in for Oregon, who obviously opted out two days ago. Which team but just what they have on the field which you feel the most safe and picking to win the PAC 12 currently as of today.

Unknown Speaker
Oh, I still think Oregon is the odds on favor. And I mean, listen, I know that you and I are both Oregon fans. And so you know anybody else listening this might take that with a grain of salt. But I really feel like Mario Cristobal has done an excellent job not only stocking the team with talent, but making sure it’s well distributed, you know, evenly distributed in terms of class balance cross position groups. And, and they’re simply in a position to, you know, replace the guys that they lost, you know, fairly smoothly. You know, that’s not really true of a lot of teams in this league. And in fact, you know, having studied all the rosters throughout the PAC 12, you know, a good roster management is the exception, not the rule. I actually think there’s maybe only three good roster managers in this league. One of them is Kyle Whittingham, who’s does an incredible job of Utah every year in getting a lot out of you know, punching like a heavyweight when he’s got middleweight talent. You know, obviously, they lost, you know, a whole lot of people this year, and they’ll probably fall off, you know, substantially because of it. But you know, it’s uniform, you know, and I’m really impressed with his management. I also think that Jonathan Smith at Oregon State has done a heck of a job. You know, obviously, they’re limited by their talent, but he identified their weaknesses, immediately on showing up in Corvallis and went right to work plugging them and I was really impressed with this 2019 season in terms of like, he knew where he was losing dudes and he got the backups a lot of reps, and I actually don’t think they’re gonna miss much of a beat. Despite losing focus. In fact, I think they’re gonna get even better on defense as a direct result of his smart roster management moves. But the king of roster management in this league, no question is Mario, Cristobal? You know, Oregon’s rosters simply stacked from top to bottom with talent and it’s well distributed. There’s no real positions of weakness. He didn’t load up at one one position so much that like you have a bunch of four stars sitting on the bench not doing any good. You know, he’s, he does an excellent job and I think they’re not really going to miss a beat.

Tyler Turner
Yeah, I mean, I definitely would agree with you even like last year, on the amount of reps he got guys like we were talking offline Brandon doorless, Jamal Hill, DJ Jas and look how Look how important those reps for DJ Jas are. All of a sudden you have Yamato and or Thomas Graham we’re opting out as of now I kind of wonder if the nor comes back. But no matter what those reps and James had his growing pains, if you remember the Washington game, you know, they put kukan icaros it was a terrific player got by him and but those reps are valuable and he what goes into this season and I think you Especially in our conference, you’ll be able to do a pretty good job. And and even offensively, Josh Delgado, you know, brought Brian Addison mixture of Spencer Webb and so just so many even guy like Shawn dollars got some good runs in at the beginning of the season. So yeah, I have to agree with you his ability to just get people in there, get them wraps. And once other guys move along, you kind of like, man, he’s not putting that guy who’s literally man, it’s the first time I’ve ever stepped on a collegiate field that already played you know, they got those cobwebs out they’ve gotten some experience more than just practice that actually played into the bright lights. So yeah, I’d have to agree with you his ability to get guys on the field quickly, I guess when you when we look at the baseline data and just look at the rankings from an average from the average per player. Good according to what the recruiting rankings are you look at USC and who they have been over the last I mean, they did a two to 417 talent composite they’ve had a top five roster five years in a row I think this year they’re finally outside they’re about 10 or 11 this is probably going to actually be their weakest roster coming into a season and who knows how long what would you say the main downfall is a such a talented roster was so many higher rate guys coming out of high school. What would you say the main downfall of the roster and specifically the roster clay Helton has been putting out there for the last several seasons

Unknown Speaker
well it’s exactly what you will see fans complain about it might be the only thing that they’ve ever been write about. But the problem is clay Helton they simply don’t develop their talent particularly well they have you know, five stars who are not playing you know, like five stars for the most part, you know, it’s interesting that you know, this may be you know, USC is overall least talented roster and a while it’s still the most talented in the PAC 12 whether we’re looking at you know the entire 85 scholarships or just you know what i project there to do to be they still edge out or going in Washington by I mean not a huge amount but it’s still it’s noticeable that’s mostly because of the defense on offense they actually round out to be pretty much identical to Oregon and Washington who are number two and number three Oregon and Washington are basically tied at two and three Oregon slightly ahead USC edges amount but not on offense. It’s really on defense on defense they just have they just have a bunch of five stars on defense there’s no other way to put it like and they’re you know when USC gets a blue chip you know it’s not like a borderline four star barely makes the threshold kind of guy I mean, they get point nine nines you know, and that’s what really drags their roster average up. Now Is anybody who’s watched their film can tell you those guys don’t, you know, really play like five stars. And, and I think with Todd Orlando coming in, you know, fans, and analysts, including myself, have been calling for Clancy Pendergast to get fired for about two years you know, his his defense gives up explosive plays like nobody’s business. Todd Orlando’s got a worse record than Clinton does in terms of giving up explosive plays. I put out a tweet last week about it like if you look at their entire careers, like Orlando’s not gonna improve on you know, on that question.

Hythloday Almond
So

Unknown Speaker
overall, it’s not really a talent problem that they have especially on defense it’s sort of a you know, it’s what their coordinators are doing. A lot of people are excited about their offense, you know, Graham Harrell, I

Hythloday Almond
I don’t really

Unknown Speaker
I don’t really find a huge schematic advantage that USC offense has that probably is beyond the scope of the podcast that we can deal with here. I will simply say I think that they are playing at their talent level and not really exceeding it because of because what Harold’s doing I think they’re you know, he you know, he’s definitely improving on T Martin who is causing them to underperform their talent. But Harold’s just causing it perform at their talent level. Their talent level is very, very good. They as an excellent receivers, they have a couple of holes in the roster. Like I really don’t know who they’re gonna play at x receiver to replace Michael Pittman. You know, broom broom McCoys. Yeah, but he had a leg injury this offseason, we don’t really know what his situation is. And the next guy on the roster is probably Kyle Ford. He’s a mid three star. You know, that’s sort of sort of surprising when you call for

Tyler Turner
it is actually out for the season with an ACL injury.

Hythloday Almond
Yeah, okay. I think I got that backwards. Then.

Tyler Turner
boo, boo things back Fords out for the season with an ACL injury. I think you’re thinking is john Jackson. Oh, that could be. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker
But it’s sort of like, you know, there’s a couple you know, holes here in their, in their roster, the real problem that they have on offense is their offensive line is job. Ours, they’re in real trouble with their offensive line. I, you know, they’re gonna have a hard time putting five dudes on the field now that alleged attacker has has gone off, and there’s a bunch of you know, who their backups are and beats me. You know, they have one identified ditch at center, but everybody else is like, I don’t know, man, and they’re gonna be playing guys at a position they’re gonna be playing like Mackenzie’s a guard, they’re gonna have him playing tackle. They get they get kneeland back, I think nealon might be the worst center in the PAC 12 he just physically not strong enough to play the position he gets run over by nose guards all the time. So you know, some of the air raid that Harrell runs sort of covers that up because the balls out of slips his hands so quickly, but slovis has a tendency to play kind of hero ball. I mean, I think that slovis is the best quarterback in the PAC 12 I I like him, he tries to keep the play alive way longer than he should you know the play will break down the offensive line will definitely let pressure through and then he tries to find something amazing to do. And when he does, it’s highlight reel stuff and good for him but I actually think on balance you know, if you consider the good with the bad, the bad probably outweighs it. I mean he’s prone to turnovers he’s prone to putting the ball on the grounds and throwing interceptions and probably net hurts. I mean it’s definitely what causes them BYU game it was a big part of what cost them the game against Oregon. And you know, I hate to blame a guy for health problems or sound like I’m doing so I’m definitely not I hope he finishes the season without a single injury you know, like I do for all kids but like like I missed like three or four games last year you know i and a part of that is he’s not getting rid of the ball with an offensive line that doesn’t protect him and and and they’re you know, they’re in trouble because they don’t they’ve got one other quarterback on the roster.

Tyler Turner
So that fake right

Unknown Speaker
right who it is true one than the Utah game and arguably only Matt Fink could have won them the Utah game playing like YOLO ball against elite but you know you saw you know how you know that that guy can’t be Washington that guy can’t beat Iowa you know like the they’re they’re in trouble of slowest gets hurts I hope he doesn’t but it is it’s you know, it is a micro the quarterback situation is a microcosm for the rest of us his offense, which is it’s a very talent in the front line. God help them if they take an injury and that’s on clay Helton for for poor roster management, you know, it is simply not a robust team. It is not a well developed team. It is a very talented team. And that’s about all you can say about it.

Tyler Turner
I mean it really I mean, you see Steven and looking at the running backs and you have Stephen Carr, former five star and I’m gonna screw this game up, but it’s about the VML Hi, he’s a former four star who was actually committed to Oregon Marquis, step four star I mean, you’ve some some of the other

Unknown Speaker
runners stringer, therefore stringer King is incredible running back. Yeah.

Tyler Turner
wasn’t he? Yeah, here’s a state track guy in San Diego was nice.

Unknown Speaker
I know. It’s incredible, actually running back and sort of the exception to what I just said, in terms of like, they run deep running back. It’s the only position they run real deep bet. But my goodness, of course, they they have that room and an air raid offense that massively under utilizes their back. So

Tyler Turner
go figure. I mean, I’m just looking at that. I’m like, how much you could get out of that running back room but with a pull line. And obviously an air raid system. It’s a pretty was a pretty marginal running attack last season. And let’s see if it’s better this year. But you know, you constantly hear USC if it’s not Oregon, it’s USC being brought up but all I can think of is the last couple years clay Helton walked in with a better best roster by mile in the PAC 12. And he’s finished five and seven and eight and five. And he’s gotten just absolutely doors blown off when he’s played any team is really any good. So other new job, it could be Utah but it’s I would have a hard time thinking that they’re going to get it together this season. And like you said they have a good quarterback and service they do have the talent that can be kind of mesmerizing, but a team that’s played well below the talent level so far. I just I would just be kind of surprised that they all of a sudden just turned it around, especially since they had the same head coach.

Unknown Speaker
I mean, they’re my pick to win the South we we should probably say we’re recording this on Monday night. It is before the PAC 12 is released with the schedules are going to be it may be that by the time this podcast releases, anybody listens to it, that the schedules have come out and it You know, they look really lopsided. And some of the things that we might say in terms of predictions for the season goes might suddenly look real silly. But so in but in a vacuum anyway, I think the USC is pretty clear path to win the south, I really think Arizona state’s the only team that might have the ponies. Yeah, for the same reason that they beat Oregon last year, you know, they have enough talent that, you know, they can, they can pull some stuff off and surprise you. And it may be that USC is the victim of that. But that would pretty much be the only one the rest of the South is just a crater at this point in terms of talent. And so, you know, I think could just like happens a lot of years, USC is probably going to fall backwards into the South Division title. And they’ll face Oregon in the championship game and, you know, sort of think the game will look fairly, I mean, it may not be a crazy blowout, that was sort of the 2019 Oregon USC game was probably somewhat a product of a couple of weird things going on, you know, McHale right housing, a kick return, you know, with 20 seconds left in the half, like, I don’t know if that happened again, you know, but like, it was clear which team had developed and fielded their talent better had better coordinators, and had, you know, a better game plan. You know, who’s cleared you know, all the things that a coach does for a team, you know, is very clear what Mario crystal ball was doing for Oregon and what clay Helton was doing for USC or to USC maybe and you know, but this coach has returned with largely pretty similar steps. I think that we’re gonna is upgraded offensive coordinator I think it was downgraded a defensive coordinator so it actually really wouldn’t surprise me if Oregon blue mat again, I mean, knock on wood. I probably shouldn’t say that too loud. But yeah, I

Tyler Turner
agree with you.

Unknown Speaker
I don’t really see much, you know, other than the fact that Oregon’s got to replace their offensive line maybe we’ll talk about that next but like, you know, like we were talking about to open up with you know, these are your crystal balls recruits and they’ve played extensively in backup time over the last two years. I really like Oregon’s offensive line you know, the new starters i i don’t think they’re gonna miss a beat and and if that’s the case, then I don’t really see what’s different about Oregon USC in 2020, other than its played Noxon stadium.

Tyler Turner
Yeah, I agree. I mean, you are hearing a lot of you see on message boards and of course I read them I don’t know if you read them as much as me but whether it be peristyle or the Husky board and they’re like, well, Oregon’s are facing five offensive linemen and like first of all their crystal balls and offensive line coach, these are all his recruits. And these guys have all played Stephen Jones. Alex first sighs TJ bass as in played I kind of think he somehow ends up being the center but he still Juco guys played two years of college ball he’s still a junior he’s he has development arm yet at right guard you have ominous I’m terrible these names Sala Can you say they’ve Salama? mova masala

Hythloday Almond
Toma violet Lulu, it’s most I Lulu

Tyler Turner
Okay, there we go. And they probably probably join it to tanto over at right tackle your Georgia Georgia got even more experienced. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker
And on top of that they have you know, they have depth to you know, like they’ve got you know, Jeremy Lowe’s a four star Randazzo has a high three star

Tyler Turner
Jonathan Dennis. Yeah, we’re Star

Unknown Speaker
Wars. Right. He came into the toy he reclassified as a 2020. I actually think the 10th guy on the line is going to be this sort of gonna be a surprise blast the past name for Oregon fans, Sam tasi, who is a low Earth three star, but he’s going to be a redshirt senior. He was one of the guys who got rhabdo under Willie Taggart and that horrible nonsense. You know, God bless him. But I you know, I got to see him play in garbage time last year when I was doing my my garbage time review this summer and like Sam Dawson, his redshirt Junior last year will be a redshirt senior in 2020 is playing like a redshirt senior you know if if it comes to him having to play like hell man seems to be a starter at most Pac 12 teams most Pac 12 teams have bad offensive lines. I am not joking. And as you said, here’s the other thing about Oregon’s offensive line situation is that like, we’re gonna accomplish what it accomplished over the last two years. Those weren’t Mario crystal balls guys, those were Steve great Woods guys. Those were like 295 pounds zone blockers, who created primarily for the athleticism and you know, crystal ball got what he got out of them. First of all, because he and Alex Mirabelle are are great coaches, particularly at the offensive line. And second because you know that they, you know, they were seniors, they knew what they were doing, but they were above their talent level. The guys who are replacing them uniformly are more talented and are simply bigger bodies and are more suited to the type of football. The Mario Cristobal wants to play. And, you know, we’ll see what Joe Morehead does. I wrote an entire film study article about him. It’s actually my pinned tweet if anybody wants to go to my my Twitter page, it’s if the day one. The pin tweet is a film study of Joe Morehead. 11 years of his career as a play caller in which every single year he uses like a different playbook. You know, we’re not talking about like Mike Leach, or Ken Niumatalolo here where it’s like, I figured out my system in 1985. And I’m learning ever since, like, Nah, man, he like seriously evaluates the talent that he has, and reinvents himself every year. And his track record is very, very good at doing that. So, you know, I have a feeling that when you put them on a team that’s got as much talent as Oregon does, you know, and he’s had this much time to, to study film and look it over and figure out what he’s got that like, yeah, I have no doubt that Oregon is gonna have a better office than did last year. And we’re gonna have a pretty good offense last year, there are a number 19 that’s B plus, you know, people like to bag on Marcus Royko, but like, you know, for for all the different problems that they had, you know, people want to play by the play calling or just herbertson consistency or the fact that wide receivers were never healthy at any point. Or Jake breeland the tight end was broke his leg and etc, etc. Like for all of that, they put the number 19 offense on the field and that’s with an offensive line that wasn’t the guys the Mario Cristobal wanted to play and now he’s got the guys they want to play that that’s why I don’t really I’m not worried about Oregon’s blind. You’re not worried about Oregon’s offensive line? You’re not worried about that team? Because that’s it. That’s all there is. Well, you know, that in the quarterback room, I guess we can get into that if you want.

Tyler Turner
I mean, I think that their offenses from arbitrary like I’ve been keeping track, not to the dogmatic style that you have of their talent, but I keep track of the data of each position and their most talented group going to this year is the bass catchers, the wide receivers and tight ends there. Three former top 100 guys and Michael Pittman, Devin Williams, Brian Addison if several other four stars they have a three year starter and Johnny Johnson, a two year starter and Jalen red and then

Hythloday Almond
a star

Tyler Turner
and then they and then you get like you said Ken McCormick is back hundred campaign right? Why is that he’s not great in the past catch him is a terrific blocker. Spencer Webb’s obviously a threat in the past game, I think, on Patrick Herbert is was a consensus forestar coming out, I think they’re past catching group is going to shock a lot people. I read them, I read them as a second best group. But I was kind of like, there was a part of me being like, in my heart, I don’t want to come across as a duck over. But I would take that group in some ways over us sees if they can play to their potential. If you

Unknown Speaker
this is gonna sound monstrous, I don’t mean it to be I know where you’re coming from, because I think it is a deeper group than us sees one group like, you know, if you told me I could only have three wide receivers, you know, I would take, you know, St. Brown and Vaughn’s and Drake, London, if you told me that I could have six receivers, I would take Oregon’s group. Because I think top to bottom, you know, given that you’re probably going to have to deal with injuries over the course of the year. I hate to say that, but it’s true. It’s true every year for every team. Yeah, that’s true. I mean, really the only group that that? Well, there are other groups that have comparable talent at the top line. You know, Washington does Arizona State does, but in terms of, you know, what they have demonstrated that they can do and what their depth of talent is. Yeah, I think Oregon edges amount. I am curious to see how Washington’s wide receiver group performs because I think everybody identified last year that they were playing the wrong guys, they had like a weird fidelity to senior receivers who weren’t able to catch the ball and weren’t able to play outside receiver. And now they’re sort of their hand has been forced, they have to play there for starter young kids, because that’s all they have. So it but they didn’t really get a ton of reps. You know, like everybody’s very excited about about nuku. You know, he’s got he’s got what, like six catches, you know, like, they, they really, you know, they have not put a ton on film. And they you know, they’re wide receiver coach made a bunch of dumb decisions last year. So, you know, it’s one of those questions where if you just want to go by talent Washington might have the most, you know, Washington has a good argument for having the best wide receiver room in the PAC 12. But, you know, they’ve improved it yet they have one of the lowest returning productions in the country. You know, we’re just gonna have to, you know, we’re just gonna wait and see on that one.

Tyler Turner
Yeah, Washington in general. Because Kevin No, I mean, you know, the Jimmy likes gonna put a good defense out. I mean, I was looking at their secondary today when you’re looking at guys like Elijah Berliner. Who decided to come back he trailer Gordon Kyler Gordon I love Trent McDuffie us terrific at St john Bosco cam Williams as I look at that defense especially that secondary I am well I’m a little less their front seven day last two good players very very good

Unknown Speaker
not just two good players but two very important players yeah rusher their defense like an irreplaceable ones I actually think their front seven went from a mediocre front seven all things considered to I actually think Washington front seven is just straight up bad at this point with the loss of both on zorica and try on I think they’re in real trouble there. Yeah, but as you’re saying very down Oh no, you’re correct. It is a very talented defensive back group and that is a defensive back lead defense and a defensive minded head coach I think that they will probably be fine that So yeah, I don’t think they’re gonna have a terrible defense but you know, we were talking about roster management earlier I have a big problem I don’t know how well Jimmy lake is gonna be able to manage the roster and he’s taken over and kind of a weird time I have a hard time directing a whole lot of heat his way

Hythloday Almond
even isn’t even.

Unknown Speaker
And and on social media, there’s definitely been some temptation to do so.

Tyler Turner
know how much I have never done that. I have never taught

Unknown Speaker
but I mean, he’s, he’s inheriting a Chris Peterson roster where, you know, Washington has been very good at accumulating talent, they have not been very good at distributing and making sure that it is well distributed. And really on the defense is where that shows out. It where they have, you know, a dozen or more four star defensive backs. You know, Jimmy, you can’t play 12 defensive backs at once. You can’t, you know, you can’t even play 11 defensive backs at once, you know, where they have a ton of force stars sitting on the bench. And in the meantime, they’re gonna be playing multiple walk ons, you know, they’re probably gonna be playing jazz on a Bronson and Edwin oceo. The linebacker and I think Brian Bowman was a former walk on I’m not sure but he started

Tyler Turner
now he’s a good player.

Hythloday Almond
I disagree. I

I think he’s fine. I think he’s a mediocre employee.

Tyler Turner
I heard he’s actually moving. I heard I was yesterday. I actually read that they’re moving him to the edge

Hythloday Almond
which they

Unknown Speaker
would have to Yeah, but without Tryon in in in Zurich, I mean, frankly, owns Rico was playing at a position last year, because they didn’t have you know, better options on the outside. They, you know, they that’s another one where you know, they have a ton of four star defensive linemen, but all the four star defensive lineman that they recruited other than owns Enrique are the big Speight. They play in the 245 defense. They should switch given their roster to a four to five, but they won’t because I don’t think they’re that creative. The problem is in a 245, you need the two different types of defensive tackles. You need the big space filler type any other disruptive type ones reggae was the disruptive type. And that was it. That the rest of the foresters they have time on a Julian goes to Noah bondus to tell a cabana PAMA was another one of them, but he’s left the team. All these guys the huge space fillers and it’s like they’ve stacked up. It’s redundancy. They have this there, they’re so deep to the point of redundancy at one position and they’re empty at the other position to the point where they’re having to play Josiah Bronson who’s the former walk on we’re look at the linebackers right everybody identified the inside linebackers the Washington has the big vulnerability last year Guess what? They didn’t fix that problem. That you know they returned a couple of guys who couldn’t beat out those dudes last year. And they’re probably gonna have to play you know, walk on ocio and and three stars you know, t say on Mickey I you Tupolev to E all these guys with three stars.

Tyler Turner
This is Daniel is Daniel hmil. He is he inside.

Unknown Speaker
I believe he is inside but he didn’t play at all last year. Same with a sermon. Yo Jackson sermon Jackson. He’s the cousin of Jacob sermon, the the maybe quarterback who I i can’t i think he’s he’s borderline you either a three or four star. My point being that like, if you you know, if you look at the heat map of their talent distribution, it’s a there’s a giant void in terms of talent in the middle of the field. You know, they’ve got their deep to the point of redundancy at their space filling defensive line. They are deep to the point have redundancy at defensive backs and they’ve got nobody in the middle of the field that’s bad roster management and that at the feet of Chris Peterson you know, or really Bob Gregory the linebackers coach who I’ve no idea why they retained he might be one of the worst position coaches in the PAC 12. You know, so that’s an example you know, where Oregon and Washington if you look at the aggregate talent, if you just you know, close your eyes and look at all the you know, the total numbers they have very, very similar total aggregate talent levels, if you look at the actual to deeps that they will probably put on the field and try to like smooth it out in terms of talent. We’re getting so much better in terms of having a nice balanced talent like the worst position that they have in terms of raw talent on the defense is there a defensive line you know, because I think you know, they’re they’re big guys in the middle are all three stars, right? Jordan Scott is a mid three star Austin Valley Am I yeah, values and mid three star brand doorless, who we talked about is a three star Popo is he’s technically a three star I think he’s he’s appointed eight. You know, those four guys are probably their big guys in the middle of the line. Those are the four stars. That’s the you know, quote unquote, talent void for Oregon. We’ve seen all four of those dudes play. Mm hmm. Those guys are those guys wreck shop, you know, like that, that that, you know, no problems there. Right. So, you know, that’s why I say even though the Oregon and Washington like their aggregate talent level, if you look at the 85 main roster looks very similar. If you actually break down what the production on the field is and how its distributed distributed through unit groups. There’s no comparison Oregon is definitely going to feel the better defense than Washington.

Tyler Turner
And we’re looking at the linebacker group and they had like, a two they did a lot to a terrible day. They literally have, and then they have Daniel Amelie, they have Josh Calvert. So they have recruited these guys, but you’re right, they didn’t play at all.

Unknown Speaker
So they’re also sort of the wrong. It’s the wrong distribution of body types. It’s like they’ve got, you know, they’ve got eight different dudes who all play the same, you know, a role where they only need one of them, or two for rotational purposes. So it’s like, you know, good work. You have a bunch of four stars, even high four stars sitting on the bench. How much could you

Tyler Turner
even kind of wonder about Savelle smalls? I mean, I saw him playing the Under Armour game. And I saw the practice clips from him that we can use just kind of a tweener. I like it, man. Like, is he going to play an edge guy? Are they going to move him inside? Is he going to play on the line? And he would be another one that you’d fit into that guy that you’d wonder this year if all of a sudden, halfway through season? He’s hardly planned and yet he’s a five star

Unknown Speaker
could be. I mean, he could also just kick by, you know? Yeah,

Tyler Turner
he could. He, he’s kind of a joke to me. If you if you’ve seen him play at all. He is kind of it’s kind of hard to pin him exactly what he’s gonna be.

Unknown Speaker
You know, I’m gonna have to plead. You know, I study college film because I can watch the entirety of college film and against college athletes. I really, I’m not the right person to ask about evaluating High School film, especially like high school highlight reels. I am just not good enough of a film evaluator like I need to I need to watch an entire college game multiple college games against college opponents to come to opinions about guys I really don’t have any opinion about smalls at all other than to say he’s one guy you know, even if he kicks butt you know if the rest of the defensive structure is wasting talent and has avoided inside linebacker like civilian the ass kickin version of Seville smalls doesn’t make up for a lot of the problems the Washington’s defense can have. And then there are

Tyler Turner
offenses. We’re talking about obviously we already kind of hit on them but I’m just you know, obviously they are breaking in pretty much a whole new wide receiver for most of the running back. Obviously those solving a mod who I’ve never I’ve always thought he was overrated. And he did.

Unknown Speaker
Well let me step down from miles Gaskin I mean that’s really the thing punishing about Washington is that they they’re run blocking has just not been very good for the last couple of years and Myles gas can cover it up for a lot of that because he was an amazing herbs after contact back and then Salva knock med who I didn’t have problem solving document I thought it was fine running back he was running back like 90% of all running backs. Who you know he gets the yards that his offensive line buys him and just as offensive line wasn’t buying him that many yards so like I you know I got no problems there. I also don’t really have any problems with the rest of his running backs. I just don’t think any of them are miles Gaskin either.

Tyler Turner
Yep. So breaking into new running back core for the most part new wide receiver group. Obviously there’s gonna be new quarterback whether it be sirmans maybe garbers. Young Garber’s might come in when the job and then I believe they they only return to offensive linemen they return Jackson Kirkland as long as he is assuming he doesn’t opt out. And then is it what burger? Is that? Is that the other guy one returning? Okay. Yeah Is that so then the return on an offense that they’re replacing the offensive coordinator and appointing a new scheme. They’re having a new quarterback of all new skilled positions overall, they’re only put on an offense that wasn’t very good. They’re only bringing back two starters. And

Hythloday Almond
bringing in on top

Unknown Speaker
of that they’re probably gonna be playing them out of position it I don’t think much of their offensive line coach Scott huff actually sort of got into it with Washington fans this summer about him. I don’t think he’s very good developer at all. I think he makes great decisions. And one of the scary decisions he’s apparently going to make is moving Kirkland to be left tackle, which is not weird. Yeah, surely moving Weinberg who, you know, if you were going to return, he was probably the week so their offensive lineman, I didn’t think much of their offensive line, he’s going to be their center. You know, or at least good chance. Uh, you know, I think both You know, I think they’re in trouble. Now, I guess I should say this, like, there’s there is definitely a version of The Washington offense that could be very, very good, you know, and makes all of us look like idiots you know, because, let you know they’ve got a choice between multiple four stars a quarterback, I think the running backs are fine. You know, I don’t think that Myles Gaskin but they’re not going to embarrass you. They’ve got a ton of talent wide receiver and they’re going to be forced to play it as we were talking about a minute ago. That you know, the the least talented guy that they have in the offense in terms of his 247 rating is Cade often their tight end, I think a lot is probably the best tight end of the PAC 12 are tied with Ranchi, Utah. You know, they’re at least on paper, they have a ton of talented offensive line they recruited really well in the, in the last couple of classes, that offensive line. And you know, it if they’re, you know, this could be a USC type team where like, even though I don’t think much of their coaches, and I don’t think you know, I don’t think much of john Donovan, you know, that they might you know, if they just play it their talent level, this could be an excellent offense, frankly, it’s loaded with talent. I don’t think that’s going to happen. I you know, I think they’re gonna have problems on offense. I don’t really like the development at offensive line. I think that the reason why they’re having such a hard time picking between their four stars at quarterback is because those guys aren’t real good. You know, I think that Superman probably has decision making problems. That’s why they brought in two different transfers over the course of the time that he’s been there. And I think that Dylan Morris from watching his high school film, I know I just said that I’m not very good at value in high school film that even a dummy like me can see that. You know, you know that that guy doesn’t have an arm at all that guy’s you know, a sub browning arm attached to him. You know, I the so like, you know, while it is very true that there is a version of Washington’s offense that is loaded with talent, the place of that talent level and makes everybody look dumb. There’s also a version of this offense that is god awful, just like the most you can’t watch an offense in the PAC 12 and I think the latter is more likely to happen than the former

Tyler Turner
especially this season because obviously I mean many teams only got in spring practice or two or three and you’re implementing a totally new offense and like you said, john Donovan we didn’t really talk about much but he was the guy who Joe Morehead replaced and state so I wouldn’t exactly say it was a hire that everyone was just jumping up and down about So yeah, I just new quarterback new ski a little bit just just a wonky offseason. I’d be very, I’d be not pleasantly because I’ve clearly I do not want Washington to have a great office, but I would be if they started going out and clicking on all cylinders. And I do like guys like I liked Newton the running back and I love Coca Cola. I wanted Oregon to get them. But um, I just I’d be very surprised if they came out and they’re just like, just beating it. I want to bring up Okay, so the team that I you know, more layman’s people that I hear bring up as being a possible threat to Oregon in the PAC 12 North has actually not been washed and it’s been cowed. I’ve heard several people say oh, but I think Cal might win it this year. I got a job willner even said it, who versus it. I love their stuff. But I look at for me personally, I know how level the recruit at I know what they’re bringing back. I know what they have, in particular on the offensive and defensive line. And I I don’t see it um, I mean, I like Justin Wilcox. I think he’s a good coach. I think he’s a guy that gets his done very well with the talent he’s had. I love how his secondary is played. He’s obviously gotten those guys to the next level. I can buy them um, but I’m not Not seeing cow and when I look at Talbot one of the most least talented rosters in the back wall. Yes. And

Unknown Speaker
yeah, that 10 out of 12

Tyler Turner
Yeah, and I believe when I looking at it right now, I think it was about the same when I sent it to you. And I just remember that last year you know, they’re just their offensive lines just not good on their defensive line is just not any good. Um, Evan Weaver had a lot of tackles, but he No wonder why there he was. There just he was half tackles around the field, the secondary play for the most part pretty well, but then they’ve lost most of those guys on the offense is back, but the offense wasn’t good. So it’s, I mean, cool that you’re bringing back eight, nine guys on offense, I believe it’s what it is, but they weren’t very good. So I wonder if you’re kind of thinking the same as me. I know, he will say cows gonna, they’re gonna threaten Oregon, I know Oregon’s planning Cow Cow in front of no fans. So that’s really scary. But I just I’m not buying cow, I just don’t think they’re very good.

Unknown Speaker
I, I couldn’t have said it better myself, you hit every point that I want to make. It really just not a very talented team. And you know, it’s true, they return 90% of their offensive production, but they’re off to production was poor last year, you know, like, sort of, you know, and, and at that point, it becomes a, you know, that’s not a blessing. That’s a curse, you know, you’re bringing back all those guys who caused you to not produce very much. So, you know, you’re right about the offensive line. You know, there’s the huge liability that returning all those guys, that’s, you know, probably not a good thing I will say about Cal that about their offensive line, specifically that they have a really good left tackle. He was playing as a true freshman and things will Craig he’s been he was in earning this most of the year. So they get him back. And let’s all hope that he gets to play a full season and he remains healthy. The, you know, but that’s still one out of, you know, one, one good, you know, offensive lineman is not an offensive line make. And yeah, and the other thing is that chase garbers you know, like, I like chase garbers I like that he came back from injury. I mean, he had the same injuries, Justin Herbert, what’s not to like? But I mean, the thing about him, the thing that’s interesting about chase garbers is the thing that, you know, makes them fun to watch is that he’s scrambling all the time. And he’s pretty good when he’s scrambling. But you have to ask yourself the question like, why is this guy scrambling all the time? And part of the answer is because his offensive line stinks. And part of the reason is because he leaves the pocket too early. Like I you know, I do the film study on the guy like he’s not making decisions like the quarterback is supposed to make decisions. You know, I think it’s unfortunate, but I think that his injury history and the fact that he was playing and quarterback roulette in 2018 with Brandon McElwain remember that I think that’s probably hindered his development that’s unfortunate. I hate to see that. I mean that on ironically like I hate to see that like that’s talent being wasted. And yeah, I just don’t really and you can tell from you know, their wide receiver I really like the running backs. I should say that like I really like Christopher Brown. In particular. That’s a hard running running back. He was no I, I collect kind of a weird stat on my tally sheet, which is how much how often you turn what would have been a failed play into a successful play. By surviving the first guy who who attempts to tackle you number one in the conference was Zack moss for Utah. I don’t think anybody should be surprised by that. That guy was just incredible trees, you know, and also played behind a pretty lousy offensive line which is why he was hitting you know, getting hit so early. Um, but number two was Christopher brown that guy’s held running back I like him a lot. The rest of their skill talent is not good there’s just no other way to put it like he’s very clear on film you know, the receivers are not getting so separation that the reason why I got the third reason why garbage scrambling you know between not bad offensive line in the fact that he’s you know, not reading the field super well is because, you know, Who the hell are you gonna throw to all the receivers recovered? So, yeah, I’m not a big believer in that our offense. And I’m also not a big believer in their defense, you know, largely not not because I don’t think Justin wilcoxson his hires are good. It is kind of weird. They have Peter’s sermon calling the place because he was terrible state but, you know, whatever. I think that’s probably survivable. I don’t think it’s really a schematic issue. I think it’s a talent issue and they’re losing all the talent you know, they lost they’ve lost all their linebackers. They’ve lost over the last two years. They lost drunken chicken Evan Weaver and a two man you know, defensive backs or linebacker structure the guy they got replaced on the transfer from the Juco coin dang is maybe the worst linebacker in the PAC 12. He seriously did not know how to play the inside linebacker position it’s like it’s astonishingly bad. And then because we’ve replayed every single snap for the last two years the you know you know the the backup never got any experience. So you know, that’s probably going to be a liability. They lost all their safeties, they they were gonna bring back Hickson buying them, but they’re cornerbacks. But then buying them decide to opt out. So bring back one defensive back from a good defensive back group. And then the problem with their defensive line is they want their nose guard, it was a guy named Chris Palmer, in 2018, was absolutely crucial to their defensive line structure. They, he left after the end of the 2018, they basically didn’t replace him in 2019, it showed they were not able to stop the run, you know, whatsoever, and they still haven’t fixed that problem. So, you know, their defense really fell off in 2018 2019, literally advanced as they fell from like a top 10 defense to a number 50 defense, I think they’re gonna fall even further, in 2020. You know, I just don’t see it with Cal, and it starts you know, exactly, as you said, they don’t have any talent there. They’re 10 to 12 in terms of talent in the PAC 12. You know, anybody who’s picking them to win the North is, you know,

Unknown Speaker
I want what you’re having, cuz

Tyler Turner
I think it’s I tried to dig why people are doing and maybe it’s because they just, you know, it seems like maybe Oregon is getting too rich in their players opting out and they’re like, Oh, well, who are you gonna pick? Well, baby cow, they’re starting. They’re starting quarterbacks back, you’re not probably not gonna say Washington, they have a new coach, new quarterback, you’re not gonna say Stanford because well, they know like Stanford, and then Oregon State and Washington State, obviously, who are where they are. So maybe that’s kind of why it is but I kind of agree I could almost I wouldn’t be shocked if Calvin

Unknown Speaker
I have heard I have a hard time figuring out what football coaches who are paid, you know, 10s of millions of dollars to do what they do I have a hard enough time figuring out their decision making thought process. You know, don’t ask me to also figure out what’s right. Like,

Unknown Speaker
are we good, so

Tyler Turner
I haven’t mentioned them yet. But in the actual North Stanford, I’m there they obviously had they’re all American first round draft pick, walk a little he opted out. Um, they have had, I believe and keep doing this. That’s how my every they’ve had 13 guys hit the transfer portal. Since the end of last season, they had two more into the transfer portal in the last week. So it

Unknown Speaker
is a little misleading because a lot of guys got into the portal and then got back out. But effectively they are losing eight starters between the offense and the defense to transfer plus Walker Liddell. They’re starting left tackle all that, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t really think much of Walker little I didn’t think he lived up to being five star largely because he was getting injured all the time. But yes, they have a serious problem with dudes leaving the program. And that was off of a foreign aid team. So yes, I have a hard time seeing them breaking through.

Tyler Turner
Now you see they have talent from just a baseline perspective. They probably have the fourth best roster and that probably they do according to the recruiting rankings. What has not worked, in your opinion in utilizing the talent the last couple seasons? And do you think something could change this season? or? Yeah, that’s basically

Unknown Speaker
I’ll I’ll answer the last question first, which is No, I don’t think anything’s gonna change. I think if anything, they’re going to get worse. And I was early on the Stanford is in trouble. I was writing that in the beginning of 2018. Just from doing film study on when they couldn’t block you are right, by the way that I put together the numbers they are the fourth most talented team but it is there is no bigger cliff, between between numbers than the between the three and the four between Washington and Stanford. It is it is enormous, how much they fall off. And then the rest of the league is almost not worth considering they have so little talent. ASU is probably the one that we need to talk about next. But we’ll talk about when we talk about him Stanford. No, I don’t think they’re climbing out of it. Here’s the thing that’s interesting there. I also broke down their offense versus their defense, their offensive recruiting has actually been fine. They’re still averaging better than a four star and they’re too deep, even with the departure of Walker Liddell, a five star tackle. I think what’s holding you back offensively is you know, David, Sean Prichard and Mike bloomgren. The the offensive line coach, they’re simply not getting out of their, their offensive line what they need to be and David Shaw is too stubborn to change his offense, you know, to realize that, you know, USC had a bad offensive line the last couple of years but they did well in 2019 because they had an offense that got the ball out of the quarterbacks hands very quickly, David Shaw’s not can implement, you know, radical offensive overhaul like that because it’s David Shaw. He’s, you know, to the, you know, he’s he’s very conservative head coach. I was gonna make a joke, but probably taste. Yeah. You know, he’s very conservative cuz she wasn’t gonna implement any sort of offensive change. She’s gonna run off instead. assumes having a better offensive line that he does and that’s gonna you know mean that he’s gonna underperform his talent. on the defensive side of the ball. I actually don’t really think much of Lance Anderson as a defensive coordinator, I think he’s probably been underperforming his talent, but on top of that, they just have big talent problems. You know, they’re recruiting like a three star program, you know, an average on the defensive side of the ball. The there they had two of the guys who hit the transfer partner portal and meant it and really clear that are there two defensive tackles digiovanna one and Michael Williams that is a huge blow, they are really going to have trouble with the defensive line. They were not effectively able to recover from the loss of bobbio curriki. At the end of the 2018 season, they’ve been playing converted, you know, safeties and such an inside linebacker I mean, that’s a situation that’s as bad as Washington’s in terms of the inside linebackers in terms of like, Who the heck are they playing, they’re, they’re, you know that they have a guy who is they have Curtis Robinson, not the guitar player, but the converted safety playing linebacker, but unlike Utah, which successfully converts safeties, and linebackers. Stanford has not been successful turning that guy into a good linebacker, just you know, that’s situation that’s more like cow across the bay, where, you know, the dude has all the, you know, recruiting ranking numbers in the world, but he’s playing like a two star. So that’s a big problem for Stanford’s defense. And the real problem with their talent rating is their defensive backs. They simply have not been bringing in the talent at defensive back. And, you know, they’re typically playing in a nickel defense without a lot of talent there, which is a strange thing to say, because, you know, I think that Stanford needs to clean house in terms of their coaching staff, I think that’s really the problem there is that they’ve calcified into a culture of just complacency. There was an alliteration that I didn’t intend. Anyway, the, the, if there’s one coach that I would salvage from all those guys, it’s probably Dwayne Akina, their defensive backs coach. And so it’s weird that like his unit group in particular, is what’s killing their talent on rating. You know, might that might be one of the situations where a guy a coach could get sort of a long in the tooth, you know, becomes a really great developer, but he loses energy for recruiting. I don’t know I’m, I couldn’t say but that definitely appears to be the case based on their you know, recruiting rankings and you could see it on the field. You know, one of the guys that cleared out in the transfer portal, OBE, Bo, who I think is transferring to UCLA, it’s like no great loss there. That guy was not a good quarterback. And they managed to hold on to Paulson a debo, who I really do think is an is an excellent dB. He had some he had some bad plays against UCF go viral on Twitter, they I don’t really put that much against him. He got he got left on an island way too long. He really that guy’s legit, that that guy really is an excellent, he buys his fault. I mean, he said he will I have no reason to doubt his word. He shouldn’t you know,

Tyler Turner
he was the guy that I was expected to I’m shocked he has knocked it out. I mean,

Unknown Speaker
it is irrational to return if you were a top one or two round draft pick and and you come back You are only risking losing money. I it is now this is college football and the fact that kids are irrational is part of the reason why we love it. It’s so unpredictable. So who knows? But you know, like, if I were him, I would go certainly other players on his team have recognized that is a sinking ship and they jumped it so

Tyler Turner
I don’t know. And then another one that has I mean, the receiver talent Connor Whittington was a blue chipper Osiris Oh yeah. And was john Humphrys, Elijah Higgins. Williams. Yep. Jc other Blue Jays. Michael.

Unknown Speaker
I’m sorry, you go ahead

Tyler Turner
on the Austin Jones, who was a four star running back ej

Unknown Speaker
I actually really like him as a running back I actually they’re gonna improve the running back position now that they have

Tyler Turner
and they have to topple 100 quarterbacks, they had a former five star and Davis mills and Tanner McGee came back from his warm admission. So you look at the skill, position talent, and it’s actually in it is on par with USC, Oregon and Washington but like you said, I probably didn’t look at it from as in depth, analytical perspective as you did, but just seeing how at Stanford there seemed to be this trajectory going down and just saw it started even at the last year McCaffrey and then the year that they kept on throwing jump balls all day, Castello threw it at Whiteside but I just saw a team I didn’t like the way the team looked. And then by last season, they were terrible. They were for a team. It weren’t even

Unknown Speaker
kind of use. They got kind of a reprieve in the second half of 2018 when they realize they had a bunch of undefendable wide receivers and you know and Kj Costello could lob passes up to them. All that’s gone now because your Costello is gone and all those big receivers are gone now. They actually I agree with you. I like the wide receiver for I actually think if David Shaw drove down to Los Angeles And kidnapped Graham Harrell and made him the offensive coordinator for Stanford, they could probably have a an offense that was as effective as USC was last year. In fact, they kind of look identical to USC, in terms of, you know, they’ve got a, they have talent, quarterback, they have a talented wide receiver room, they were talented running back, their offensive line is not very good. And that’s really the Achilles heel and they have an offensive coordinator. Right now they do who’s who’s, you know, calling the wrong offense for it, if they had a different kind of offense, I actually think the Stanford could have a very effective offense. But it’s David Shaw. So he’s not going to kidnap Graham Harrell and make any changes to his offense. And so it’s going to be just as problematic as last year. I mean, I sent your watch to it. That’s David Shaw,

Tyler Turner
they stuck in his ways. And the problem is His ways are going by, and he’s good. What used to work he doesn’t even have anymore. So I think

Unknown Speaker
offensive line that he thought he you know, if I think if his offensive line really were a bunch of butt Kickers, the way that they looked like they were going to be the beginning of 2018. Like, I’ll own up to it. I like a lot of analysts at the you know, in the 2018 offseason in like July, August of 2018. We looked at Stanford’s offensive line, and we said, this is one of the best offensive lines in the country, it’s definitely the best offensive line in the PAC 12. And then I watched the tape of their first three games, and I was like, these guys are terrible, they cannot block for the, you know, to save their lives. And I was one of the first people you know, in the country to write like, Stanford is going to collapse. And look,

Tyler Turner
and you’re like, hey, look, you know, I grew up

Unknown Speaker
in all those things still obtain, you know, that’s the thing is that, like, everything that made Stanford bad over the last two seasons is exactly is still in place, or in in many places have gotten worse. So I see absolutely no reason for them to suddenly turn it around. If anything, I think it’ll get worse. Now, you know, like I said, if I don’t really think it’s a matter of, you know, the time passing by I think that football is cyclical. And I think that Stanford, you know, if they had the offensive line, that, you know, a good offensive line that played at their talent level and had a good offensive line coach who develop them well, and avoided injuries, you know, they could run that offense just fine. And they would be very effective team. But they don’t, you know, they have a bad offensive line. So they should be running a different kind of offense, but they won’t run a different kind of offense because it’s a bad shot.

Tyler Turner
So a long story short, we have covered Well, we didn’t cover Oregon State, Georgia cover Oregon State of Washington State quickly, we’ve covered most of the North, Is there much to say. I know obviously, you mentioned john just said at the beginning, you think he actually is one of the better coaches

Hythloday Almond
I do. I think

Tyler Turner
you get to say, Well, some Oregon State in regard No, I

Unknown Speaker
think we can probably keep it quick simply because you know, they’re probably not going to contend for the North. But I do like the direction that they’re going. I like Jonathan Smith as a coach. Other there are other film reviewers in the PAC 12. And one thing that we all agree on is just schematically he calls a very pretty game. Like a and you know, just all the questions of like coaching Aquaman, right, like so what is what is coaching acumen come down to it’s not just play calling, he calls a good game. It’s not just roster management, he rotmans prosper very well. It’s not just analyzing the opponent. He does that very well. It’s also hiring, he put together a hell of a coaching staff and he kept it together. He’s the only coach in the PAC 12 where there isn’t a single departure. I believe that’s the case. Utah might be the second team. They came close to having a departure. Yes. But I really think that there’s no you know, in terms of plus value, like pure coaching acumen, what you bring to your team, acknowledging the talent that they have. He did a hell of a job. And I think he’s gonna continue to do a hell of a job. And if he were coaching at any other school in Oregon State, I would say he’s not going to be long for Corvallis. You know, because some other team is going to snap him up. But he’s a hometown hero. You know, here’s a quarterback on like, their, their best team that they’ve had in 20 years. I think he might be there for a long time. And you know, mark my words, he’s gonna he’s gonna beat some teams that are not going to see it coming. So

Tyler Turner
would you be so not to interrupt you? Would you be surprised especially in this abbreviated season, if Oregon State is the number two team in the PAC 12?

Pac 12. This year? We’re in 2019.

Hythloday Almond
It’s really I would have,

Tyler Turner
yeah, they’re all number two.

Unknown Speaker
Might have to I I’d have to see their schedule I you know, and on top of that I one of the really, boy this is really going to be sad to say I’m a really key piece of their team is they have a one of the guys that Jonathan, one of the weaknesses that Jonathan Smith identified when he came to Corvallis in 2018 was they had no beef on the defensive line at all. And he went to repairing that right away and the really key player that he hadn’t defensively he had to him when his elbow Aiden, he was just this totally enormous dude. They’ve lost him. He he had mobility problems. The better guy was guiding Jordan Whitley he’s really going to be key to their defense he discovered this summer the he has a tumor in his heart.

Tyler Turner
I did not hear about that. Oh, yeah.

Unknown Speaker
Isn’t that awful. And so it’s really questionable whether or not he’s going to be able to play and having analyzed their roster. This is gonna sound really crude after seeing such a, you know, heartbreaking, no pun intended thing that like, I don’t know that they’re gonna be able to deal with his last very effectively. Like, I was sort of high on Oregon State’s defense, they have a number of pretty intriguing players. They have like the nation sack leader in hamilcar machine. Um, but like I said, if they’re not able to, if they’re not able to anchor it because they lose widley like they could actually suddenly be in trouble on so that’s, that’s really awful. Um,

Tyler Turner
you also looked at their linebacker core Addison gumps and Avery. Avery is a robbery. I mean, those guys were blue chippers that I think Roberts, Nebraska and they had it initially in Oklahoma so

Unknown Speaker
they ran and those guys were injured. They lost three linebackers to injury last year. Jeremy Reisner and Andre Hughes Murray are the other two absent guns the third probably the headliner of the group they get all three of those guys back and and yeah, I really like their linebacker group. Tim Tibbets are is the coordinator, there used to be Wisconsin, I really liked the defensive structure that they play out of. And, you know, they have problems that defensive back they really don’t have any talent there. And they put like rotating out though, you know, they brought a ton of dudes back, but then they also got a bunch of giucose essentially admitting like, yeah, these guys stuck, we need more. We need to throw more spaghetti at the wall fights and DBZ can cover. But again, you got to give credit to the coach for admitting it, you know, a lot of coaches are too proud to do they’re like, No, no, we need to invest in our guys. And almost like now we need new guys. So yeah, it’ll it’ll be interesting to watch Oregon State I have to admit even as an Oregon fan, I find myself rooting for those plucky rodents quite a bit.

Hythloday Almond
And and like I said, I think just like

Tyler Turner
every other side,

Unknown Speaker
there are other problems that are offensive line, you know, they did, they punched above their weight, I think last year on the offense because their offensive line was just totally loaded with seniors. Well, all the seniors have now left and they’re replacing them with I mean, they’re probably going to be playing a couple of walk ons. Just their the depth, they’re just not great. Now, I do think they have a hell of a offensive line coach, Jim Hall check. I think he might be one of the best offensive line coaches in the country. Frankly, I really like his development, but it’s probably going to take him a couple of years to get that offensive line back up to snuff. So yeah, I think they’re sort of looking at some tough times on even though I like that coach a lot. And that’s probably all I have to say. But Oregon State,

Tyler Turner
no offense is touching a few other guys. They’re solid running back. Tristan gebbia for the Nebraska guy that ended up transferring and he actually played pretty decent he wasn’t horrible against Oregon Trail, like guys like Trey Sean Harris and Trey Lowe transferred in they possibly could do a little something on

Unknown Speaker
Harrison still waiting on an NCAA waiver from Florida because he transfer from Florida State to State Yeah, yeah, I think he’ll get it. And I like their wide receiver core. You know, I you know, there’s a couple talented guys, but then there’s also guys that we’ve seen for a long time, you know, like, their least talented guy on their in their wide receiver cars, a little kid named champ Fleming’s who’s like five foot nothing, but like, boys, that kid fun to watch. He is a great receiver. So yeah, you know, I like what they got bringing back in, and they did a good job rotating in backups over the course of 2019 I you know, if they get some good quarterback play, which I agree with you gebbia, you know, acquitted himself well in his final game of the year. And, and if you know, mahapatra can pull a rabbit out of his hat and make this offensive line play halfway decent, you know, this could be pretty good. And like I said, I think john smith calls beautiful offense. So, you know, it could surprise people being a much better offense, the talent rating has any rights to be it’s just, you know, it’s probably going to be the case that they struggle on the offensive line, if you don’t have an offensive line don’t have a football thing, especially in john Smith’s type of offense. It’s not like a quick release kind of, you know, handle bad offensive line kind of offense. So, you know, it’s unfortunate because they deserve better, frankly, but But yeah, I think they’re gonna have a real encouraging season fortunately.

Tyler Turner
And then the last team would be Washington State, obviously bringing in Nick rolovich. Um, he said it’s an interesting start to his tenure there. I’m good George loved lovely did ye but at least from my my rankings and how I see it, I think that’s the worst roster in the PAC 12 um, I know they had a several Sit the portal. We got a max for us a terrific runningback can pretty much do everything. What do you see from Washington State offensively and you just quickly touch on them defensively? I don’t I think it’s gonna be a tough it’s a tough job for Leach and what a terrific job he did for so many years. Um, what do you see moving forwards Washington State in this abbreviated season?

Unknown Speaker
You’re gonna have to cut me off because I find Washington State to be the most fascinating team in the league simply because I, I I think the running shoot is absolutely fascinating. I think it’s fascinating the way that they get production out of their wide receivers despite You know, you’re right. They’re wide receivers don’t have a lot of talent. Did you think they look like an untalented group under Mike Leach? You know, like Mike you know, Mike it’s true the number of those guys hit the portal, but probably not the most important guys, you know, I think they return to core of a very good wide receivers very smart, experienced wide receivers who I don’t think are going to have a hard time adapting to the running shoe even though that is very, very, very, very different offense from the air raid, I think they’d be able to adapt to it. Well, they recruited some very good quarterbacks because who wouldn’t want to play quarterback under Mike Leach and, and, and, and I just schematically like it’s I mean, the running shoes are fascinating offense, it has a hold a fascinating place in the history of football. Actually, a neighbor of mine is Moussa Davis, the longtime Portland State coach, he was like the primary like Innovator of the running shoot, it is absolutely fascinating, they will probably have a bad first year because every team implementing the running shoot has a bad first year, they tend to throw a million interceptions, because the structure of that offense requires the quarterback and the wide receiver simply making different types of decisions that happen in any other offense. And until they’re on the same page which without, you know, with given COVID and the problems that probably had to do, you know, installing that offensive probably not gone too smoothly, you know, it’s probably going to be a big problem. They also the I think the offensive line is not well suited to the types of protections they need to utilize for the running shoot, you know the way maybe as much or more than the way the quarterback and wide receivers have to operate in the run shoot, the offensive line is very, very called upon to do very, very different things in the running shoot compared to the air raid. And I don’t think there are offensive linemen that Mike Leach recruited are well suited to do those sorts of things. It’s gonna be real deep in the weeds vs me to detail them. So I in between sort of not a lot of talent on paper and difficulties with the install of a new offense. I think that they’re probably it’s probably going to be at least year two before that gets rolling. Although when it does, keep in mind, there are a number of standing NCAA and NFL records that are set by running shoe teams. Like, you know, Nick rolovich, could very well be Mike Leach to in terms of like, I do not want to play that team, like, but it’s probably not going to be in 2020. And then I just don’t have anything to say about the defense. They just don’t have any talent like at all. I like Jake dickert, the defensive coordinator and the couple of guys that they brought, he brought with him from Wyoming, actually through a weird coincidence. Wow, did some film study on Wyoming’s defense a couple years ago, it wasn’t dickered at the time, but uh, you know, did same head coach Craig Bohl. And, you know, I think it’s probably a good hire, but just, um, that’s one where, you know, it ain’t a magic defensive structure, it requires defensive players and they just don’t have any like it’s it’s a shocking void of talent. And you know, they’ve they’ve lost a number of the really good ones to various unfortunate circumstances. So yeah, I don’t I think they’re gonna have a rough first year it’s probably you know, we don’t need to elaborate much further on that.

Tyler Turner
So and your own bias opinion is an Oregon that does Oregon lose to new divisional opponents in this abbreviated season?

Hythloday Almond
Um

Unknown Speaker
barring you know, crazy stuff, you know, the you would you know, we can’t predict it you know, if they started playing today with with the rosters that I think they’ll play I think the greatest threat is probably Washington if you know Washington comes together because like I said, I you know, I there’s a version of Washington’s offense which could be very good and there’s a version of Washington’s defense in which they paper over their problems and their sort of talent voids pretty effectively. And you know, if they’re able to do that then they go toe to toe with Oregon in terms of overall talent and you know, any game in which two rivals are going toe to toe you know, you got to say is is close to a coin flip even though I like Oregon, in that matchup. But then the rest of it in the PAC 12 North Nah, man now Yeah, shouldn’t happen.

Tyler Turner
Yeah. I mean I’m not gonna disagree with you I mean obviously we’re there’s gonna be a little bit of you’re playing some guys that are young in the back you’re gonna be playing Madden or James and and you know kale right i mean that’s the crazy but you got McHale right who was who’s probably better

Unknown Speaker
than Lenore and I mean he I guess I’ll put it this way McHale right as a true freshman in 2019 had a better true freshman season Fisher’s grammar Dion or Lenore vabre true freshmen in 2017. So projecting forward I would say that probably his second year would probably be as good if not better than then Lenore or Graham’s third year which was 2019 I didn’t it’s difficult to say at all.

Tyler Turner
And then Dante Manny was the highest rated cornerback ever for Oregon Under Armour all American flat five star so even in your you lose today’s soul and you’re never going to replace the navy seal is the best offensive lineman in the country. Pff they graded him as the best offensive line since they started it. But then you still are bringing in guys like Steven Jones shoni Jonah to do that are we’re top 100 players coming out of high school to so he Yeah, I mean, as much as I’m like, man, I don’t want to be biased. I don’t want to like act like I just gonna lean towards my team when I just look at the roster. I see what they are on both sides of the ball, see how good they are? on their front seven i think is unquestionably the best front seven in the PAC 12 nothing north in the back. 12 um, I just I wouldn’t trade our defensive line with anybody cave activities best pass rusher in the PAC 12. I mean, the linebacker core you’re bringing in the two best offensive line backers in the prep ranks to positive five stars. I explained that to see it was a very good linebacker Mesa. funa was a top 100 player who played at a high level as a true freshman Adrian Jackson started and he didn’t play last year but he started three games. I just the front seven eight is gonna be tough to deal with any learning period is gonna be, I think minimal for the defensive backfield. I don’t know if anyone particularly in the north, like we said Washington has some talented wide receivers, and Stanford has some talented, but if their quarterbacks are under dressel game and you don’t have a running game, it makes you pretty one dimensional. And I think it makes the life a whole lot easier on defensive backs. Yeah, I agree. I don’t see the reason. I mean, anything could happen. It’s football. I mean, last Arizona State last year, and they’re completely better than Arizona say yeah,

Unknown Speaker
but I think even Arizona State fans dispute that.

Tyler Turner
Yeah. Well, you’d be shocked at twitter. But

Unknown Speaker
yeah, I’ll put it this way, I think that Oregon is going to have the best front seven in the PAC 12 in terms of their actual performance, you know, we talked about how their their interior defensive linemen don’t look like they’re talented, but anybody who’s watched him play will tell you that they are playing way better than that. And, you know, so if they’ve got, you know, and I think the front seven is going to cover up any sort of learning periods for the defensive backs. And then if they have, you know, if they’ve got a top five defense, which I think they will, you know, that covers up any sort of learning curve for the the offense, you know, it’s sort of a, you know, an NFL type of calculation, but if, you know, if you’ve got a hell of a pass rush, you kind of have the rest of your team figured out like you know, there’s a whole lot of team you know, it’s going to be strange for Oregon fans, I think to be a defensive lead team, at least at the beginning of the year. But you know, I I really think that’s what the situation is going to look like. I think the quarterbacks are not going to be opposing quarterbacks are not going to have two seconds to think.

Tyler Turner
Nope. And we talked in the north so the South I don’t know if you want to go probably been on been been going for a while but we can just quickly touch go through them. Well,

Unknown Speaker
the thing about the South is that like

Tyler Turner
talked about USC so right, but

Unknown Speaker
Well, the thing about the South is that you know, of the of the you know, bottom seven teams in terms of talent, five of them are packed or Pac 12 South teams, you know, UCLA, Utah, Colorado, Arizona our I guess it’s for sorry, yeah, like you know, we probably don’t really need to spend you’re all knocking out right now. And this will be all that we talked about these guys right? UCLA is an entirely self inflicted wound right like their talent, their their three star program because they’re making chip Kelly’s making him a three star program, Utah, I like their development, but last year was their shot there. They have hit the reset button this year and it’s probably going to take them at least a year to get Get going again. I don’t think there are serious threat. And you know, they they couldn’t beat USC last year and that was their best team maybe ever. Colorado is sort of in a, you know, Colorado’s in a similar talent situation to Oregon State actually really liked the way that Mel Tucker attacked to the problems that he did. And actually thought he did a fairly good job of roster management and then he went east You know, that’s, that’s an unfortunate situation. I don’t think they really dig themselves out of that hole. I mean, it’s fascinating team, I could talk for an hour about them but what’s not. And then Arizona, I mean, boy, you know, they have bad talent and bad coaching. So they’re not going anywhere either. Although I do like their quarterback rank in LA, he’s not bad, but you know, he can’t really construct a team out of one, you know, good player as much as Arizona State might want to. So let’s talk about Arizona state because they’re really the only South team that’s worth talking about who we haven’t talked about yet.

Tyler Turner
What it okay so Arizona State, we give kind of my opinion and you can kind of just go from there. I’m Jane Daniels. I’ve always liked him. He was the number one dual threat quarterback coming out by 247 Sports was a five star four to four seven. He had a little bit of an up and down first year I didn’t in Arizona state’s problem was a line I didn’t think they had a very consistent line young line. They had great receivers obviously Brandon IU was terrific. I like Darby I think he’s a solid receiver. They’ve obviously a huge win on Garvey’s back. They brought in guys like Johnny Wilson bunkley Shelton, um, Elijah badger all four star guys so I think they kind of reloaded that position obviously freshmen. You just never know what you’re going to get. I don’t know who they had a running back. I don’t know whose kid who’s taking over Benjamin. But I you know, I think loader offensive line. You still reloading at wide receiver? I like their offense. I like the scheme. I like the offensive coordinator they brought in. So I like where they’re going defensively. I still think they’re not very strong. The defensive line. I don’t think they’ve recruited that while there. They didn’t have a strong defensive line last year. They had a couple of good linebackers, Merlin Robinson definitely was a good big prospect coming out of high school he didn’t tell these betters first year than he was last year and not a bad defensive backfield once again pretty like Lucas and cross wide and on these fields and jack Jones is a five star but he went to USC before he got expelled from there. So they have talent back there didn’t always see consistency out of that even defensive backfield, the defense in general. Um, they have the fifth most talented roster. I like some things firms done I like some of the people he’s hired. I think he’s hired some definitely good recruiters. I’m Antonio Pierce. is a recruiter is terrific recruiter, especially the LA area. I still do they’re not a complete team. I mean, they’re like the offensive line defensive line there is holes in that team. I would still say if you were to put a gun to my head, which I know why you’d be doing that. But if you did, um, I would I would probably take USC still. And I think Arizona State has the talent on the roster to possibly play spoiler, I just I don’t see them being the team that goes to eat in the PAC 12 style championship. I think they lose a game that they shouldn’t maybe to like a Utah just because there is holes and I just think that they’re not they’re far from a perfect team. But they do have some good pieces and I do like Jane Daniels. I think you’ll be even better this year and obviously played great against Oregon. So that might be that’s my opinion. Arizona state they they’re I think they have talent, but I think they have holes there’s someone that could ruin someone’s day but they also are someone that could drop a game that they probably shouldn’t

Unknown Speaker
boy Yeah, I you read my mind. You said literally everything that I wanted to say about Arizona State. Like that’s I mean really I I’m not joking. You said literally. I wanted to say you didn’t know who the running backs were I think like the wide receivers they are going to wind up playing to four star true freshmen that they recruited in the 2019 class I think the train who’s gonna get the starting to God is going to be the change of pace back are the guys are for start. But yes, I mean, you said it. I you know what, I’m gonna resist the urge to just repeat everything that you said. just refer back to your comments because you nailed it. Um, the the did your I guess I’ll pick out a couple things. Daniels. You’re right. I think that he’s probably the second best returning quarterback in the PAC 12 Although I don’t think that saying much, because there’s just not that not that many returning quarterbacks in the PAC 12. And many of them are bad, like, you know, Tom Robinson at UCLA. He definitely can let that ball rip. He had some true freshman problems, it remains to be seen whether or not those problems are just being a true freshman. Or if they’re sort of, you know, like I said about Garber’s, you know, he was fun to watch because he scrambled very well, we have to ask yourself the question, why is this guy scrambling all the time? And the answer was not because he had bad wide receivers. So you know, he doesn’t even have that excuse. It’s because he probably scrambles more than he should is because the offensive line stinks. And his offensive line is probably gonna get worse. I mean, he was bad last year, it’s gonna get worse. They they lost. They lost dudes off of what off of an already very thin line and then replacing with just guys that are not talented like it, you know, they had to take two transfers just to get to five.

Hythloday Almond
And,

Unknown Speaker
you know, God help them they get an injury. I mean, really, that’s true for their entire offense is their first stringers, if they if they completely avoid injury, you know, they’ll have a five star quarterback, they’ll have a four star running back and four star wide receivers, Chad Johnson’s kids, the other four star receiver they got in the 2019 class, they have a four star transfer from Texas a&m, at at left tackle. Although of course, you know, he left because he didn’t get any playing time. So who knows? dish is his name. And their offensive line could be okay, you know, they could surprise me, I guess I’ll say, um, they got one of the transfers. The other transfer that they got in the offensive line has had us from Stanford, but again, like, you know, rats off a sinking ship for that squad. It but like God help them if they you know, they can’t take a single injury if Daniels gets injured. I hope he doesn’t. But they only have one scholarship quarterback on the roster guy named Macklemore, who’s a low three star who’s never taken the stamp. Cuz remember, in the ASU vs. USC game, Daniels was injured, unfortunately. And he had a backup play the backup transferred out they don’t have anybody else got help them, they get injured, not help them if they take a single wide receiver injury, or like you noted, all of their running backs and wide receivers are true freshmen. You know, statistically, that’s six guys, statistically, you know, you follow the rule of thirds, about a third of all your guys are going to bust. You know, I hope it doesn’t happen, because I hate seeing talent wasted. But statistically, probably two of those six guys are not going to live up to the recruiting rankings. In which case, you know, oh, because they don’t have any talent beyond those guys at all. Like, I don’t mean like, you know, I don’t like the talent. I mean, literally, they’re three stars who’ve never played a game of football as a college player. They don’t use their tight ends at all. It’s not we’re talking about, you know, the, their and their offensive line probably is gonna stink, it was probably going to be the worst offensive line in the PAC 12. And that’s saying something for the PAC 12 you know, Jesus Christ. So, you know,

Tyler Turner
So true.

Unknown Speaker
so you know, I you really nailed it. They’re a team that can definitely play spoiler but I just they do not have the ponies or the depth to to to play an entire season. Now it’s going to be abbreviated season, you know, maybe they run out the clock, you know, or maybe they beat the clock and get all their good football played in the first half of the year. I agree with you about the offensive coordinator in that I did not like Rob likens their former offensive coordinator at all. Not really sure how well that speaks to Herm Edwards for having hired the guy frankly, because I thought that was obvious when he hired him that he wasn’t gonna be good. In I did like back hill at Boise State. The problem is that kills offense does not fit the talent that that that Arizona State has now he could turn out to be a Joe Morehead type who’s like super adaptable, and runs an offense that you know, that fits. But we’ve never seen him do that. Unlike Joe Morehead. It was 11 years worth of doing that. Zach Hill is only running offense at Boise State and only run a particular kind of offense with a good offensive line, excellent tight ends. And that’s the opposite of what Arizona State has, like he’s never run this sort of like high flying offense to amazing wide receivers the way that Arizona state’s gonna have to be configured so we don’t know whether or not that guy is going to work out. Either I like on the defensive side of the ball, right? You know what you assess that pretty much perfectly like their most talented players, Merlin Robertson, who had a much better 2018 and 2019 I think their defensive backs are okay. They’re not great. They make mistakes a lot. JACK Jones in particular, like was really baffling to watch because I’d watch him you know, have a phenomenal play that made me say like, Oh, that’s why you’re a five star and then literally the next play would be like, What the hell are you doing jack like that’s not even close to what your assignment is. You know, he’s like the Justin Herbert of a defensive back.

Tyler Turner
Oh, oh,

Unknown Speaker
yeah. And yeah, I mean I share your assessment of the rest of the defensive talent is don’t think they have a lot. I’m particularly the defensive line. I don’t really know what the to think of their defensive coordinator situation. You know, I actually did like Danny Gonzalez, I think he got sort of a bum rap at Arizona State. Because those, it was very clear to me that that was a talent issue, not a schematic issue. Um and so their new defensive coordinator situation is going to be a co DC between Antonio pierce the young gun he used to play in the NFL in briefly hospital driver.

Hythloday Almond
And, and the consigli airy

Unknown Speaker
the former NFL coach whose name is escaping right, Marvin Lewis, thank you, Marvin Lewis. So they’re going to be Cody C’s, they were probably going to based on the based on what Marvin Lewis coached and what the scheme that Antonio Pierce played in for his entire collegiate and NFL career, they’re probably going to switch the defensive structure from the 335 to a four three, they really don’t have the talent to run a full well, not even close, not even close to the right to run a four three. So I don’t know how that’s gonna go might be a bumpy transition. Plus, like, you know, I don’t know how I just don’t I have no idea how that relationship is gonna work out. cotc thing is going to work. It’s probably the case that like that, that that Mervyn lewis is like the whisperer and Antonio Pierce is really the you know, the the the guy running the show, but Antonio Pierce has never really been he was briefly a high school coach of all things. But like I don’t think he’s ever operated to college defense before really don’t know what to expect out of him. There’s a good chance this defense is just bad. It might not be it could be okay. But I think okay, is their ceiling is the other part. So yeah, I just don’t you know, as you said, I think they’ve got talent in the right places and pieces and to be a spoiler but you know, the consistency that either you need nordwind division with the team as talented as USC, I just don’t see it. Yeah.

Tyler Turner
So could to come knock this down at the end and kind of narrow it. Um, I was so we, when you break it down the most talent rosters I do believe it’s USC, Oregon. And I think it ultimately, in kinda even how we just talked through this, you just talk through all the flaws of each team. And it really is a case of where there’s just not a lot of not very good teams in the PAC 12. And I hate to bag on the PAC 12 because obviously, the media loves it. They want to say an hour irrelevant. They love saying no one cares, they laughed, and there’s a part of it down like well, you know, most of the teams aren’t very good. And then we just are talking through this. And you go through roster after roster and holes on pretty much every defensive line and almost every offensive line and and bad linebacker play and bad defenses and you just kind of you just kind of talk through it and then you come to the end and it’s like, okay, so UFC doesn’t have very good coach, but they still have a lot better talent on the roster than the rest because they’re playing in a conference that other teams are just not very good. The likelihood of them winning it is is pretty good. And then you look at Oregon does coach dwell who does upgrade coordinators, and does have really solid talent on all levels, even with the OPT outs they are putting in guys like McHale right you know, varone McKinley even like Dante, Manny and a five star is going to take over for Thomas grammar down the door and and take it over for today. Sue is Jonah, Jonah to new and you’re just these are really good players that maybe don’t have experience. But there’s still very good planning a scheme and a team and a culture. That’s very good. I think. I think they’re the two best rosters I think come December 19. I believe they both play for the title and I do think bias or not. I do think Oregon I actually think Oregon seven at all. And will that be enough to make the playoffs? We don’t know. If this is an unpredictable year. We really don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know how many, three lost teams, two lost teams, how many teams have 123 games canceled? We don’t know. But I think the pactra have done it pretty well. I think they’ve gotten themselves in position that they are going to have season. I hope and I don’t think there’s gonna be like cancellation. And I think Oregon will be Saturday not the end of the day and that and I base it on not just just everything that we’ve talked about over the last hour and a half. It’s a little bit of a I don’t think Oregon right now, especially since losing today school and stuff, I don’t think we can compete to win a national title. I don’t think we don’t have the talent of Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, but we can get to a playoff. And by next year’s class, when we bring in one of the best classes in the country, we will be a you can start talking, especially if we can get really good play from Tyler show. Um, Chuck, you, we you at that point could be talking organ is a serious contender to take the whole thing in my opinion?

Unknown Speaker
Well, that’s basically how I saw 2020 versus 2021. You know, before COVID, you know, I thought that it was probably a year too early for Oregon to make a national title push, you know, it’s simply because, well, you know, they were scheduled to play Ohio State. And so I was naturally starting to do comparisons to Ohio State, you know, Oregon has been recruiting very well, for three years, Ohio State’s been recruiting very well, since the 19th century, you know, it’s simply, you know, you don’t build a national championship roster off of two or three years of good recruiting, it has to be top to bottom man, you know, like it really like it really was, it was the case that, you know, you know, 2021 was probably the earliest they could seriously compete for it, you know, especially because it’s not 2010 anymore, you know, where you can make the national you know, title game, because no one had caught up to the way that your offense was structured yet. You know, it’s written in the, in the era of the playoff, you really do need to be, you know, really one of the, the absolute best for teams or to, to, to have a shot at winning at all, you can sort of sneak in to the, to the one of the semi final games, but you’ll be exposed as Oklahoma has, you know, for the last couple of years, because they don’t have a defense. And so, you know, to really be an Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, you know, level team where you’re like you actually are on the stage and capable of winning at all like, yeah, Oregon was probably a year away. So I don’t think there’s any shame in saying that, but I basically endorse your logic, you know, I think there’s only

Hythloday Almond
three teams in the PAC 12 Excuse me.

Unknown Speaker
I think there’s only three teams, the PAC 12 that have the talent to, to to compete for the PAC 12 title, that’s USC, Oregon and Washington. Right? I think that Oregon and Washington are definitely going to play and I think they’re Oregon. USC going to see each other in title game, so we’ll see it on the field. I think at the very least it should be enjoyable games to play with how much talent Yeah,

Tyler Turner
I agree, I think I think I think are gonna kind of get what we believe. And I just think it just to the other rosters and if you could say that for a lot of conferences. Good. You go the big 12 I mean, Oklahoma and Texas have far greater have far greater talent. Obviously the big 12 has been just crazy this year so far. Oh, you know, I don’t even know where to go with that. But you know, in ACC of Clemson and Notre Dame’s in there right now, and and most most most conferences Do you do see kind of a a vast difference between the top tier so it’s not that much different in the in the PAC 12 that you see this vast difference? Um, and we did and what the PAC 12 needs is they need one team, preferably or you could have two but one team and yeah, maybe have it’s Batman, Robin to them. They’re Batman, but we need that team to just be dominant, just like Clemson look at Clemson, they ACC the bad for quite a while Clemson became dominant. Oklahoma has been dominated the big 12 the PAC 12 just needs one team to just kind of break away from the parody. And I’m starting to see that and you will see had that talent difference, but they’ve just been a mess with their culture mess with the coaching staff. And it started after Pete Carroll with Lane Kiffin Sarkeesian and Helpmann is just become a downward spiral with the whole culture USC because there was that kind of difference talent wise, or you’re seeing Oregon now accumulating that talent while having a much better culture. And I think Oregon really is just your like you said they’re one year away from just kind of like pulling away from the pack, and just being better in every aspect where they can just run through the PAC 12 and really give the PAC 12 kind of it’s it’s a it’s golden soldier though. It’s a close call, whatever you want to call it called the Clemson of the PAC 12

Unknown Speaker
Oklahoma, the PAC 12. But someone that can just kind of ride, ride the ship and be the lead dog and I know in Oregon is, is pretty much a sign in class in my opinion away from from being that day. Well, it’s certainly looking like that, for 2021. I mean, the team, I endorse the way that you are looking at it, you know, like a, the way that the conferences and the playoffs is structured, you know, it favors having one, you know, you know, like, the way the UFC was referred to back in the past 10 days, you know, USC in the nine dwarves, you know, like, that’s what, that’s what Clemson in the ACC is. That’s what Oklahoma and the big 12 is, to some extent, it’s even the case that it’s Ohio State and the rest of the big 10. I mean, there’s no, if you look at the historical records, there’s no single team in all of college football, that dominates its conference, the way that Ohio State dominates the big 10.

Tyler Turner
I forgot about,

Unknown Speaker
you know, I know, there are some other good, you know, that it’s the big 10 because it has teams like Penn State and Wisconsin and Michigan, in it, you know, is not quite the joke that, you know, the big 12 in the ACC, absent their two top, you know, best two teams are but, you know, nonetheless, you look at the historical record, Ohio State might as well be, you know, the cleansing of that league, or the Oklahoma of that league. And for the PAC 12, the natural team, the team that it sort of, if things went the way that structural advantages, you know, would indicate is that their natural team is USC, and it’s sort of hard pill to swallow, I understand for Oregon fans, but like, it really is true, like when they were on, they were just monopolizing all of the West Coast talent. And they could reinforce their structural advantages with actual advantages. And they, you know, not simply Carol’s bad coach or anything, but he didn’t need to be a great coach, you know, like, he just had all the talent, like the disparity between him and the second best team. You know, that was Washington during the dawn James here, I know the dungeons and Carol one at the same time, but like, you know, the thorn in Washington side under Don James was USC for you know, pretty much the same reasons that that, you know, like, they just monopolized all the talent. And, and USC is in a position where they can monopolize the hell they still kind of do. You know, they do you know, I believe both of us have said, you know, it is the number one most talented roster top to bottom, in the PAC 12, at least on paper. But you’re right, just sort of, you know, their culture has been doing now who knows how long that’s gonna last, you know, like, they hire, you know, a crackerjack coach, and they could turn around immediately. That’s what having five star talent on your roster lets you do. So Oregon better strike while the iron Yeah, I you know, I don’t know, I, you know, I really don’t know if Oregon’s recruiting situation is sustainable for the next 10 years. Because I can’t predict the Washington or excuse me, USC is going to be down for the next 10 years on ramp is an Oregon fan. I hope they are. But laying I don’t know that you can really definitively say that, but at least 2020 2021 probably the year after that. Probably the year after that. There’s probably a four year window. We’re so where iron is going to be hot, you know, and I agree with the way that that you frame it. And then the interesting thing, the other interesting thing in the PAC 12 is what’s going to happen to Washington, you know, that’s a program that that probably if you look at their their history, you know, as a football team, they probably should be doing better than they have been, you know that they basically took a snoozer for 25 years after Don James resigned. You know, but if you look at their structural advantages, and they’re committed to football and being in big city, and so forth, and so on, like they, they ought to be better, um, that that, you know, they’re probably going to have a bit of a rough time in this transition. Like I said, I was not wild about Chris Peterson’s roster management, Jimmy lake has to deal with that he’s gonna be first time head coach, I think he had kind of as a dud of a defensive coordinator higher. I think there’s sort of, you know, they have a lot of talent on the roster. But like I said earlier, I think it’s on distributed problems, but those are potentially all temporary problems. You know, it’s going to be an interesting question to see whether or not you know, they, they, they, you know, they have another Don James era in them, I think that they potentially do from, you know, from their structural advantages. So, you know, if you look at the sort of this league should be USC versus Washington every year, and I know Oregon fans don’t want to hear that but just structurally that’s what it ought to be. And so Oregon’s kind of defying gravity right now. And like all Oregon fans, you know, I got my fingers crossed, they supercharged the engines and they can just fly forever. So but I, you know, I think you sort of have to acknowledge that like, USC and Washington are both you know, a couple of good hires away from really being able to to to seriously compete in and and dethrone Oregon but at least for right now, it’s good to be the king

Tyler Turner
Yeah, I mean, and we have to be honest, I’m not I’m not an Oregon native. And part of the, the appeal to me, I lived down the West Coast, moved to Los Angeles. And that’s actually when I became an Oregon fan. But a lot of the appeal of Oregon was the fancy uniforms that you know, the affiliation with Nike on the amazing facility. So Oregon did have that appeal that and then they have innovative offense, obviously under Chip Kelly. But I mean, those days have kind of gone by, but they’ve kind of rubbed the coattails with all the other aspects that come with Oregon, and I and if they can continue to win, and especially they can take a national title, they could become Clemson ish in the fact that they Clemson would be a fair comparison because Clemson for years, you know, it’s in South Carolina, but that’s not the best hotbed of that area. And for years, they’re competitive, but they weren’t all at Tier tier one school. If you think about ACC, my the Miami, Florida State, we’re definitely have a longer success than Clemson, Clemson was able to kind of get the ball rolling and all of a sudden it’s become it’s become five straight playoff appearances, two national titles, and Oregon even as even kind of more going for it because its affiliation with Nike, its innovative facilities, and in an even playing a weaker conference perhaps that if they can get the ball rolling, who knows how long it goes for? I mean, you really don’t know. And you have like I said, you have people that people like Oregon I live up here in the Midwest people were ordered you see Oregon stuff on people more than almost any other college seem to be honestly I saw a kid tonight, my son we had a football game two kids and Oregon uniforms on. Um, and like I said, I’m not from Oregon, and I know several of my neighbors huge Oregon fan, he’s not from Oregon. So Oregon did just kind of get this appealed innovative offense affiliation with Nike, that some people that are from Oregon probably don’t realize, but it does this is national brand. And that’s why they’re able to recruit the way they are. And that’s why Mirel crystal ball probably saw this opportunity. He’s like, holy, I’m coming in a hot time this this team is is the thing for the youth of America, they like the uniforms and the facilities and fancy stuff and if they can finally get through the international game twice, but they find to get through with national title, who knows it’s gone for a while they’ve gone for a while, at least what I believe

Hythloday Almond
Well, you know, and that sort of stuff is paying dividends right? You know, like, you know, when Chip Kelly was really on in Oregon, that’s when a lot of the recruits were kids you know and it’s sort of that they’re your team’s favorite team you know, and it’s starting to pay dividends now and then you know, you’re probably going to see dividends from just the first couple of years of Mario crystal ball you know 567 years down the line as well you know, the Rose Bowl 16 million people watch the Rose Bowl you know in front of you know God and everybody and every recruits mom you know Oregon was out there defeating longtime national power and looking you know, pretty exciting and fun doing it it was shiny elements and everything and like and then you could definitely see it in Oregon’s marketing Oregon for marketing right you know like they you know that they can’t send out invites to anything without without you know, rosebowl Pac 12 champions on it you know, like they send that out to their academic conference invites that they’re the Rose Bowl champions right? So you know, the the way the college foot you know, the college football is not the NFL you know, the NFL is set up for clarity and rotation right like the worst teams get to pick the highest draft picks. College is the opposite. You know, college lets you play king of the hill where you know, you get to the top and you can sort of kick down the kid the folks who are below you and you know it’s built to the rich stay rich. And you know, nobody’s Richard and Oregon. Thanks, Phil

Tyler Turner
That’s true. Well then it was awesome breaking this down of love your once again if anyone wants to go and check out his stuff and addicted to crack he does some amazing valuations on players teams gifa day it was awesome having me on we’ll definitely come chat here. Come season time. Maybe have you on mid season See how it’s gone. CFC Oregon winning the first three games Tyler show has like 15 touchdowns, no interceptions, offensive lines running people over cJ fordell 200 yard backs back to your games but we don’t know what’s going to happen but I think it’s going to be a good season and I’m Glad we had a season we didn’t even think we’re going to have one. So to be in a position that we get to play is awesome. So, but thanks for coming on today, man and it was great chatting and I will talk to you soon.

Hythloday Almond
Yeah, my pleasure. This was fun. Good talking to you. Take care.

Tyler Turner
Thanks, man. Have a good one.

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