March 11, 2025 • 17 mins
Jon Wilner of The San Jose Mercury News and Wilner Hotline joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about Great Osobor at Washington, the WCC final tonight, Big Ten television scheduling, Dan Lanning’s extension with Oregon, and Cam Ward’s issues.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's time for a weekly PAC twelve conversation with Senos
a Mercury News reporter John Wilner, brought to you by
Simply Seattle. Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have
the most amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear.
UW had some of the largest selection of sonics gear
anywhere in the world. Learn more at simply Seattle dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I was actually over there today.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
It's simply Seattle dot com picking up a few things
for an upcoming event I'm going to be a part
of the next week and a half.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Can't tell you what it is, but maybe off the year,
I'll tell you super secret. Yeah, big time.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
And they tell me they have some great deals on
some awesome new Mariner drops that have come in for
the season starting in sixteen days from now.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
So is that what new items said? Drop? Yeah? Is
that what you call Jackson a drop?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Jump on the website use code kJ R fifteen for
fifteen percent off anything at simply Seattle dot com. Here
he is the Pope of the pack, the Big ten Bear,
and our friend, your friend from the San Jose Mercury News,
John Wilner, John, how are you pal?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm good Thans.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Hey, guys, good, So you just heard Dick of the
update there mentioned that Great Osabor was honorable mention all
big ten.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I think he should change his name to Good Osabor.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I don't know for two million bucks if the Husky's
got the return of the investment. They were looking for
fifteen points per game for Good Osabor this year five
and a half rebound excuse me, eight rebounds a game.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
What do you think the reigning Mountain West Player of
the Year comes to U dub and his team finishes
in last place? Two million bucks? It's not what I
thought they'd get. What do you think of the year
the Huskies got from Great Osabor?
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I think it was a little bit Underachievingsbor fair to Midland,
didn't make didn't make his teammates better. You know, he
was okay, but certainly I think didn't live up to expectations.
You know, the expectations for him individually were higher than
(01:57):
for the team as a whole. And I thought, actually
Washington as a team did got closer in meeting expectations
than he did individually.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
That's interesting. You might you might be right about that.
You know, we just talked about the Delaware run. Is
there anything that you're really looking forward to over the
next over the next week in conference tournament play, any
conference you want, Is there something that you're gonna particularly
be keeping your eye on.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Well, I'm looking forward to the good Zach Saint Mary's game.
It starts in what a couple.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Hours hours hour.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
I think it could be a great game. Sam Mary's
won both during the regular season, swept his AX for
the first time in like ten years. I think because
that is playing better now than it was, so I
think it could be a really good game. Certainly, the
SEC tournament is gonna be fantastics, so many good teams.
Same with the Big twelve. I just to me, the
(02:52):
Big ten, the ACC are not as exciting. Well.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Dick asked a question on the air about an hour
ago about the conference champampionship games in football maybe not
being as relevant as important because now you have the
expanded playoff, and I agree with them. You saw some
of the attendance numbers and ticket prices were in the
gutter for some of these games. You know, we just
played a clip from Calipari about an hour ago where
he said, I don't care about the tournament, right, I mean,
(03:18):
we're about winning in March Madness and winning in the
NCAA tournament.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I mean, look, I know they make a lot of money,
But do we.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Think that even the college basketball championship games and tournaments
that the importance has been lessened a bit over the years.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I don't think so, because it's still the path for
teams that otherwise couldn't get in, you know, the bit Steelers.
That hasn't changed, And even if they expand the thing
to seventy six teams, that won't change in concepts. So
I think it's a little bit different. You know, the
(03:55):
equivalent in football would be like if you're six seed
somehow got into the CFP, but there's no path for
that to happen because the conference championship is just two teams,
whereas in the basketball it's you know, fifteen or more.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
John reading a couple articles where there's some in the
higher ups of the MLS that are regretting their Apple deal.
How and that just got me thinking about the PAC
ten and the PAC twelve, Like how big a disaster
would that have been had they actually signed that contract
solely with Apple.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Well, I think that it would have been bad. Well,
let me rephrase that if they had actually signed the
contract solely with Apple, and I believe that there was
a way to sign the deal with Apple but then
sub license games on linear TV. That was part of
their plan. Now I don't know for sure that that
would have happened, but if it had, then that would
(04:53):
have been a probably a pretty good deal. The other
piece was that financially, the first two years were going
to be bad, right, and then they had the you know,
the triggers to get the revenue up. And I think
those were fairly easily reached to triggers. But certainly, you know,
it's hard to compare because football and soccer are so
(05:15):
college football and soccer are so different in this country
in terms of consumer consumption popularity. I don't know that
it's you know, apples to apples. To me, it's it's
more like apples and pears.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Yeah, that's fair, and I hate pairs, by the way,
but that's fair. I mean, more people would have been
justified in paying to watch college football than they would
have been justified to pay to watch soccer, at least
in this country. There's no question about that. But John
Wilner is with us on the air. John, I think
you mentioned this on your on your Twitter account. You
did a story for the Mercury News about Friday night games,
and I don't know has has anybody been assigned Friday
(05:51):
games yet? The Huskies certainly haven't. And if not, when
will that come down?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
No, that will come out in late May, Okay, all
the major conferences will announce the kickoff times and TV
assignments for the first three weeks for the non you know,
the non conference games, and that will also include what's
called the special date games, and Fridays are considered special date,
(06:17):
same with you know, kind of any kind of Monday
deal early in the season. All that so late May,
first couple of days of June, we will know what
the Big ten Friday schedule is gonna be on Fox.
I fully expect there to be nine or ten more
Friday conference games, and I fully expect that the West
Coast schools are going to have an outside share of
(06:39):
those games.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Why do they wait so long to announce the Friday games?
And why does the Big ten give the TV networks
that kind of power?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Well, they all have it. It's the same thing with
the Big twelve.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Yeah, why.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I mean every year the special date games can get
I mean the Big twelve just announced I think a few.
But the Big ten's not doing anything that other conferences
haven't done in the past in terms of waiting until
May to announce the Friday games. It'd be better if
they did it all when they announced the schedule in December,
(07:16):
right the TV networks. The TV networks want to take
their time and map out everything. It's all part of
a grid, and the NFL schedule even impacts what you're
doing if you're ESPN with your college games. So it's
it's a big chess board for the TV networks and
(07:38):
they need time to do it. Well.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
You said today in that piece, the twenty two percent
of the Big Ten, which was the West Coast, made
up thirty nine percent of the Friday night slots last year,
So the West.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Coast schools got the shaft.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Do you think the Big Ten will give the West
Coast schools a bit of a break this year from
those Friday night games?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Maybe a little bit, maybe a little, But a big
part of the problem as I see it is it
Pens State, Ohio, State Michigan are refusing and so that
leaves fifteen teams to play eighteen slots, and so that's
a big part of the problem. And I assume that
that's gonna be good next year too. I mean, Michigan's
(08:16):
ad war manual said flat out last fall, we're not
playing on Fridays. They're not going to tell Michigan and
Ohio State and Penn State what to do. I don't
think that's the way it's been in the Big Ten forever.
Those schools run the show. So if that's the case again,
I would expect that the West Coast schools are going
to have a few more games than everybody else.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
How many schools will be would be able to do that.
Does USC not have the.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Power to think? I don't think USC does. No. I
don't think any of them. I mean, Oregon Washington certainly don't.
They're half share members, they don't have the clout. And
my guess is a lot of this was discussed, you know,
before they eve, you know, officially brought in Oregon and
Washington or during the negotiations. The thing is the money
that Fox is spending, and I believe it is sixty
(09:05):
five million on Oregon and Washington per year for their
revenue share that was going to go to the PAC
twelve to be the Friday Night Pack twelve package until
the whole thing blew apart, and then it blew apart.
Fox just said, well, we'll just shift that money and
pay for Oregon in Washington in the Big twelve. So
they don't have the clout really to demand anything. They
(09:30):
kind of got to take what they're given. And that's
just the nature of being the newcomers.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah, it's like Judge Smalls, you get nothing and like it, right.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I mean, that's what they're doing right now at least.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
But if the PAC twelve had stayed together and say
added SMU and San Diego State, I mean, those schools
would have taken the bark of any Friday deal. That's
just the way it works. Well.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
I like Friday games selfishly, I'd like them all played
on Friday because I get Saturdays off. I mean, I
have no problem with doing Friday games at all. But
John Wilners with us. John you wrote today about Dan
Lanning getting a new deal with Oregon. I mean, I'll
just tell you. Look, I think Lanning is a good coach.
I don't know if he's an elite coach. I think
you got to be a schmuck to mess up Oregon
(10:15):
like Free Willy and Helfrich did. Down there, You're handed
this unbelievable opportunity with Daddy Warbucks and the marketing machine
that is Nike. So I'm not surprised that Lanning, who's
got personality, charisma, the whole thing, is getting it done
down there. But do we really believe that Dan Lanning
is at his core an elite football coach and football
(10:37):
mind or is he just in the right spot.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I am not sure. I think it's a great question.
It is a fantastic spot. They are ahead of the game,
and their machinery is built for this era. With Nike
and Division Street and their donors, they are built as
well as almost anybody to throw in this era with
nil revenue sharing, all that kind of thing. There's no
(11:04):
doubt about that. I also think he's a really good coach,
especially for somebody who's what thirty eight and has only
been doing it for three years. But I would also
argue that while I think he is undervalued at eleven
million a year, I think almost every really good college
football coach is undervalued with whatever they're making because the
(11:26):
programs mean so much to the school, and I would
argue that Kaalan de Boor was obviously we all know,
colossally undervaluedst What was he making four million six millionaires
last year? It was somewhere around there, and he was
worth even more than the extension Washington offered him because
(11:48):
everything that that program's success in twenty twenty three did
for the university, it did for the applications for admissions,
it did for the fundraising, for the community engagement. There's
no better marketing tool than your football team. And if
you're winning at a high level and you're in the playoffs,
it is an astronomical value add to your university.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
John, I'm not sure that I knew Texas State was
a school or even had a D one football team,
But you say you want them in the podcast.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I did because DeLaura went there.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Texas clear transferred there and then never went to school
because they hated as Guts.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I forgot it. Yeah, I mean I probably.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Watch him play ASU last season on Thursday Night.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
No, I didn't.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
Sorry, Why do you want him in the big in
the PAC twelve?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
I think this Texas is the place to be if
you're looking at what will help the PAC twelve, the
most in twenty thirty when it negotiates another TV deal.
It's being in Texas. There's money in Texas, oil money,
there's it's football craze, tons of recruits. I just think
(12:55):
that if you're looking for growth, you got more a
better chance for roads with Texas State than you do
with UNLB.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah. Well, John willows with us for a few more minutes.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
And John, last week you're on with us and we
asked you, if you're the Seahawks and Shador Sanders was
on the board at number eighteen, would you take him?
And you said no? What about cam Ward? I mean
you covered him a little bit when he was at Wazoo.
He was at Miami obviously and became a Heisman Trophy finalist.
I've heard a lot of stories, as I'm sure you
have as well. Would you trust cam Ward to be
(13:27):
the number one overall picking this draft?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Sam responses last week with Sanders, hang on, I could
not take him in the first round. Wow, like either
of those guys.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
You passed on to both those guys, Oh why why?
Speaker 4 (13:43):
And my issues with Ward are different than Sanders. I
think Ward's got the arm, talent, size, all that, But
I think he's erratic, and I think he's too nonchalant.
How many times have we seen him either with Miami
or Washington State. It's like he's playing seven on at
the park, and I just don't think that's the right
(14:03):
approach for the NFL. And I do not think he's
going to be an elite quarterback, and I don't think
Sanders is either. I wouldn't take either of those guys
in the first round.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
John, last week you wrote about Washington and kind of
lump them in with UCLA as far as your level
of confidence to make the necessary commitments that create the
best chances for success. I mean, isn't Washington closer to
Oregon and USC than they are to UCLA? I mean,
even USC would have loved to have the last decade
the Husky's had on the football field.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Ah, it's a tough one. I don't know. I really
do not think as an institution that Washington is closer
to Oregon and USC than it is to UCLA. I
still think that there is aspects of the school, and
you could argue it's commendable that they aren't all in,
(14:57):
you know, to win, But I know I'm not sure,
and I'll be curious to see what the new with
the new president, what his view is. But there's there's
no doubt in my mind that Anna Mark Halsey, we
have not all in to win, There's no doubt about that.
And Oregon is all in win and USC is two. Now,
I don't think the Huskies they're not where what UCLA
(15:19):
is on that spectrum, but they are like halfway between
maybe Oregon, USC and Washington and UCLA there they are not.
I don't see enough. And it's not necessarily an athletic
department issue. It's just the vibe on campus about doing
anything it will take to win. John.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Let's end where we started and I'm going to tap
into the Windelorean here because if you, oh, okay, if
you are anything like what you were for football, we
could make some money with the basketball tournament the end
of the year, winning five in a row. You were
eight and two your last ten. You mentioned you're fired
up for the game tonight. We got the game on
kJ R at six pm. Saint Mary's is getting three
(16:00):
and a half against Gonzaga in Vegas and the WSCC final.
Wendalorean tell us which way to go in Tonight's West
Coast Conference Championship.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
So the Zags are a three point favorite.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
They're given three and a half. I was surprised for.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
So that just tells you, right, there's a ton of
good Zaga fans in Vegas, I'm sure, and that's bumping
up that that number. I mean, I would take Saint
Mary's in the points in a heart beat.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Okay, Saint Mary's it is plus the three and a half.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Hopefully the Windelaorean knows what he's doing on the hardwood
like he does on the football field, man, because if
he is, we're in for a trait. John, you're the man,
great stuff, and we're talking a week buddy. All right,
John likes Saint Mary's and the points tonight against Gonzaga.
We got that game for you coming up at six
pm when we come back. Warren Moon, hall of Famer,
former Husky. You asked the question if the Seahawks got
(16:55):
better at quarterback by going from Gino Smith to Sam Darnold.
We're gonna ask a whole Hall of Famer Warren Moon
that exact same question next
It's time for a weekly PAC twelve conversation with Senos
a Mercury News reporter John Wilner, brought to you by
Simply Seattle. Our friends at simply Seattle dot com have
the most amazing collection of all things Seattle Seahawks gear.
UW had some of the largest selection of sonics gear
anywhere in the world. Learn more at simply Seattle dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
I was actually over there today.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
It's simply Seattle dot com picking up a few things
for an upcoming event I'm going to be a part
of the next week and a half.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Can't tell you what it is, but maybe off the year,
I'll tell you super secret. Yeah, big time.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
And they tell me they have some great deals on
some awesome new Mariner drops that have come in for
the season starting in sixteen days from now.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
So is that what new items said? Drop? Yeah? Is
that what you call Jackson a drop?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Jump on the website use code kJ R fifteen for
fifteen percent off anything at simply Seattle dot com. Here
he is the Pope of the pack, the Big ten Bear,
and our friend, your friend from the San Jose Mercury News,
John Wilner, John, how are you pal?
Speaker 4 (00:58):
I'm good Thans.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Hey, guys, good, So you just heard Dick of the
update there mentioned that Great Osabor was honorable mention all
big ten.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
I think he should change his name to Good Osabor.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I don't know for two million bucks if the Husky's
got the return of the investment. They were looking for
fifteen points per game for Good Osabor this year five
and a half rebound excuse me, eight rebounds a game.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
What do you think the reigning Mountain West Player of
the Year comes to U dub and his team finishes
in last place? Two million bucks? It's not what I
thought they'd get. What do you think of the year
the Huskies got from Great Osabor?
Speaker 4 (01:37):
I think it was a little bit Underachievingsbor fair to Midland,
didn't make didn't make his teammates better. You know, he
was okay, but certainly I think didn't live up to expectations.
You know, the expectations for him individually were higher than
(01:57):
for the team as a whole. And I thought, actually
Washington as a team did got closer in meeting expectations
than he did individually.
Speaker 5 (02:06):
That's interesting. You might you might be right about that.
You know, we just talked about the Delaware run. Is
there anything that you're really looking forward to over the
next over the next week in conference tournament play, any
conference you want, Is there something that you're gonna particularly
be keeping your eye on.
Speaker 4 (02:23):
Well, I'm looking forward to the good Zach Saint Mary's game.
It starts in what a couple.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Hours hours hour.
Speaker 4 (02:28):
I think it could be a great game. Sam Mary's
won both during the regular season, swept his AX for
the first time in like ten years. I think because
that is playing better now than it was, so I
think it could be a really good game. Certainly, the
SEC tournament is gonna be fantastics, so many good teams.
Same with the Big twelve. I just to me, the
(02:52):
Big ten, the ACC are not as exciting. Well.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Dick asked a question on the air about an hour
ago about the conference champampionship games in football maybe not
being as relevant as important because now you have the
expanded playoff, and I agree with them. You saw some
of the attendance numbers and ticket prices were in the
gutter for some of these games. You know, we just
played a clip from Calipari about an hour ago where
he said, I don't care about the tournament, right, I mean,
(03:18):
we're about winning in March Madness and winning in the
NCAA tournament.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
I mean, look, I know they make a lot of money,
But do we.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Think that even the college basketball championship games and tournaments
that the importance has been lessened a bit over the years.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I don't think so, because it's still the path for
teams that otherwise couldn't get in, you know, the bit Steelers.
That hasn't changed, And even if they expand the thing
to seventy six teams, that won't change in concepts. So
I think it's a little bit different. You know, the
(03:55):
equivalent in football would be like if you're six seed
somehow got into the CFP, but there's no path for
that to happen because the conference championship is just two teams,
whereas in the basketball it's you know, fifteen or more.
Speaker 5 (04:11):
John reading a couple articles where there's some in the
higher ups of the MLS that are regretting their Apple deal.
How and that just got me thinking about the PAC
ten and the PAC twelve, Like how big a disaster
would that have been had they actually signed that contract
solely with Apple.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Well, I think that it would have been bad. Well,
let me rephrase that if they had actually signed the
contract solely with Apple, and I believe that there was
a way to sign the deal with Apple but then
sub license games on linear TV. That was part of
their plan. Now I don't know for sure that that
would have happened, but if it had, then that would
(04:53):
have been a probably a pretty good deal. The other
piece was that financially, the first two years were going
to be bad, right, and then they had the you know,
the triggers to get the revenue up. And I think
those were fairly easily reached to triggers. But certainly, you know,
it's hard to compare because football and soccer are so
(05:15):
college football and soccer are so different in this country
in terms of consumer consumption popularity. I don't know that
it's you know, apples to apples. To me, it's it's
more like apples and pears.
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Yeah, that's fair, and I hate pairs, by the way,
but that's fair. I mean, more people would have been
justified in paying to watch college football than they would
have been justified to pay to watch soccer, at least
in this country. There's no question about that. But John
Wilner is with us on the air. John, I think
you mentioned this on your on your Twitter account. You
did a story for the Mercury News about Friday night games,
and I don't know has has anybody been assigned Friday
(05:51):
games yet? The Huskies certainly haven't. And if not, when
will that come down?
Speaker 4 (05:56):
No, that will come out in late May, Okay, all
the major conferences will announce the kickoff times and TV
assignments for the first three weeks for the non you know,
the non conference games, and that will also include what's
called the special date games, and Fridays are considered special date,
(06:17):
same with you know, kind of any kind of Monday
deal early in the season. All that so late May,
first couple of days of June, we will know what
the Big ten Friday schedule is gonna be on Fox.
I fully expect there to be nine or ten more
Friday conference games, and I fully expect that the West
Coast schools are going to have an outside share of
(06:39):
those games.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Why do they wait so long to announce the Friday games?
And why does the Big ten give the TV networks
that kind of power?
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Well, they all have it. It's the same thing with
the Big twelve.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Yeah, why.
Speaker 4 (06:53):
I mean every year the special date games can get
I mean the Big twelve just announced I think a few.
But the Big ten's not doing anything that other conferences
haven't done in the past in terms of waiting until
May to announce the Friday games. It'd be better if
they did it all when they announced the schedule in December,
(07:16):
right the TV networks. The TV networks want to take
their time and map out everything. It's all part of
a grid, and the NFL schedule even impacts what you're
doing if you're ESPN with your college games. So it's
it's a big chess board for the TV networks and
(07:38):
they need time to do it. Well.
Speaker 5 (07:39):
You said today in that piece, the twenty two percent
of the Big Ten, which was the West Coast, made
up thirty nine percent of the Friday night slots last year,
So the West.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Coast schools got the shaft.
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Do you think the Big Ten will give the West
Coast schools a bit of a break this year from
those Friday night games?
Speaker 4 (07:55):
Maybe a little bit, maybe a little, But a big
part of the problem as I see it is it
Pens State, Ohio, State Michigan are refusing and so that
leaves fifteen teams to play eighteen slots, and so that's
a big part of the problem. And I assume that
that's gonna be good next year too. I mean, Michigan's
(08:16):
ad war manual said flat out last fall, we're not
playing on Fridays. They're not going to tell Michigan and
Ohio State and Penn State what to do. I don't
think that's the way it's been in the Big Ten forever.
Those schools run the show. So if that's the case again,
I would expect that the West Coast schools are going
to have a few more games than everybody else.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
How many schools will be would be able to do that.
Does USC not have the.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
Power to think? I don't think USC does. No. I
don't think any of them. I mean, Oregon Washington certainly don't.
They're half share members, they don't have the clout. And
my guess is a lot of this was discussed, you know,
before they eve, you know, officially brought in Oregon and
Washington or during the negotiations. The thing is the money
that Fox is spending, and I believe it is sixty
(09:05):
five million on Oregon and Washington per year for their
revenue share that was going to go to the PAC
twelve to be the Friday Night Pack twelve package until
the whole thing blew apart, and then it blew apart.
Fox just said, well, we'll just shift that money and
pay for Oregon in Washington in the Big twelve. So
they don't have the clout really to demand anything. They
(09:30):
kind of got to take what they're given. And that's
just the nature of being the newcomers.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah, it's like Judge Smalls, you get nothing and like it, right.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
I mean, that's what they're doing right now at least.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
But if the PAC twelve had stayed together and say
added SMU and San Diego State, I mean, those schools
would have taken the bark of any Friday deal. That's
just the way it works. Well.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
I like Friday games selfishly, I'd like them all played
on Friday because I get Saturdays off. I mean, I
have no problem with doing Friday games at all. But
John Wilners with us. John you wrote today about Dan
Lanning getting a new deal with Oregon. I mean, I'll
just tell you. Look, I think Lanning is a good coach.
I don't know if he's an elite coach. I think
you got to be a schmuck to mess up Oregon
(10:15):
like Free Willy and Helfrich did. Down there, You're handed
this unbelievable opportunity with Daddy Warbucks and the marketing machine
that is Nike. So I'm not surprised that Lanning, who's
got personality, charisma, the whole thing, is getting it done
down there. But do we really believe that Dan Lanning
is at his core an elite football coach and football
(10:37):
mind or is he just in the right spot.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
I am not sure. I think it's a great question.
It is a fantastic spot. They are ahead of the game,
and their machinery is built for this era. With Nike
and Division Street and their donors, they are built as
well as almost anybody to throw in this era with
nil revenue sharing, all that kind of thing. There's no
(11:04):
doubt about that. I also think he's a really good coach,
especially for somebody who's what thirty eight and has only
been doing it for three years. But I would also
argue that while I think he is undervalued at eleven
million a year, I think almost every really good college
football coach is undervalued with whatever they're making because the
(11:26):
programs mean so much to the school, and I would
argue that Kaalan de Boor was obviously we all know,
colossally undervaluedst What was he making four million six millionaires
last year? It was somewhere around there, and he was
worth even more than the extension Washington offered him because
(11:48):
everything that that program's success in twenty twenty three did
for the university, it did for the applications for admissions,
it did for the fundraising, for the community engagement. There's
no better marketing tool than your football team. And if
you're winning at a high level and you're in the playoffs,
it is an astronomical value add to your university.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
John, I'm not sure that I knew Texas State was
a school or even had a D one football team,
But you say you want them in the podcast.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
I did because DeLaura went there.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Texas clear transferred there and then never went to school
because they hated as Guts.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
I forgot it. Yeah, I mean I probably.
Speaker 4 (12:26):
Watch him play ASU last season on Thursday Night.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
No, I didn't.
Speaker 5 (12:30):
Sorry, Why do you want him in the big in
the PAC twelve?
Speaker 4 (12:35):
I think this Texas is the place to be if
you're looking at what will help the PAC twelve, the
most in twenty thirty when it negotiates another TV deal.
It's being in Texas. There's money in Texas, oil money,
there's it's football craze, tons of recruits. I just think
(12:55):
that if you're looking for growth, you got more a
better chance for roads with Texas State than you do
with UNLB.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Yeah. Well, John willows with us for a few more minutes.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
And John, last week you're on with us and we
asked you, if you're the Seahawks and Shador Sanders was
on the board at number eighteen, would you take him?
And you said no? What about cam Ward? I mean
you covered him a little bit when he was at Wazoo.
He was at Miami obviously and became a Heisman Trophy finalist.
I've heard a lot of stories, as I'm sure you
have as well. Would you trust cam Ward to be
(13:27):
the number one overall picking this draft?
Speaker 4 (13:30):
Sam responses last week with Sanders, hang on, I could
not take him in the first round. Wow, like either
of those guys.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
You passed on to both those guys, Oh why why?
Speaker 4 (13:43):
And my issues with Ward are different than Sanders. I
think Ward's got the arm, talent, size, all that, But
I think he's erratic, and I think he's too nonchalant.
How many times have we seen him either with Miami
or Washington State. It's like he's playing seven on at
the park, and I just don't think that's the right
(14:03):
approach for the NFL. And I do not think he's
going to be an elite quarterback, and I don't think
Sanders is either. I wouldn't take either of those guys
in the first round.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
John, last week you wrote about Washington and kind of
lump them in with UCLA as far as your level
of confidence to make the necessary commitments that create the
best chances for success. I mean, isn't Washington closer to
Oregon and USC than they are to UCLA? I mean,
even USC would have loved to have the last decade
the Husky's had on the football field.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Ah, it's a tough one. I don't know. I really
do not think as an institution that Washington is closer
to Oregon and USC than it is to UCLA. I
still think that there is aspects of the school, and
you could argue it's commendable that they aren't all in,
(14:57):
you know, to win, But I know I'm not sure,
and I'll be curious to see what the new with
the new president, what his view is. But there's there's
no doubt in my mind that Anna Mark Halsey, we
have not all in to win, There's no doubt about that.
And Oregon is all in win and USC is two. Now,
I don't think the Huskies they're not where what UCLA
(15:19):
is on that spectrum, but they are like halfway between
maybe Oregon, USC and Washington and UCLA there they are not.
I don't see enough. And it's not necessarily an athletic
department issue. It's just the vibe on campus about doing
anything it will take to win. John.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Let's end where we started and I'm going to tap
into the Windelorean here because if you, oh, okay, if
you are anything like what you were for football, we
could make some money with the basketball tournament the end
of the year, winning five in a row. You were
eight and two your last ten. You mentioned you're fired
up for the game tonight. We got the game on
kJ R at six pm. Saint Mary's is getting three
(16:00):
and a half against Gonzaga in Vegas and the WSCC final.
Wendalorean tell us which way to go in Tonight's West
Coast Conference Championship.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
So the Zags are a three point favorite.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
They're given three and a half. I was surprised for.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
So that just tells you, right, there's a ton of
good Zaga fans in Vegas, I'm sure, and that's bumping
up that that number. I mean, I would take Saint
Mary's in the points in a heart beat.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Okay, Saint Mary's it is plus the three and a half.
Speaker 4 (16:30):
Oh my god.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
We'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
Hopefully the Windelaorean knows what he's doing on the hardwood
like he does on the football field, man, because if
he is, we're in for a trait. John, you're the man,
great stuff, and we're talking a week buddy. All right,
John likes Saint Mary's and the points tonight against Gonzaga.
We got that game for you coming up at six
pm when we come back. Warren Moon, hall of Famer,
former Husky. You asked the question if the Seahawks got
(16:55):
better at quarterback by going from Gino Smith to Sam Darnold.
We're gonna ask a whole Hall of Famer Warren Moon
that exact same question next
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