Pac-12 shit’s getting real

Because of course it is.

Oregon State and Washington State filed a legal complaint against the Pac-12 and commissioner George Kliavkoff on Friday, seeking an emergency temporary restraining order to protect what the schools see as an “imminent and existential threat” to the future of the conference.

With the intent of “exploring opportunities to sustain the Pac-12,” the schools are asking for a board meeting of all 12 members Wednesday to be canceled and legal clarity be given on who has voting rights to control the future of the league.

With 10 of the conference’s 12 members announcing their departures within the past 18 months, Pac-12 bylaws indicate that the presidents at Oregon State and Washington State — the only members that have not given notification of withdrawal — should comprise the league’s board of directors.

The legal filing by the two schools and its presidents was made in state court in Whitman County, Washington, which is where Washington State is located. The filings include a request for a hearing on the temporary restraining order on Monday, which could give clarity before the scheduled meeting two days later.

It was always going to come down to the lawyers, right?  Suing Kliavkoff is a nice touch, though.  Just when he thought things couldn’t get any lower…

We’ll watch anything.

FYI.

Disney said in release this week that No. 1 Georgia’s 48-7 win over Tennessee-Martin on ESPN+ is the most-streamed college football game in ever on that platform. ESPN+ is Disney’s streaming service which caters to sports fans.

“Saturday (Sept. 2) was the most-viewed day of college football ever on ESPN+, and two-time defending CFP National Champion and top-ranked Georgia scored a season-opening win and the most-watched college football game on the platform all-time,” Disney said in an e-mail.

Don’t get any ideas, Mickey.

(h/t)

A couple more thoughts on Ball State

If you’re treating the first two games of the season as glorified preseason matches, which, for all intent and purpose, Smart is doing, then it makes complete sense to go into tomorrow’s nooner with the main priority being to fix what wasn’t working optimally in the opener.

No, that doesn’t mean having Mike Bobo tear up his playbook and start over.  Nor does it mean benching Carson Beck because Brock Vandagriff…

I’m guessing it means working on the run game, on both sides of the ball.  On offense, greater consistency is needed from the left side of the o-line.  Daijun Edwards’ return, which Marc Weiszer thinks is likely, should help, too.

On the defensive side, some shoring up is in order, as well.  Georgia after one week finds itself next to last in the conference in defensive yards per rush.  And while, yes, that’s a small sample size, it’s still not a place Smart likes to see for his team.  The biggest concern after the first game was that the defensive front did a poor job setting the edge and UT-Martin’s quarterback, in particular, took advantage of that.

In that regard, one thing to watch is Ball State’s quarterback situation.

The depth chart for Ball State lists Layne Hatcher, a graduate transfer from Texas State, as the starter, but true freshman Kadin Semonza had an impressive debut Saturday in a 44-14 loss at Kentucky.

Semonza completed 15 of 21 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.

“No matter what happens I think you can expect to see (Semonza) on the football field in some shape or form,” Neu said.

Ball State used three quarterbacks against Kentucky. Kiael Kelly rushed for 21 yards on 7 carries and completed a 22-yard pass.

“They do a good job mixing it up in terms of bringing the athletic quarterback in,” Smart said.

I bet that’s a line they’ve heard a few times in practice this week, probably with some choice expletive deleteds mixed in.  So, watch to see how the front fares when the athletic quarterback takes snaps.

The other areas of improvement I hope to see are (1) downfield blocking on the perimeter and (2) situational awareness from Beck.  The return of Rosemy-Jacksaint should help on both counts.

What are y’all looking for?

Today, in “damn, son, I wouldn’t have said that”

Oh, brother.

Barrett Carter said he didn't feel like he was in 'game-shape' for Clemson's opener against Duke

"I realized early in the game I need to get in better shape … I'll definitely be ready for these next games." pic.twitter.com/PSt8ur43iu

— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) September 6, 2023

This, from a junior who’s a starting linebacker there.

I’m beginning to understand how Clemson lost to Duke by three touchdowns.

The Big Uglies

One thing these charts confirm…

… is that when it comes to weight, there is little correlation between the size of SEC offensive lines and their quality.