The Hotline mailbag is revealed every Friday. Ship inquiries to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline. Attributable to quantity — and in some circumstances, the necessity for analysis — not all questions might be answered the week of submission. Thanks to your understanding.
Some questions have been edited for readability and brevity.
Can we get an up to date definition of the time period ‘blue blood’? UCLA’s 11 nationwide titles are spectacular, however the Bruins have received only one in practically 50 years. Duke and North Carolina have 5 every in that very same interval. What provides? What’s the statute of limitations? Ought to Closing Fours be the brand new gold normal? — @boscpenn83
Completely not. The Closing 4 is a serious accomplishment for any program, however for blue-blood standing, nationwide championships are required.
Extra particularly:
— A college wants a number of titles over a number of a long time with a number of head coaches to be thought-about a real blue blood.
— Additionally, at the least a kind of championships should have come within the trendy period of the event. North Carolina State received the NCAA title in ’74 and ’83, however we don’t think about the Wolfpack a blue blood of the game.
— Lastly, sustained relevance is important. I can not supply a minimal variety of convention titles or NCAA appearances that might function the brink, however merely put: You possibly can’t stink for many years on finish.
UCLA completely qualifies with NCAA championships in three totally different a long time (60s, 70s and 90s), to not point out the 11 whole banners hanging in Pauley Pavilion.
Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas are different clear blue bloods.
What about Arizona?
Inside the Pac-12, the Wildcats qualify. However I wouldn’t categorize Arizona as a blue blood nationally — not like the faculties talked about above.
Arizona has been good or nice for 4 a long time and ought to be on the following tier, together with Syracuse.
The identical basic definition applies in soccer, the place the Pac-12 has only one true blue blood.
USC owns AP nationwide titles in three a long time (60s, 70s and 00s) and, by any measure, stands on the brief record of the best applications in historical past, alongside Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
Oregon soccer is considerably corresponding to Arizona basketball — a blue blood throughout the convention however not nationally. (The Geese don’t have a nationwide title however had been the runners-up in 2010 and 2014.)
As a result of our standards require excellence over a number of a long time, Washington is nearer to blue-blood standing (in soccer) than Oregon.
The Huskies have a nationwide title in one of many main polls (Coaches, in 1991), together with extra convention titles, extra Rose Bowl appearances and extra Rose Bowl wins than the Geese.
Oregon has been the higher program over the previous 15 years and ought to be thought-about the larger model for the time being — not even the purplest-blooded Husky fan would deny that.
However blue bloods are remodeled the sweep of a long time, with a nationwide title as the primary requirement.
Dan Lanning’s recruiting has been fairly underwhelming, but he was employed as a big-time recruiter who might get big-time names. What do you assume is holding him again at Oregon? — @wetbeefs
Let’s ease off the skepticism, lets?
Lanning was employed in early December and did high quality work salvaging the Geese’ recruiting cycle: They signed a slew of four-star prospects in February and completed with the No. 24 class within the 247Sports composite.
Additionally, gamers acquired by the switch portal have to be taken under consideration, and Oregon’s switch haul ranks No. 20 nationally. (We suspect the Geese will add a number of extra gamers after spring follow.)
Usually talking, let’s give Lanning a full recruiting cycle earlier than drawing any conclusions. The timing of the early signing window (mid-December) creates an actual dilemma for groups that change coaches.
When you’re nonetheless unimpressed come the shut of the 2022-23 signing interval, we’ll re-examine.
Did Larry Scott repay his Pac-12 mortgage? — @akovacs197
For these unaware, the previous commissioner obtained a $1.9 million “relocation” mortgage from the convention — presumably at first of his tenure, in 2009.
It had not been repaid by the shut of FY2020, based on the most-recent Pac-12 tax filings. My understanding is that it’s not due for a number of extra years.
Final week, I requested about Nick Rolovich. This week, the place’s Jimmy Lake now? — @A_C_Taylor
So far as I do know, Lake resides within the Seattle space, accumulating his severance pay from UW and pondering his subsequent transfer.
He’s immensely revered as a recruiter and developer of defensive backs and could have myriad choices if/when he does return to the occupation.
Hopefully, he desires again in. Faculty soccer within the Pac-12 — and on the West Coast typically — is a greater place with Lake concerned.
Will he have one other head teaching alternative? Most likely, but it surely could possibly be a few years away.
He simply bought to Arizona, however do you assume Tommy Lloyd would strongly think about going again to Gonzaga at any time when Mark Few decides to retire? Holding Arizona at an elite stage can be simpler than preserving Gonzaga elite. — @mlucey13
I do, however please perceive the context: The Hotline believes all head coaches possess a robust want to ultimately return to their roots till we see proof that they don’t.
Lloyd grew up in Washington (Kelso), attended school within the state and spent 20 years subsequent to Few on the Gonzaga bench.
Till he publicly denies curiosity in changing Few — or turns down the job — we are going to presume a considerable stage of curiosity.
That’s hardly a knock on Arizona. House is house and, given what I’ve noticed over time, Pacific Northwest guys are Pacific Northwest guys.
We don’t envision Lloyd leaving Arizona for some other school job, and the 59-year-old Few might coach one other six or eight years.
This is likely to be a moot level for a very long time.
Does Brigham Younger win the Pac-12 North subsequent season? — @Jeremiah_Hale
Will probably be tough for the Cougars to recreate their dominance for one cause: As an alternative of enjoying 5 Pac-12 opponents, they solely face two: Oregon and Stanford.
Now, in the event that they win each and both the Geese or Cardinal finishes first within the North, we would think about anointing BYU the de facto division champs.
However it might not be practically as apparent as final season, when the Cougars had been 4-0 in opposition to the South and beat the highest two groups within the division (Utah and ASU).
In fact, the Cougars do face Dixie State and Utah State subsequent season, so they might lay credible declare to being the very best crew in Utah not named Utah.
What are the highest 5 intra-conference Pac-12 soccer video games Jon Wilner has ever attended? — @eriggs
The Hotline usually avoids boring readers with private experiences, however this looks like a enjoyable train.
After cautious consideration, I might supply the next record of three video games as the very best of the very best that I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing:
— Stanford 56, USC 48 (3OT) in 2011: The Cardinal was 7-0 and ranked fourth; the Trojans had been 6-1 and ranked twentieth. Andrew Luck vs. Matt Barkley, nearly 1,000 yards of offense, a packed Coliseum and 60 factors scored within the fourth quarter and overtimes.
— UCLA 48, USC 41 (2OT) in 1996: The Bruins got here from 17 down late to drive time beyond regulation.
— Stanford 49, Oregon 42 in 2001: The Cardinal scored three touchdowns within the fourth quarter at hand the Geese a surprising loss that might preserve them from enjoying for the BCS title.
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