Pac-12 Hotline: Where to find us
*** The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published twice a week. (Sign up here for a free subscription.) This edition, from Feb. 16, has been made available in archived form.
The Hotline: Where To Find Us
In this mid-February window that follows football recruiting season and precedes March Madness, please allow a moment for Hotline housekeeping matters.
We have added two items to our weekly content offerings: a Pac-12 football recruiting column, which will tackle issues and trends from the perspective of the teams, and a reader mailbag addressing whatever topics come our way.
— The recruiting column is slotted for Thursdays, although this week’s edition — on the threat to the Pac-12 posed by Steve Sarkisian — was moved up two days.
— The mailbag is scheduled for Fridays; submit your questions either via email (pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com) or on Twitter (@WilnerHotline).
In addition, allow me to catch everyone up on where you can find the Hotline, because our community has grown:
We’re now available in 10 of the 12 markets within the Pac-12 footprint.
As always, the home base is pac12hotline.com, but the following sites also carry our content (from top to bottom of the conference):
Washington: We are available, and have been for several years, on the Seattle Times website.
Washington State: Good news in the Palouse, where the Spokesman-Review now carries the Hotline.
Oregon/Oregon State: We are equally delighted to be available on Oregonlive, through the pages devoted to Ducks and Beavers content.
Cal/Stanford: Readers of both the Mercury News and East Bay Times can find us through the Hotline’s homepage.
Colorado: We’re available on the Denver Post’s college sports page
USC/UCLA: Use the team-specific pages on the L.A. Daily News and the OC Register sites.
Arizona: Find us in the Daily Star, which is published online as tucson.com
The only Pac-12 markets in which the Hotline isn’t available via a local media outlet (online, in print or both) are Phoenix and Salt Lake City.
Important reminder: Although the college sports season slows down in the spring, the Hotline does not.
We’ll continue full-speed coverage of the conference throughout the offseason, then plow right into the start of football.
Any questions on Hotline access, Hotline coverage or Hotline anything else? Please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thanks for your support. — Jon Wilner
Hot off the Hotline
• The Pac-12 recruiting column debuted last week with a look at the top target for each team in the class of 2022.
• This week’s topic: In his new gig at Texas, former USC and Washington coach Steve Sarkisian poses a serious threat to the Pac-12 talent pipeline. We spoke to the head coach of California powerhouse Serra HS, a national recruiting analyst and Sarkisian himself about UT’s ability to plunder west coast talent.
• The Hotline mailbag responded to questions about USC’s future in the conference, the value of the Pac-12’s future media rights, the football schedule release, ASU under Herm Edwards and more.
• The third installment of our series on the Pac-12 commissioner search examined the pros and cons of hiring an internal candidate — someone currently employed by the conference or one of the campuses. Politically, it’s a thorny issue.
• The ‘Saturday Night Five‘ reaction column addressed the impact Oregon QB Tyler Shough’s departure will have on the North division race. (Hint: It doesn’t change our forecast one iota.)
• The latest basketball power ratings took a deep dive into the impact that each seed line can have on a team’s chances for deep advancement in the NCAA tournament.
• ICYMI: Last week’s newsletter focused on a key issue in the play-or-don’t-play Pac-12 tournament calculation: Would the teams be safer (healthier) spending three or four days in Las Vegas, or remaining on campus? It’s not clear that Sin City is the riskier option.
• Previous editions of the newsletter are available in archived form
Support the Hotline: Several Hotline articles will remain free each month (as will the newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe. I’ve secured a rate of $1 per week for a full year or just 99 cents for the first month, with the option to cancel anytime. Click here. And thanks for your loyalty.
Huddle Up
(Note: The Hotline newsletter includes links to sites that could require a subscription once the number of free views has been reached.)
• In case you missed the major news from late last week, Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough is leaving the program. The move brought immediate reaction from media on social media.
• Washington State receiver Jamire Calvin, who has 92 career catches, is headed into the transfer portal and will play as a graduate elsewhere.
• UCLA quarterback coach Dana Bible is calling it quits after decades in the business.
• Marques Tuiasosopo is leaving his post as Cal’s tight ends coach to become the offensive coordinator at Rice.
• Members of the Oregon State faculty are unhappy with the Reser Stadium project, but their concerns are misguided, writes John Canzano.
• The Pac-12 wants to move quickly to hire a commissioner before Larry Scott departs June 30, so Scott can help with the transition.
Money Matters
• Arizona State reported an $11 million deficit (approx) for the 2020 fiscal year, according to the Arizona Republic. While the Pac-12 fulfilled its payout commitment to the campuses, ASU experienced a significant drop in fundraising.
• UCLA’s new six-year apparel deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand will pay about $7.7 million annually, per Sportico, but only a fraction takes the form of annual cash payments for a cash-starved department.
Looking Ahead
What’s coming on the Pac-12 Hotline:
• The final installments of the series on the commissioner search are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll drill down on the football issue and provide a list of potential candidates that make sense for the conference.
• The stock report is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.
• Friday means mailbag.
The next newsletter is scheduled for Tuesday. Enjoy it? Please forward this email to friends (sign up here). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.
*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline
*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.