A6 — BAKER CITY HERALD
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021
SPORTS
No. 11 Oregon carries high expectations in Pac-12
when we win that game, it opens
the doors to the playoff and the
national championship opportuni-
ties,” Helton said.
By JOE REEDY
Associated Press
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal
knows his Ducks enter the new
season bearing the burden of outside
expectations. However, he focuses on
the goals he has set instead of what
others are saying.
While the 11th-ranked Ducks are
predicted to win their third straight
Pac-12 championship, he still wants
his players to have the mindset that
they’re the hunters, not the hunted.
“I never and we will never see
ourselves as a program with a bulls-
eye on us, a target on us. It’s never
been that way, never will be that
way,” Cristobal said. “When we wake
up in the morning, our feet hit the
ground, we wake up with a hunger,
drive, determination to make sure
we’re always a hunter in a humble
way, driven way. All the other stuff,
the fl uff and the predictions, it
doesn’t factor into our regimen, our
structure, our DNA, our mentality.”
Oregon is stacked at most posi-
tions and has two of the conference’s
top defensive players in defensive
end Kayvon Thibodeaux and line-
backer Noah Sewell, but quarter-
back remains a question. Anthony
Brown, who started 28 games at
Boston College, transferred to Or-
egon last year but sat behind starter
Tyler Shough until he played in the
Pac-12 championship game and the
Fiesta Bowl.
Randy L. Rasmussen/For The Oregonian, File
Oregon coach Mario Cristobal watches his team before the No. 20
Oregon Ducks take on the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal on Saturday,
Sept. 22, 2018, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Shough has transferred to Texas
Tech, meaning Brown could be the
third different Ducks signal-caller
to deliver a championship. Justin
Herbert led the Ducks to a Rose
Bowl victory in 2019.
Oregon could help the Pac-12’s
chances of getting into the College
Football Playoff for the fi rst time
since 2016 with an upset of No. 4
Ohio State on Sept. 11 in Colum-
bus. The Pac-12 has four other
teams ranked in the preseason
AP Top 25 — No. 15 Southern
California, No. 20 Washington,
No. 24 Utah and No. 25 Arizona
State — but needs to have stronger
showings in its marquee nonconfer-
ence games.
HEAT IS ON
USC athletic director Mike Bohn
gave a vote of confi dence to Clay
Helton last week, but if Helton is to
see a seventh full season leading the
program, he at least needs to get the
Trojans back to the conference title
game.
The Trojans are stacked at the
skill positions, including quarter-
back Kedon Slovis and wide receiver
Drake London. They also have a
favorable schedule that includes a
road game at No. 9 Notre Dame but
doesn’t include Oregon or Washing-
ton.
“Our job right now is to get back
to that championship game and to
win that game because we know
BIGGEST QUESTIONS
Arizona State returns all 11
defensive starters and nine on
offense, including quarterback
Jayden Daniels. Normally that
type of talent would make the
Sun Devils the preseason pick for
the South Division, but they are
under an NCAA investigation for
illegal recruiting practices and
have three assistant coaches on
paid leave.
preseason All-Conference team as
well as being the conference’s lone
fi rst-team representative on The
Associated Press preseason All-
America team.
London: The junior fi gures
to be Slovis’ top target after the
departure of Amon-Ra St. Brown.
London led the Trojans in receiv-
ing yards with 502 last season and
has eight touchdowns in his two
years as a starter.
Utah LB Devin Lloyd: The
senior has led the team in tackles
the past two seasons. His 10 solo
tackles for loss last season were
second in the conference.
UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-
Robinson: The senior has started
28 games the past three years. He
has improved each season and be-
came the fi rst Bruins QB to throw
for over 300 yards and run for over
100 in the same game during last
year’s opener at Colorado.
Colorado RB Jarek Broussard:
The sophomore rushed for 895
yards in six games and was the
conference’s Offensive Player of
the Year last season.
WILL THE SOUTH RISE?
Since the Pac-12 expanded and
went to two divisions in 2011, the
North Division has won all but
one conference title and was home
to the only two teams from the
league that have gone to the Col-
lege Football Playoff. Even though
Oregon is predicted to three-peat
and continue the North’s domi-
nance, the South has four of the
conference’s top six teams.
Besides USC and Arizona
State, Utah and UCLA could fac- PICKS
tor in the conference race as both
North: Oregon, Washington,
return a majority of their starters. California, Stanford, Oregon State,
Washington State.
South: USC, Utah, Arizona
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Thibodeaux: The junior was the State, UCLA, Colorado, Arizona.
Champion: Oregon
only unanimous selection to the
ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 ally to ‘protect the collegiate model’
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer
Facing a rapidly shift-
ing landscape in college
sports, the Atlantic Coast
Conference, Big Ten and
Pac-12 have agreed to work
together to create stability
during volatile times.
Less than a month after
the Southeastern Confer-
ence made an expansion
power play by inviting
Texas and Oklahoma to
the league, three of the
SEC’s Power Five peers
countered with an alliance
of 41 schools that span from
Miami to Seattle.
The commissioners of the
ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 on
Tuesday pledged broad col-
laboration on myriad issues
and committed to league
members playing more foot-
ball and basketball games
against each other.
They also suggested they
wouldn’t be poaching each
other’s schools.
“The history of college
athletics, one expansion of a
conference has usually led
to another to another and
to another,” ACC Commis-
sioner Jim Phillips said
during a video conference.
“And to the three of us, we
felt the stabilization of the
current environment, across
Division I and FBS — in
Power Five in particular —
this was a chance for a new
direction, a new initiative
that I don’t think has ever
been done before.”
After weeks of internal
discussions, the alliance is
still mostly conceptual and
collegial.
“There’s no contract.
There’s no signed docu-
ment,” Pac-12 Commis-
sioner George Kliavkoff
said. “There’s an agreement
among three gentlemen
and a commitment from 41
presidents and chancellors
and 41 athletic directors to
do what we say we’re going
to do.”
The SEC sent shock-
waves through college
athletics in July when it
was revealed that Texas
and Oklahoma would be
leaving the Big 12 to join
the nation’s most powerful
football conference no later
than 2025.
“I wouldn’t say this is a
reaction to Texas and Okla-
homa joining the SEC, but
to be totally candid you have
to evaluate what’s going on
in the landscape of college
athletics,” Big Ten Commis-
sioner Kevin Warren said.
In a statement, SEC
Commissioner Greg Sankey
said: “We have respect for
each of our conference col-
leagues and look forward to
our future collaborations.”
Baker County
CHURCH
DIRECTORY
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am
1995 4th Street, Baker City
541-523-5201
firstpresbaker.blogspot.com
FIRST
PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Sunday Worship Service
10:30 am
1995 4th Street, Baker City
541-523-5201
firstpresbaker.blogspot.com
St. Francis De
Sales Cathedral
Daily Masses:
M, T, Th, F 9 am
Day Chapel in Cathedral
Wed Daily Mass 9 am
at St. Alphonsus Chapel
Sat 8 am at Day Chapel
Baker City Saturday Mass 6 pm
Baker City Sunday Mass 9:30 am
St. Therese in Halfway 2 pm Sat
St. Anthony's in North Powder
11:30 Sun
541-523-4521
Corner of First & Church, Baker City
Established
1904
CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE CHURCH
Sunday Worship
9:45am
Sunday School
8:30am
Pastor Troy Teeter
EARLY WORSHIP GATHERING
8:30 AM
SECOND WORSHIP GATHERING
10:30 AM
1250 Hughes Lane, Baker City
(Corner of Cedar & Hughes)
541-523-3533
www.bakernaz.com
Harvest Cafe open 30 minutes before each service
3720 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4233
www.BakerCityHarvest.org
SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTIST
CHURCH
ST. BRIGID’S IN THE
PINES COMMUNITY
CHURCH
Coffee is 9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Saturday Worship
11:00 am
www.bakercitysda.com
17th & Pocahontas, Baker City
541-523-4913
SAINT
ALPHONSUS
HOSPITAL CHAPEL
Open to all patients,
family and friends for
reflection and prayer.
St. Alphonsus Hospital in
Baker City
11:30 a.m. Services
1st & 3rd Sunday
Holy Eucharist
East Auburn Street, Sumpter
541-523-4812
A Mission of St. Stephen's Episcopal
Church in Baker City
FIRST
LUTHERAN
CHURCH
Service at 11 am
Live Streaming on
Facebook
1734 Third Street, Baker City
541-523-3922
firstlutheranbakercity@gmail.com
Sunday Service
10:00 am
www.ChristianScience.com
3rd & Washington, Baker City
541-523-5911
St. Stephen’s
Episcopal
Services at 9 am
1st & 3rd Sundays, Holy Eucharist
2nd & 4th Sundays, Morning Prayer
5th Sunday, Morning Prayer
2177 First Street • Baker City
Entrance on 1st Street
Corner Church & First Streets
541-523-4812
AGAPE
CHRISTIAN
CENTER
Sunday Services
10:00 am & 6:30 pm
South Highway 7,
Baker City
541-523-6586
Elkhorn Baptist
Church
Sunday School 10 am
Morning Worship 11 am
Evening Worship 6 pm
Discovery Kids Worship
6:30 pm
3520 Birch St, Baker City
541-523-4332
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER-DAY SAINTS
9-11 AM - Baker City 2nd Ward
11:30-1:30 PM Baker Valley Ward
2-4 PM - Baker City 1st Ward
Everyone Welcome
Family History Center is open again -
Everything Free - Masks required
Tues & Fri 1-4 PM
Wed & Thurs 10 AM -1 PM
Wed Evenings 5-8 PM
2625 Hughes Lane, Baker City
541-523-2397
The church directory is published once monthly. Information for this directory is provided by participating churches, please call 541-523-3673 for more information.
Thank you to the participating churches and these sponsors:
Cliff’s Saws & Cycles
Whelan Electric, Inc.
523-5756 • CCB 103032
2619 Tenth • 523-2412
1950 Place • 523-4300
1500 Dewey • 523-3677