Pac-12 training camp report: COVID forfeit policy, QB duels, booze sales and more

UCLA has been practicing for two weeks, everyone else for one, and there’s no shortage of news across the conference.

Here are six developments — four on the field and two off — that grabbed our attention early in training camp:

Forfeits are back

The Pac-12 amended its forfeiture policy last season because of the pandemic and defined games that could not be played as no-contests. Neither a win nor a loss was awarded, and no financial penalties were applied.

But with vaccines available, the conference announced Thursday that the pre-COVID policy would return for the 2021 season:

“If an institution is unable to play a contest through its own fault, it shall forfeit such contest to its opponent. Any forfeited contest shall be regarded as a conference loss for the team making the forfeit and a conference win for its opponent.”

In other words, if the entire offensive line is in COVID protocol (isolation or quarantine), that team will get slapped with a loss.

Commissioner George Kliavkoff signaled weeks ago that the pre-COVID policy was his preference and discussed the issue with the athletic directors.

Kliavkoff will have the “discretion to determine whether an institution is at fault or primarily at fault for an inability to play a contest based on the facts of the situation.”

The loss of TV revenue from a forfeiture (in the $7 million range for games on ESPN and Fox) will be shared by all the schools.

Quiet QB comps

There are varying degrees of quarterback situations across the conference.

Four teams have entrenched starters: Arizona State (Jayden Daniels), Cal (Chase Garbers), UCLA (Dorian Thompson-Robinson) and USC (Kedon Slovis).

Two more teams have all-but-certain starters: Oregon (Anthony Brown) and Washington (Dylan Morris).

The remaining six are immersed in old-fashioned, who-looked-good-today-coach competitions.

Thus far, there’s no inkling of advantages gained or decisions made.

We suspect Utah will be the first to provide clarity, because the Utes open their season earlier than the other teams with quarterback duels raging.

That said, the timing of announcements will largely depend on the performances within each competition and the comfort level of the coaching staff. Some coaches are more willing than others to wait until the very end of training camp before declaring a starter.

Our guess: Beginning late next week, we’ll see a steady stream of pronouncements.

Edge for Washington?

By our reckoning, Zion Tupuola-Fetui’s torn Achilles was the most significant offseason injury in the conference: A division contender lost one of the top edge rushers in the country for most, if not the entire season.

But late last week, Huskies coach Jimmy Lake reset the timeline, stating definitively that Tupuola-Fetui would play this fall.

Lake didn’t provide specifics but said his all-conference pocket crusher “is way ahead of schedule. He will for sure be seeing the field in 2021.”

Whether that means Tupuola-Fetui returns in September or October is unclear, but each week matters a great deal.

Washington’s schedule is manageable early but turns difficult in the middle of October, with back-to-back trips to Arizona and Stanford — venues that have not been kind to UW over the years — followed by consecutive home showdowns against Oregon and Arizona State.

That four-game stretch will shape UW’s fate. The more snaps for Tupuola-Fetui, the better chance the Huskies have to successfully defend their division title.

Loss for Oregon State

If the most notable recovery of training camp is unfolding in Seattle, the biggest injury (thus far) occurred in Corvallis.

Isaac Hodgins, expected to help anchor Oregon State’s defensive line, will miss at least the first month of the season with a foot injury, according to a report by Oregonlive.

Hodgins has already undergone surgery, and his absence strikes us as impactful for the following reason:

The Beavers have two solid options at quarterback (Sam Noyer and Tristan Gebbia), several capable playmakers and arguably their best offensive line in many years. Scoring points shouldn’t be a problem.

Whether they contend or crumble in the North depends on plugging a leaky defense that finished No. 10 in the conference last season in points-per-game allowed and No. 9 in yards allowed per play.

Now, that same unit will play at least the first month without an all-conference-caliber defensive end.

And if you’re curious about the timing of Hodgins’ recovery, consider this:

The timeline laid out by coach Jonathan Smith suggests a possible return in late September or early October. The Beavers visit USC on Sept. 25 and host Washington on Oct. 2.

Punting on ASU’s season

Three Arizona State assistant coaches have been placed on administrative leave as the result of an ongoing NCAA investigation into recruiting violations, forcing the Sun Devils to scramble to fill out their on-field staff.

But that’s not the only piece of eye-opening news in Tempe, where ASU recently lost its punter to the transfer portal.

He’s not just any punter, either: Michael Turk was a first-team all-conference selection in 2020, one of the Pac-12’s few established difference-makers on special teams.

It appears Turk has entered the transfer portal because of the school’s COVID policy: Unvaccinated players cannot travel for road games.

Turk is “a deeply religious individual,” according to AZCentral.

As a graduate transfer, he will be eligible this fall wherever he lands. And at some point, it seems, the Sun Devils will feel the impact of his exit.

Beer me

The final piece of news won’t impact wins and losses but will shape the in-stadium experience for fans.

On Wednesday, Washington became the third school in the past month to announce alcohol will be available throughout the stadium this fall.

The big reveal on Montlake followed similar policy decisions by USC and UCLA and brings to nine the number of Pac-12 venues that will have beer and wine widely available.

By our count, only Washington State, Stanford and Utah have not taken the step.

It’s no small task to obtain the necessary approval for alcohol sales, and the revenue generated over six or seven home games is a tiny fraction of the budget for any Power Five athletic department.

The decision is less about reaping short-term cash and more about generating long-term allegiance.

Improvements to the customer experience — through alcohol sales or other measures — are vital to reversing attendance declines and building lifetime loyalty to the football program and the university.

That loyalty brings immense value above and beyond the $7 required for a beer in the concourse.