4 things to watch for during 2022 Pac-12 Media Day before Oregon Ducks fall camp

The 2022-23 football season will unofficially begin Friday morning with the Pac-12 Football Media Day in Los Angeles, leading up to the start of Oregon's fall camp beginning Aug. 5.

The one-day event, held 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from The Novo, will feature discussions with the 12 coaches, along with two players from each university. Oregon coach Dan Lanning and offensive lineman Alex Forsyth, as well as linebacker DJ Johnson, will talk to with reporters at 9:15 a.m. and in the studio with analysts at 11 a.m.

Also, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff and Merton Hanks, senior associate commissioner of football operations, are scheduled to speak to the media.

Here are the four things to pay attention to during Friday's Pac-12 Media Day:

First comments since USC and UCLA's Big Ten announcement

The Pac-12 commissioner will make his first public comments since USC and UCLA announced they were leaving for the Big Ten in 2024. The Pac-12 commissioner is scheduled to speak for 40 minutes, beginning at 8 a.m.

There has been speculation the Big Ten could add even more Pac-12 teams in the future. According to CBS Sports, the Big Ten is potentially evaluating adding California, Oregon, Stanford and Washington from the Pac-12 to expand its conference to at least 20 teams. If that were to happen, the Pac-12 conference could effectively be dead.

When asked earlier this week at the Big Ten Media Days, commissioner Kevin Warren didn't dismiss the fact that they could add more teams in the future.

More:Big 12 'open for business' amid rumors of Oregon, other Pac-12 schools joining conference

"We will not expand just to expand," Warren said. "It will be strategic. It will add additional value to our conference, and it will provide a platform to even have our student-athletes be put on a larger platform so they can build their careers.

"We will be innovative, we will be creative, we'll be bold, we'll be strong, we'll be powerful, and we'll be direct to make sure we can prioritize what's important to our student-athletes, what's important to our fans, what's important to our member institutions, what's important to our partners as we help shape and direct the future of college athletics."

If Cal, Oregon, Stanford and Washington depart for the Big Ten, then Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah could also leave for the Big 12. The four schools have been rumored to potentially join the conference even if the Big Ten doesn't add any more teams. That could potentially leave Oregon State and Washington State as the schools left without a conference home.

Who will be the favorite to win 2022 Pac-12 title?

A year ago, Oregon was the favorite to win its third consecutive Pac-12 title before Utah defeated them in Las Vegas in the conference championship last December. Now, USC and new coach Lincoln Riley could be the media's pick to win the Pac-12 title in 2022.

Joining Riley at USC is former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams, who transferred in the spring. Williams passed for 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions for the Sooner last season. USC also added former Oregon running back Travis Dye after he transferred in January.

While USC improved on paper, Oregon has a ton of question marks entering the season. Can Bo Nix have the best season of his career after two mediocre years at Auburn? Can Oregon’s defense improve despite losing Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III?

Oregon Ducks: 5 newcomers to watch in 2022 football season

With a first-year coach, what are realistic expectations for Oregon and can the Ducks live up to them? Despite the transition from Mario Cristobal to Lanning, Oregon fans will likely expect to play for another Pac-12 Championship.

However, don't be surprised if the Ducks are picked by the media to finish third in the conference.

Reaction to Pac-12's elimination of divisions

During the offseason, the Pac-12 ended the old format of North and South divisions. Instead, the two Pac-12 teams with the best conference winning percentage will play for the Pac-12 Championship on Dec. 2 in Las Vegas.

Other conferences such as the ACC also have eliminated the division format, but are all the coaches on board?

More:Previewing the Oregon Ducks defense ahead of fall camp

Getting rid of divisions certainly doesn't benefit Oregon, as USC and Utah will likely be the favorites to reach the title game. That wouldn't have been possible in the previous format as the Trojans and Utes both played in the South Division.

If the goal is to put the best two teams on the field, eliminating divisions was undoubtedly the right call for all parties involved.

Oregon's comments about Webb's death

Two weeks ago, tight end Spencer Webb tragically died after he fell and suffered a head injury at Triangle Lake. Last week, there was a celebration of life service for Webb, but players and coaches did not take questions from the media.

Oregon will likely honor Webb throughout the season, including safety Bennett Williams, who will change his jersey number from No. 15 to No. 4.

More:University of Oregon holds celebration of life for Spencer Webb

Where to watch

Find Pac-12 Media Day coverage on the Pac-12 Networks, including the Pac-12 Network (Comcast channel 421) and on the Pac-12 Now app. For the complete schedule, go to https://pac-12.com/article/2022/07/25/2022-pac-12-football-media-day-presented-76-takes-over-pac-12-network-friday

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 Media Day 2022: 4 things to look out for