[StanfordMatt]

Not playing the LA schools every year isn't a matter of bowing to those programs, it's just common sense. The new playoff format may give extra weight to schedule strength, but the most important factor is always a team's number of losses. I attended Stanford during a dark period for football. When I walked out of Stanford Stadium after witnessing us lose to the Trojan.s or Bruins I didn't get any satisfaction from the preservation of the rivalry. The two moments that have been the most exciting for me as a Stanford football fan, far and away, were winning the Orange Bowl and winning the Rose Bowl.

We're no longer in a dark period and we should expect to beat USC and UCLA every time we play them. Nevertheless, it is very difficult for even the best teams to win every game. If playing Colorado one year instead of USC improves our chances of running the table and making the playoff by 1%, then I'm in favor of playing Colorado. We already play one of the toughest schedules in the country year in and year out - I don't see any need to exacerbate the issue for the sake of tradition.

And as far as recruiting, I'm sure the Ducks' lack of a trip to LA next fall is more than offset by their appearance in the National Championship Game this year. Not to mention that of all the schools in the PAC-12 North, Stanford's recruiting is likely the least impacted by where it plays its games considering how wide we cast our recruiting net.

[StanfordMatt]

Not playing the LA schools every year isn't a matter of bowing to those programs, it's just common sense. The new playoff format may give extra weight to schedule strength, but the most important factor is always a team's number of losses. I attended Stanford during a dark period for football. When I walked out of Stanford Stadium after witnessing us lose to the Trojan.s or Bruins I didn't get any satisfaction from the preservation of the rivalry. The two moments that have been the most exciting for me as a Stanford football fan, far and away, were winning the Orange Bowl and winning the Rose Bowl.

We're no longer in a dark period and we should expect to beat USC and UCLA every time we play them. Nevertheless, it is very difficult for even the best teams to win every game. If playing Colorado one year instead of USC improves our chances of running the table and making the playoff by 1%, then I'm in favor of playing Colorado. We already play one of the toughest schedules in the country year in and year out - I don't see any need to exacerbate the issue for the sake of tradition.

And as far as recruiting, I'm sure the Ducks' lack of a trip to LA next fall is more than offset by their appearance in the National Championship Game this year. Not to mention that of all the schools in the PAC-12 North, Stanford's recruiting is likely the least impacted by where it plays its games considering how wide we cast our recruiting net.