[Farm93]

I don't think this issue is inconvenience to football fans. The issue is inconvenience to student athletes.

I tend to agree.  For this one the best argument is for the student-athletes. Normally one can't just sit on a plane for 11 hours and play a football game that day or the next day.  So for a team to play on a Saturday, they would need to fly over on Tuesday or Wednesday and likely would have terrible practices as jet lag dominates their bodies.  Same thing on the way back.  Multiple days would be required to get back into a routine in the USA.  So if Stanford is in the BCS hunt three different games (pre-China, China & post-China) could be impacted by this trip.

The first game of the year is probably easier (especially if it is in the Thursday USA slot) because the team could fly over whenever, most guys would be healthy, and then would have some time to recover.

But let's take the ND game as the example, assuming it is the final game of the year.  If Stanford was the Pac-12 North champ then this little escapade to China would be terrible.  Stanford, as the Pac-12 North champs, would then need to haul all the way to China.  Play a game with probable BCS implications and a draining amount of media and travel problems.  All while simultaneously keeping up with school work.  Then win or lose, Stanford would need to haul it all the way back to the USA for a chance to get into the Rose Bowl or better.  Add on top of that a new media crush in anticipation of the Pac-12 championship game AND play on a championship game potentially on the road on Friday, just a few days after returning from China.

So in my mind, Stanford Football vs. Notre Dame in China probably eliminates Stanford from any BCS bowl game that year.  But hey, anything to make money for the conference, I guess.

[Farm93]

I don't think this issue is inconvenience to football fans. The issue is inconvenience to student athletes.

I tend to agree.  For this one the best argument is for the student-athletes. Normally one can't just sit on a plane for 11 hours and play a football game that day or the next day.  So for a team to play on a Saturday, they would need to fly over on Tuesday or Wednesday and likely would have terrible practices as jet lag dominates their bodies.  Same thing on the way back.  Multiple days would be required to get back into a routine in the USA.  So if Stanford is in the BCS hunt three different games (pre-China, China & post-China) could be impacted by this trip.

The first game of the year is probably easier (especially if it is in the Thursday USA slot) because the team could fly over whenever, most guys would be healthy, and then would have some time to recover.

But let's take the ND game as the example, assuming it is the final game of the year.  If Stanford was the Pac-12 North champ then this little escapade to China would be terrible.  Stanford, as the Pac-12 North champs, would then need to haul all the way to China.  Play a game with probable BCS implications and a draining amount of media and travel problems.  All while simultaneously keeping up with school work.  Then win or lose, Stanford would need to haul it all the way back to the USA for a chance to get into the Rose Bowl or better.  Add on top of that a new media crush in anticipation of the Pac-12 championship game AND play on a championship game potentially on the road on Friday, just a few days after returning from China.

So in my mind, Stanford Football vs. Notre Dame in China probably eliminates Stanford from any BCS bowl game that year.  But hey, anything to make money for the conference, I guess.