[chrisk]

There's a strong temptation to be overly dramatic with respect to Stanford's plight in the realignment fiasco.

Let's take a breath and realize one thing.  Based on its endowment, Stanford has choices that most of the other Pac-12 refugees didn't have.

The AD and President were incompetent, but maybe things are ending up the way they should.  Just as an example, one can easily imagine an Independent football schedule combined with Mountain West membership in all other sports.  This maintains a reasonable student-athlete experience and level of competition. Football may need to travel a bit more, but they have the charter flights and resources to manage it.  Less revenue may result in some sports being cut, but this remains a choice for the next President and AD (yes, I said it), not a financial necessity.

Stanford does not need to make the same desperate tradeoffs that other schools do. It can afford to have its cake (D1 football) and eat it (good student-athlete experience and less travel for other sports), too.

Developing an independent football schedule anywhere close to Notre Dame’s would be tough.  Even ND has an agreement with the ACC for 5 games a year.

But I think Stanford’s situation is very different due to its recent conference history . I imagine most every former Pac 12 team would love to keep playing Stanford as a non-conference game. I could see an independent Stanford locking up games against USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Cal every year as home-and-homes — those would be local, good revenue games for all teams involved. They could probably lock up “non-conference” games with almost the entire former pac-12 — both Oregons, both Washingtons, both Arizonas. 

As Sagehen said, Stanford is in a uniquely strong position.

While of course Notre Dame’s football audience is much bigger, Stanford has a century of history playing games against Pac-12 rivals, and audiences on both sides would want to see them continue.

Even when USC and UCLA announced their departures, I think they both expressed a strong desire to keep playing Stanford, just tsa Pac-12 game. It’s a tricky situation for them, too — will ucla fans be excited about games against rutgers and indiana? Those teams woll need stanford, also.

USC has its non-conference games booked 4-5 years in advance. Same with UCLA. I don't think it is too likely Stanford will be playing USC or UCLA in that window, unless it begs itself into the Big 10.

[chrisk]

There's a strong temptation to be overly dramatic with respect to Stanford's plight in the realignment fiasco.

Let's take a breath and realize one thing.  Based on its endowment, Stanford has choices that most of the other Pac-12 refugees didn't have.

The AD and President were incompetent, but maybe things are ending up the way they should.  Just as an example, one can easily imagine an Independent football schedule combined with Mountain West membership in all other sports.  This maintains a reasonable student-athlete experience and level of competition. Football may need to travel a bit more, but they have the charter flights and resources to manage it.  Less revenue may result in some sports being cut, but this remains a choice for the next President and AD (yes, I said it), not a financial necessity.

Stanford does not need to make the same desperate tradeoffs that other schools do. It can afford to have its cake (D1 football) and eat it (good student-athlete experience and less travel for other sports), too.

Developing an independent football schedule anywhere close to Notre Dame’s would be tough.  Even ND has an agreement with the ACC for 5 games a year.

But I think Stanford’s situation is very different due to its recent conference history . I imagine most every former Pac 12 team would love to keep playing Stanford as a non-conference game. I could see an independent Stanford locking up games against USC, UCLA, Notre Dame and Cal every year as home-and-homes — those would be local, good revenue games for all teams involved. They could probably lock up “non-conference” games with almost the entire former pac-12 — both Oregons, both Washingtons, both Arizonas. 

As Sagehen said, Stanford is in a uniquely strong position.

While of course Notre Dame’s football audience is much bigger, Stanford has a century of history playing games against Pac-12 rivals, and audiences on both sides would want to see them continue.

Even when USC and UCLA announced their departures, I think they both expressed a strong desire to keep playing Stanford, just tsa Pac-12 game. It’s a tricky situation for them, too — will ucla fans be excited about games against rutgers and indiana? Those teams woll need stanford, also.

USC has its non-conference games booked 4-5 years in advance. Same with UCLA. I don't think it is too likely Stanford will be playing USC or UCLA in that window, unless it begs itself into the Big 10.