Absolutely. It's not the coach. Stanford's players do not match up to the opponents' players. Coaches have to work with the talent available to them. They can't go out on the field and play. Fans can debate some in-game coaching decisions, but the overriding issue is a talent imbalance.
Maybe it's time for the Stanford administration to think in terms of the ND model for the future. Stanford football comes back to the reformed PAC and the other sports stay in the ACC. With NIL and the ease of transferring Stanford is at too much of a disadvantage. Into the foreseeable future Stanford football would be near the bottom of any Power Four conference.
In the past the Stanford name was enough for appealing to some elite players. Now the culture of elite football players is more about NIL, money, and being part of a playoff bound team.
Maybe it's time for the Stanford administration to think in terms of the ND model for the future. Stanford football comes back to the reformed PAC and the other sports stay in the ACC. With NIL and the ease of transferring Stanford is at too much of a disadvantage. Into the foreseeable future Stanford football would be near the bottom of any Power Four conference.
In the past the Stanford name was enough for appealing to some elite players. Now the culture of elite football players is more about NIL, money, and being part of a playoff bound team.