[OutsiderFan]

Leave it to Stanford fans to figure out the reality.  

While idiot fans from Washington, Oregon, Cal, and other Pac-12 schools are signing petitions calling for Larry Scott to be fired, the reality is you could have Jim Delaney at the helm and the Pac-12 has built-in weaknesses that make it less valuable.  

At least when it comes to Stanford being able to adapt and evolve to be more competitive in the modern football marketplace, there is some there there, in large measure because Stanford recruits nationally.  

But the Pac-12 as a conference has significant structural disadvantages that it simply isn't going to overcome.  It was downright embarrassing how weak the attendance was for the Pac-12 Championship Game.  If fans aren't showing for the region's football showcase event, why would they show to see Alabama and Clemson, schools in different regions that at some times feel like different countries from California, and certainly the Bay Area?

It is simply a fact that East of the Rockies sports, and college sports in particular are much more popular than they are in the West.  We talk about poor Stanford football attendance, but what about UCLA?  Their numbers may be a bit bigger, but as a function of the surrounding population, UCLA draws worse than Stanford does.

There are other issues, but it hardly is worth the effort to get into them because they are so systemic and would take a dedicated effort on the part of the Pac-12 school leadership to change. I seriously doubt "the CEOs" of Pac-12 universities are going to be inclined to engage in a massive strategic initiative to pump up interest for Pac-12 sports in the region.  Absent that, it is what it is, and you just accept it.

[OutsiderFan]

Leave it to Stanford fans to figure out the reality.  

While idiot fans from Washington, Oregon, Cal, and other Pac-12 schools are signing petitions calling for Larry Scott to be fired, the reality is you could have Jim Delaney at the helm and the Pac-12 has built-in weaknesses that make it less valuable.  

At least when it comes to Stanford being able to adapt and evolve to be more competitive in the modern football marketplace, there is some there there, in large measure because Stanford recruits nationally.  

But the Pac-12 as a conference has significant structural disadvantages that it simply isn't going to overcome.  It was downright embarrassing how weak the attendance was for the Pac-12 Championship Game.  If fans aren't showing for the region's football showcase event, why would they show to see Alabama and Clemson, schools in different regions that at some times feel like different countries from California, and certainly the Bay Area?

It is simply a fact that East of the Rockies sports, and college sports in particular are much more popular than they are in the West.  We talk about poor Stanford football attendance, but what about UCLA?  Their numbers may be a bit bigger, but as a function of the surrounding population, UCLA draws worse than Stanford does.

There are other issues, but it hardly is worth the effort to get into them because they are so systemic and would take a dedicated effort on the part of the Pac-12 school leadership to change. I seriously doubt "the CEOs" of Pac-12 universities are going to be inclined to engage in a massive strategic initiative to pump up interest for Pac-12 sports in the region.  Absent that, it is what it is, and you just accept it.