[Brickcity]

I should have defined what I meant by "large." I mean large by Stanford's historical standards. Obviously, we can't put more than 50,000 people in the stands because that's the stadium's capacity. But, I doubt most coaches really care. What they likely to care about is seeing a stadium that's near capacity. The atmosphere at Stanford Stadium from 2010-2013, as well as 2015, was great.

May people around the country have commented on the "Chardonnay drinking" Stanford crowds, and the "golf claps" for good plays. Stanford has never had, in the 50+ years I have attended games, a truly enthusiastic fan base. Back in the late 60s you could get big crowds, but the enthusiasm was usually for the opponents, not Stanford. Lots of Stanford people attended the games, but they were hardly rabid fans. That is just a fact. I don't consider that bad, but let's be real here. By the standards of the world at large, Stanford Stadium has never had "a great atmosphere". I like it, especially when we have a larger crowd that we have lately, but I recognize it is not Autzen (thank God!).
Before 2012, we didn't have the crazy TV driven schedule issues. That helped attendance a lot. Even in 2015 we didn't have quite the crazy PAC-12 schedule effects that we have today. That makes a real difference. Since you can't really plan ahead for when the game will be, many people just watch it on TV. It's easier, the view is good, and you don't have to worry about the heat or cold. Having a winning team helps, but I think in today's Bay Area, with the other attractions, crazy traffic and crazy scheduling of games, not nearly as much as you think. Lets hope we get a chance to find out.

No question that the atmosphere at Autzen is far louder and more intense. I also went to three games at Neyland in 2006, including close games against LSU and the eventual national champion, Florida. Obviously, Stanford can't compete with those crazy environments. But again, if Stanford Stadium is close to full and the majority of fans are rooting for Stanford in their own "polite" way, I suspect that dynamic is enough to satisfy most head coaches. As to the point you made about other factors making it much less likely that we'll draw 50,000 fans even with a top 10 team, we'll just have to wait and see.

[Brickcity]

I should have defined what I meant by "large." I mean large by Stanford's historical standards. Obviously, we can't put more than 50,000 people in the stands because that's the stadium's capacity. But, I doubt most coaches really care. What they likely to care about is seeing a stadium that's near capacity. The atmosphere at Stanford Stadium from 2010-2013, as well as 2015, was great.

May people around the country have commented on the "Chardonnay drinking" Stanford crowds, and the "golf claps" for good plays. Stanford has never had, in the 50+ years I have attended games, a truly enthusiastic fan base. Back in the late 60s you could get big crowds, but the enthusiasm was usually for the opponents, not Stanford. Lots of Stanford people attended the games, but they were hardly rabid fans. That is just a fact. I don't consider that bad, but let's be real here. By the standards of the world at large, Stanford Stadium has never had "a great atmosphere". I like it, especially when we have a larger crowd that we have lately, but I recognize it is not Autzen (thank God!).
Before 2012, we didn't have the crazy TV driven schedule issues. That helped attendance a lot. Even in 2015 we didn't have quite the crazy PAC-12 schedule effects that we have today. That makes a real difference. Since you can't really plan ahead for when the game will be, many people just watch it on TV. It's easier, the view is good, and you don't have to worry about the heat or cold. Having a winning team helps, but I think in today's Bay Area, with the other attractions, crazy traffic and crazy scheduling of games, not nearly as much as you think. Lets hope we get a chance to find out.

No question that the atmosphere at Autzen is far louder and more intense. I also went to three games at Neyland in 2006, including close games against LSU and the eventual national champion, Florida. Obviously, Stanford can't compete with those crazy environments. But again, if Stanford Stadium is close to full and the majority of fans are rooting for Stanford in their own "polite" way, I suspect that dynamic is enough to satisfy most head coaches. As to the point you made about other factors making it much less likely that we'll draw 50,000 fans even with a top 10 team, we'll just have to wait and see.