[gailtate]

And every time I hear whining about "early start times" I will point out that Oregon wasn't fazed in the least vs. tOSU this year -- and in a far from neutral site. Oh, yes, and Stanford did  pretty well at West Point in 2013. Back to the crack-of-dawn game against juggernaut K-State: not starting your best QB and then shuttling him in and out of the game is rarely a competitive advantage.

Stanford has a long history of being really bad at early start time games. Whether mentioning that fact is whining or not, I don't know, but it is a true statement. That includes 2013. That was a bad Army team (ended up 3-9), a good Stanford team (#5 in final BCS), and the game was overly close. Stanford looked lethargic and sloppy. I was in the stands - left a bit shaken as to whether the team would be competitive in the Pac 12.

Early start time is not destiny. Oregon did an excellent job. NFL teams from the west regularly play 10 am pacific games and don't always stink up the joint. Of course Stanford should be better at this. But in my life time, they haven't been.

I, too, was there that day, end-zone to the left of the press box. Not the team's best effort in 2013 for sure but even in my jaundiced eye(s) I did not think the outcome was ever in doubt. Most important, they found a way to win on the road against a spirited opponent. Which is what the really good teams do. The K-State debacle confirmed my pre-season assessment of this year's team, and my post-game afterglow following USC's face-plant last week is long gone. I pray for McKee's health and hope for the best in the the coming weeks. But I'll remain skeptical until I'm not.

[gailtate]

And every time I hear whining about "early start times" I will point out that Oregon wasn't fazed in the least vs. tOSU this year -- and in a far from neutral site. Oh, yes, and Stanford did  pretty well at West Point in 2013. Back to the crack-of-dawn game against juggernaut K-State: not starting your best QB and then shuttling him in and out of the game is rarely a competitive advantage.

Stanford has a long history of being really bad at early start time games. Whether mentioning that fact is whining or not, I don't know, but it is a true statement. That includes 2013. That was a bad Army team (ended up 3-9), a good Stanford team (#5 in final BCS), and the game was overly close. Stanford looked lethargic and sloppy. I was in the stands - left a bit shaken as to whether the team would be competitive in the Pac 12.

Early start time is not destiny. Oregon did an excellent job. NFL teams from the west regularly play 10 am pacific games and don't always stink up the joint. Of course Stanford should be better at this. But in my life time, they haven't been.

I, too, was there that day, end-zone to the left of the press box. Not the team's best effort in 2013 for sure but even in my jaundiced eye(s) I did not think the outcome was ever in doubt. Most important, they found a way to win on the road against a spirited opponent. Which is what the really good teams do. The K-State debacle confirmed my pre-season assessment of this year's team, and my post-game afterglow following USC's face-plant last week is long gone. I pray for McKee's health and hope for the best in the the coming weeks. But I'll remain skeptical until I'm not.