07-03-2022, 02:38 PM
Ohio State & Nebraska alum stopping by to check out perspectives on various Pac 12 forums. BTW, this is a very nice, well laid out forum with a clever name. Well done.
If Notre Dame agrees to join the B1G Ten, I think Stanford will also be approved (provided it is interested in becoming a member). I'm of the opinion the B1G Ten is attempting a run around by securing membership of long-time rivals of Notre Dame. USC and Stanford fit the bill in that regard; Navy is a non-starter but the Irish could continue to schedule the Middies as a non-conference game. Clearly AAU membership, stellar academics and Olympic sports are not an issue in Palo Alto. With USC joining in 2024, the B1G Ten will have 4 of the traditional blue blood football programs (Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska & USC), which is more than the SEC will have (3) once Texas and Oklahoma join Alabama. Notre Dame would be the 5th blue blood if it joined the B1G Ten.
I think the B1G Ten has talked to Stanford and Cal, perhaps as a package deal. Clearly it is more interested in adding Notre Dame and Stanford rather than all 3 programs joining as a package. 18 (or 20, 24) teams is more manageable than 19. Now that USC & UCLA are onboard, if it was up to me I would approve Stanford and Cal for membership. I wouldn't be fixated on the win/loss, attendance or viewership numbers associated with their respective football programs. A big part of what Stanford & Cal would bring lies elsewhere. Lock up the Bay Area and keep another conference from gaining (or maintaining) a foothold. Travel pairing for Olympic sports would be simplified (relatively speaking) given the proximity of Stanford & UCB. I suspect USC & UCLA would appreciate much shorter travel for a few conference road games, too. In the end, the heavy lifting during media rights negotiations is going to be carried by the football blue bloods, not programs like Stanford, Cal, Rutgers or Minnesota.
Time will tell how things ultimately unfold. It's unfortunate college athletics have become an arms race (so to speak), but this has been in the works for a while. The pandemic (budgets) and NIL accelerated matters. Stay optimistic and hope for the best. I'm pulling for Stanford to join the B1G Ten.
If Notre Dame agrees to join the B1G Ten, I think Stanford will also be approved (provided it is interested in becoming a member). I'm of the opinion the B1G Ten is attempting a run around by securing membership of long-time rivals of Notre Dame. USC and Stanford fit the bill in that regard; Navy is a non-starter but the Irish could continue to schedule the Middies as a non-conference game. Clearly AAU membership, stellar academics and Olympic sports are not an issue in Palo Alto. With USC joining in 2024, the B1G Ten will have 4 of the traditional blue blood football programs (Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska & USC), which is more than the SEC will have (3) once Texas and Oklahoma join Alabama. Notre Dame would be the 5th blue blood if it joined the B1G Ten.
I think the B1G Ten has talked to Stanford and Cal, perhaps as a package deal. Clearly it is more interested in adding Notre Dame and Stanford rather than all 3 programs joining as a package. 18 (or 20, 24) teams is more manageable than 19. Now that USC & UCLA are onboard, if it was up to me I would approve Stanford and Cal for membership. I wouldn't be fixated on the win/loss, attendance or viewership numbers associated with their respective football programs. A big part of what Stanford & Cal would bring lies elsewhere. Lock up the Bay Area and keep another conference from gaining (or maintaining) a foothold. Travel pairing for Olympic sports would be simplified (relatively speaking) given the proximity of Stanford & UCB. I suspect USC & UCLA would appreciate much shorter travel for a few conference road games, too. In the end, the heavy lifting during media rights negotiations is going to be carried by the football blue bloods, not programs like Stanford, Cal, Rutgers or Minnesota.
Time will tell how things ultimately unfold. It's unfortunate college athletics have become an arms race (so to speak), but this has been in the works for a while. The pandemic (budgets) and NIL accelerated matters. Stay optimistic and hope for the best. I'm pulling for Stanford to join the B1G Ten.