[umbra]

I understand the animosity toward USC.  But if Stanford gets an invite from the Big 10, will they accept three times the revenue or will they refuse because of loyalty to the PAC-12/10.   IMO they take the money and run.

I’m not so sure that Stanford University sees itself as needing to bow down to the TV networks to feed their  brave new athletic world of professionalized college athletics.  The president of Stanford is a Canadian born neuroscientist.  My impression from friends on the faculty is that football is relatively low on his priority list- as it should be for a major world research university.  

The fact that they were willing to cut several sports a few years ago tells you that Stanford may not be thinking of “ taking the cash and running” to join the B1G. Athletes in the Olympic sports would be taken away from campus to traipse through the Midwest to play their league matches, going against the academic style that Stanford values.  Wilner also mentions that Stanford and Cal are unlikely to embrace the idea of paying players outright.

I think Stanford would prefer to stay with an independent smaller Pac10, rather than become a vassal of FOX Sports.  Remember the joke about USC- they’d like  to have a university that the football team could be proud of?  If you sell your university’s integrity to FOX Sports, they won’t stop their need to make even more dough- gambling ventures, cheerleader strip shows- the sky is the limit baby….

[umbra]

I understand the animosity toward USC.  But if Stanford gets an invite from the Big 10, will they accept three times the revenue or will they refuse because of loyalty to the PAC-12/10.   IMO they take the money and run.

I’m not so sure that Stanford University sees itself as needing to bow down to the TV networks to feed their  brave new athletic world of professionalized college athletics.  The president of Stanford is a Canadian born neuroscientist.  My impression from friends on the faculty is that football is relatively low on his priority list- as it should be for a major world research university.  

The fact that they were willing to cut several sports a few years ago tells you that Stanford may not be thinking of “ taking the cash and running” to join the B1G. Athletes in the Olympic sports would be taken away from campus to traipse through the Midwest to play their league matches, going against the academic style that Stanford values.  Wilner also mentions that Stanford and Cal are unlikely to embrace the idea of paying players outright.

I think Stanford would prefer to stay with an independent smaller Pac10, rather than become a vassal of FOX Sports.  Remember the joke about USC- they’d like  to have a university that the football team could be proud of?  If you sell your university’s integrity to FOX Sports, they won’t stop their need to make even more dough- gambling ventures, cheerleader strip shows- the sky is the limit baby….