[gailtate]

Sorry OF, but I disagree with you.  In the new era of the transfer portal and NIL, it is harder for Stanford.   You may argue that this is Stanford's choice, but I think most here would agree that the higher academic standards for athletes are not something to be thrown out.   That makes the recruiting pool much smaller, which makes it harder to bring in the talent to compete.   With NIL cooperatives (for as long as that shell game is going to be allowed to exist) the arms race just got much bigger.  Ohio State's coach is asking for $80m just to keep his team in place - that's pro level support.  

As the NCAA president once told Howard Wolf, "college sports needs Stanford to win because it shows it can be done the right way." (Something to that effect).   I'm not sure we can do it in this new semi-pro environment.  I know we cannot compete with this current leadership or lack thereof.

It's a stark choice. University officials must bear-hug this quandary, figure it out, and then forge a way to succeed at the level that returns Stanford to the success it generated a decade ago. I would think that there are enough collective brains and determination to achieve this. If not, the future Stanford will be unrecognizable and diminished. A lesser institution, unknown to mankind. Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait.

I don’t think Stanford will ever get back to the success level of ‘10-16.  That was as unprecedented to begin with. It was inevitable thatbi5vwoukd end. Although not to this level

The portal was game changer one. There is nothing good about a one way door.  NIL was the second.  An even bigger problem.  The 40 year decision can’t compete with offering a guy a million bucks…

Getting back to teams that are In the 7-5 or 8-4 level is a possibility I think. But even that I think is somewhat of an uphill battle.

Northwestern figured out a way to not suck. "Mildcats no more!"  Not tOSU or Michigan, maybe, but respectable.

[gailtate]

Sorry OF, but I disagree with you.  In the new era of the transfer portal and NIL, it is harder for Stanford.   You may argue that this is Stanford's choice, but I think most here would agree that the higher academic standards for athletes are not something to be thrown out.   That makes the recruiting pool much smaller, which makes it harder to bring in the talent to compete.   With NIL cooperatives (for as long as that shell game is going to be allowed to exist) the arms race just got much bigger.  Ohio State's coach is asking for $80m just to keep his team in place - that's pro level support.  

As the NCAA president once told Howard Wolf, "college sports needs Stanford to win because it shows it can be done the right way." (Something to that effect).   I'm not sure we can do it in this new semi-pro environment.  I know we cannot compete with this current leadership or lack thereof.

It's a stark choice. University officials must bear-hug this quandary, figure it out, and then forge a way to succeed at the level that returns Stanford to the success it generated a decade ago. I would think that there are enough collective brains and determination to achieve this. If not, the future Stanford will be unrecognizable and diminished. A lesser institution, unknown to mankind. Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait.

I don’t think Stanford will ever get back to the success level of ‘10-16.  That was as unprecedented to begin with. It was inevitable thatbi5vwoukd end. Although not to this level

The portal was game changer one. There is nothing good about a one way door.  NIL was the second.  An even bigger problem.  The 40 year decision can’t compete with offering a guy a million bucks…

Getting back to teams that are In the 7-5 or 8-4 level is a possibility I think. But even that I think is somewhat of an uphill battle.

Northwestern figured out a way to not suck. "Mildcats no more!"  Not tOSU or Michigan, maybe, but respectable.