[chrisk]

I don't know if I've ever seen a more opposite to what Stanford is all about suggestion for a Head Coach than Deion Sanders.  

And just the suggestion of such a name suggests Stanford would be "big game hunting" for a Head Football coach.  I just don't see the congruity with Stanford and how it is perceived, and having a football program that would be paying top dollar for a proven Head Football Coach.

Before a hire is made, Stanford had to decide what it wants from its football program. Does it want to be a playoff contender?  Does it want football to be a revenue generator? Does Stanford want its football program to raise the profile of the university to Joe Public? Does Stanford want to fill the Stanford Stadium with paying customers? Now that Shaw has been seemingly forced out (I know we can debate the nuances of this, but let's be honest, if Stanford was 8-4 this year Shaw would not have coached his last game for Stanford on November 26, 2022), and does seem ready to embrace the transfer portal, we can assume Stanford does in fact care to some degree about having a legit football program.  

Many people on this board have suggested Stanford might drop football, but I think the Shaw move and the transfer portal embrace shows Stanford is willing to be dragged - after some kicking and screaming - into a much more professionalized college sports reality. This would suggest Stanford is ready to make the investments needed to win, sell tickets, and generate ratings. Maybe there actually is an imperative to be attractive to a Big Ten invite? Now it's just a matter of identifying who that person is that can make it happen.

Where does this focus on a Big 10 invite come from. It is not happening anytime soon and would remove a positive differentiator for Stanford. 5 of the top 16 ranked teams are currently in the PAC-12 and 4 of them will be in the new PAC-10.

[chrisk]

I don't know if I've ever seen a more opposite to what Stanford is all about suggestion for a Head Coach than Deion Sanders.  

And just the suggestion of such a name suggests Stanford would be "big game hunting" for a Head Football coach.  I just don't see the congruity with Stanford and how it is perceived, and having a football program that would be paying top dollar for a proven Head Football Coach.

Before a hire is made, Stanford had to decide what it wants from its football program. Does it want to be a playoff contender?  Does it want football to be a revenue generator? Does Stanford want its football program to raise the profile of the university to Joe Public? Does Stanford want to fill the Stanford Stadium with paying customers? Now that Shaw has been seemingly forced out (I know we can debate the nuances of this, but let's be honest, if Stanford was 8-4 this year Shaw would not have coached his last game for Stanford on November 26, 2022), and does seem ready to embrace the transfer portal, we can assume Stanford does in fact care to some degree about having a legit football program.  

Many people on this board have suggested Stanford might drop football, but I think the Shaw move and the transfer portal embrace shows Stanford is willing to be dragged - after some kicking and screaming - into a much more professionalized college sports reality. This would suggest Stanford is ready to make the investments needed to win, sell tickets, and generate ratings. Maybe there actually is an imperative to be attractive to a Big Ten invite? Now it's just a matter of identifying who that person is that can make it happen.

Where does this focus on a Big 10 invite come from. It is not happening anytime soon and would remove a positive differentiator for Stanford. 5 of the top 16 ranked teams are currently in the PAC-12 and 4 of them will be in the new PAC-10.