[msqueri]

A conference schedule of OSU, WSU, SMU, Rice, Tulane, and Army would have an immediate negative impact on recruiting for almost all, if not all, of Stanford's Olympic sports.    In the end it might turn out to be the only option.   

FWIW all those schools are great institutions.  They're just not the right combination for keeping Stanford at national prominence in college sports.  I understand anything Stanford does right now should be viewed as possibly a temporary fix.   However the damage to recruiting with this conference schedule would have a longer lasting effect on recruiting.

Those in charge at Stanford think the ACC is their best choice right now.  The head football coach thinks the ACC is Stanford's best choice right now.  I would bet most Stanford Olympic sports athletes would choose the ACC with the travel implications over conference teams like Army and Tulane.

For what it's worth, I don't disagree with you, to the extent the conference evolved no further. But I seriously doubt that group of eight would be the end of it, or the only eight for long. The entire market is in flux. I would project that before the 2025 season even begins, there would already be new members, or an entirely new college landscape. I am concerned that the ACC will implode, leaving Stanford in the same situation it faces now, within a few years.

Yes, the ACC is going to implode. But we have to live to fight another day. Better to be at the table than on the menu. Such a dire position for us to be in if we're trying to navigate the next wave of this from a minor conference perch. Unless you think inevitable or desirable that Stanford no longer be major, in which case we just disagree.

[msqueri]

A conference schedule of OSU, WSU, SMU, Rice, Tulane, and Army would have an immediate negative impact on recruiting for almost all, if not all, of Stanford's Olympic sports.    In the end it might turn out to be the only option.   

FWIW all those schools are great institutions.  They're just not the right combination for keeping Stanford at national prominence in college sports.  I understand anything Stanford does right now should be viewed as possibly a temporary fix.   However the damage to recruiting with this conference schedule would have a longer lasting effect on recruiting.

Those in charge at Stanford think the ACC is their best choice right now.  The head football coach thinks the ACC is Stanford's best choice right now.  I would bet most Stanford Olympic sports athletes would choose the ACC with the travel implications over conference teams like Army and Tulane.

For what it's worth, I don't disagree with you, to the extent the conference evolved no further. But I seriously doubt that group of eight would be the end of it, or the only eight for long. The entire market is in flux. I would project that before the 2025 season even begins, there would already be new members, or an entirely new college landscape. I am concerned that the ACC will implode, leaving Stanford in the same situation it faces now, within a few years.

Yes, the ACC is going to implode. But we have to live to fight another day. Better to be at the table than on the menu. Such a dire position for us to be in if we're trying to navigate the next wave of this from a minor conference perch. Unless you think inevitable or desirable that Stanford no longer be major, in which case we just disagree.