[Goose]

Time for leadership to make the hard choice…I only hope Stanford has that choice to make.

I too hope that Stanford has a choice to make. I also do agree with Msqueri that being in a Power 4 conference is orders of magnitude better than being an Independent. I do not consider a PCA-4+ as an available option. There are too many variables to create such a thing in the 6 months or so we would have to do it. However, that said, I emphatically do NOT believe joining the ACC on any terms, however bad, is necessarily better than spending some time in the wilderness. If Stanford has to join the ACC and receive no share at all of the media rights profits while being fully bound by the GOR until 2035 (or some other cataclysmic event), I do not think it is a good choice. I would rather roll the dice as an Independent hoping for a better deal to come along. Lots of things can happen in 12 years. If Stanford has an "earn out" period of a few years after which they are full members of the ACC, fine. If Stanford is always to receive nothing, we will have to spend our own money to do what it takes to participate in the ACC for 12 years. We would also always be viewed as "not really equal", which will not help the "brand" at all. IMO it isn't worth it if those are the terms.

During that 12 year period, Stanford would have to figure out how to fund it's Athletic Department with no media deal revenue. That is the great evil we face as an Independent. Being in the ACC would greatly help recruiting for football, but bring along massive travel expenses for everything else that could be mitigated as an Independent. We would be stuck with this arrangement for 12 years. Frankly, I think there is ZERO chance we could fund that choice. For a few years, yes. For 12, with no way out, no.

[Goose]

Time for leadership to make the hard choice…I only hope Stanford has that choice to make.

I too hope that Stanford has a choice to make. I also do agree with Msqueri that being in a Power 4 conference is orders of magnitude better than being an Independent. I do not consider a PCA-4+ as an available option. There are too many variables to create such a thing in the 6 months or so we would have to do it. However, that said, I emphatically do NOT believe joining the ACC on any terms, however bad, is necessarily better than spending some time in the wilderness. If Stanford has to join the ACC and receive no share at all of the media rights profits while being fully bound by the GOR until 2035 (or some other cataclysmic event), I do not think it is a good choice. I would rather roll the dice as an Independent hoping for a better deal to come along. Lots of things can happen in 12 years. If Stanford has an "earn out" period of a few years after which they are full members of the ACC, fine. If Stanford is always to receive nothing, we will have to spend our own money to do what it takes to participate in the ACC for 12 years. We would also always be viewed as "not really equal", which will not help the "brand" at all. IMO it isn't worth it if those are the terms.

During that 12 year period, Stanford would have to figure out how to fund it's Athletic Department with no media deal revenue. That is the great evil we face as an Independent. Being in the ACC would greatly help recruiting for football, but bring along massive travel expenses for everything else that could be mitigated as an Independent. We would be stuck with this arrangement for 12 years. Frankly, I think there is ZERO chance we could fund that choice. For a few years, yes. For 12, with no way out, no.