[Mudhead]

Anyone else feeling a twinge of regret?

If we could have convinced Cal to stay with us, we'd have an 8 team conference that is geographically friendly. It would also be composed entirely of schools with a history of being sneaky good at football. There would be no juggernauts, but all 8 schools historically have been at or around mid power-5 level or better for the last few decades. 

I can't say what the money would be. I'm sure it would be less then the ACC, though the penalties we took to leave the PAC and join the ACC may mitigate that somewhat. 

If the ACC collapses in the next round when FSU and clemson bolt pending their litigation, I wouldn't be shocked if we came back hat in hand.

This is what I wished Stanford had done a year ago — reconstituted the Pac 8 with basically these exact schools and Cal.

I hear the arguments about recruiting but I feel like the pac-8 would have endured. And Stanford is a national brand no matter whom they play. And Wouldn’t the league retain Power-5 status in terms of tv contracts and money, and arguably, the 12 school cfp?

But like many others are saying — I don’t see anything as permanent in college football. The ACC seemed like a doable landing pad for now and who knows that college sports will be be like in 4 years.

I can’t prove what would have been to be sure.  But the PAC something you envisage would have been the Mountain West with MW athletes and MW caliber teams. Stanford is a national brand only because it comepetes at the highest level (Power 4) otherwise it’s just another Ivy with better weather.  Take a look at Hambys reaction to the travel schedule … something like “it’s a pain but for a while I was afraid we wouldn’t be in a major conference at all “ (that’s my paraphrase, not a literal quote). We wouldn’t get top level coaches or top level players . Stanford is unique because it is a top notch academic institution playing in in top conferences for major sports. A lot of schools have proved you can have medium academics, or worse, and a big time conference and get top athletes. No one has proven a high quality degree is valued more than top level competition by top level athletes.

[Mudhead]

Anyone else feeling a twinge of regret?

If we could have convinced Cal to stay with us, we'd have an 8 team conference that is geographically friendly. It would also be composed entirely of schools with a history of being sneaky good at football. There would be no juggernauts, but all 8 schools historically have been at or around mid power-5 level or better for the last few decades. 

I can't say what the money would be. I'm sure it would be less then the ACC, though the penalties we took to leave the PAC and join the ACC may mitigate that somewhat. 

If the ACC collapses in the next round when FSU and clemson bolt pending their litigation, I wouldn't be shocked if we came back hat in hand.

This is what I wished Stanford had done a year ago — reconstituted the Pac 8 with basically these exact schools and Cal.

I hear the arguments about recruiting but I feel like the pac-8 would have endured. And Stanford is a national brand no matter whom they play. And Wouldn’t the league retain Power-5 status in terms of tv contracts and money, and arguably, the 12 school cfp?

But like many others are saying — I don’t see anything as permanent in college football. The ACC seemed like a doable landing pad for now and who knows that college sports will be be like in 4 years.

I can’t prove what would have been to be sure.  But the PAC something you envisage would have been the Mountain West with MW athletes and MW caliber teams. Stanford is a national brand only because it comepetes at the highest level (Power 4) otherwise it’s just another Ivy with better weather.  Take a look at Hambys reaction to the travel schedule … something like “it’s a pain but for a while I was afraid we wouldn’t be in a major conference at all “ (that’s my paraphrase, not a literal quote). We wouldn’t get top level coaches or top level players . Stanford is unique because it is a top notch academic institution playing in in top conferences for major sports. A lot of schools have proved you can have medium academics, or worse, and a big time conference and get top athletes. No one has proven a high quality degree is valued more than top level competition by top level athletes.