[OutsiderFan]

Let's be real here.  If Stanford regularly filled a 100,000 seat stadium, Stanford would be given a much more serious look by a lot of recruits.  These kids can talk about how important academic pursuits and the brand value of a degree are all they want, but he bottom line is most are much more interested in the big time college football stages than they are the academics.

This isn't to say football players can't get a great education at Michigan, or even that Stanford football players are universally academically superior to Michigan's.  The point is Stanford's 50,000 (not always full) seats just aren't going to be big enough for some kids who when push comes to shove really do value big time football stages more than their academic opportunities and brand value of the degree.

I've never been one to believe it is a rote fact that having a Stanford degree makes someone more capable than someone with other degrees.  But it is an irrefutable fact that many of the best jobs are more available to former athletes with a Stanford degree, than Michigan ones.

[OutsiderFan]

Let's be real here.  If Stanford regularly filled a 100,000 seat stadium, Stanford would be given a much more serious look by a lot of recruits.  These kids can talk about how important academic pursuits and the brand value of a degree are all they want, but he bottom line is most are much more interested in the big time college football stages than they are the academics.

This isn't to say football players can't get a great education at Michigan, or even that Stanford football players are universally academically superior to Michigan's.  The point is Stanford's 50,000 (not always full) seats just aren't going to be big enough for some kids who when push comes to shove really do value big time football stages more than their academic opportunities and brand value of the degree.

I've never been one to believe it is a rote fact that having a Stanford degree makes someone more capable than someone with other degrees.  But it is an irrefutable fact that many of the best jobs are more available to former athletes with a Stanford degree, than Michigan ones.