[76lsjumb]

At least you have a bye.  California gets to play 12 straight weeks.  Nobody is going to hold up the football schedule so Stanford students can come to campus.  Besides, are Duke and San Jose State hot tickets?  the University of South Central is and that game will sell even if the students aren't there, and perhaps that could be  magnet to get students to show up sooner than they would for say Washington State.

Anyway, don't sleep on playing the University of South Central at home so early.  the University of South Central is historically terrible in its first OOC road game.  And then you have a bye after the University of South Central to get ready to play Washington the following Thursday.  So you get 12 days off after the University of South Central to prepare for UW, and then you get nine days off before the next game at home against Arizona. 

Look a little deeper.  The schedule isn't that bad for Stanford.

As much as I would like to agree with your positive spin on the USC game scheduling, I'm not sure there's enough Kool-Aid in the world for me to get there.  First, ditto to what Terry said about students showing up way early to attend. 

Second, under the circumstances, I think it will turn out to be a misnomer to call this a "road game" for U.S.C.  In the not-too-distant past, Stanford Stadium was decidely more crimson/gold than red/white for the S.C. game, as seats that had been empty for earlier games, and became empty again after the S.C. game, were filled with S.C. fans.  It was obvious [and, around us, freely admitted] that those S.C. fans had bought Stanford season tickets for the purpose of attending just one game.  It's no secret that S.C. is planning on a VERY BIG YEAR next season, so there likely would have been some of that effect anyway.  Now, however, with what is likely to be a substantial portion of the Red Zone freed up for sale to the general public, it is almost certain that the Red Zone will become the Crimson/Gold Zone for that game, unless there is some creative marketing by Stanford.  Having sat in the designated Stanford section in the Coliseum for the past two games down there [which, by the way, I wouldn't have missed for the world, even if I couldn't actually see anything], it is simply outrageous to contemplate how good the seats are for the S.C. fans who come up here, compared to what we have to endure down there.  Allowing them to get anywhere near the Red Zone seats would be criminal.  In short, barring some genius local marketing by Stanford, if someone escorts you into Stanford Stadium for that game blindfolded and wearing ear-plugs, when you remove them it will likely take you a few seconds to figure out that you're not in the Coliseum...

Now, about that marketing plan...  Tell every Stanford season ticket holder who bought a season ticket this year that next year's plan, if they renew now, will include TWO tickets to the S.C. game: the normal seat at the normal price and a second, non-reserved seat in the usual Red Zone area at half-price.  It won't entirely eliminate the "S.C. home game" effect [as scalping...excuse me, secondary-market selling... is sure to occur], but it should put a dent in it.  It's likely there were very few season ticket packages purchase this year by S.C. fans, and I'm sure a lot of this year's season ticket holders could see their way clearly to getting that extra ticket next year into the hands of someone who would wear [and cheer] red and white, not crimson/gold.  I'd gladly pay it [not something I ever thought I'd say about Stanford ticket prices].

Bottom Line:  This schedule is basically the Pac-12 saying: "Thanks, Stanford, for all you've done for the conference over the past two years [yes, we really appreciated all that extra BCS money].  Now, we would like to sacrifice you so that S.C. can make us even more money."  Of course, I suppose it's possible this won't be the high-profile TV game that week; ESPN may opt for Tennessee Tech v. Oregon, instead...  >:(

When GoodGrief gets back from Australia, somebody send him to the Pac-12 office.  There are noses to be punched...

[76lsjumb]

At least you have a bye.  California gets to play 12 straight weeks.  Nobody is going to hold up the football schedule so Stanford students can come to campus.  Besides, are Duke and San Jose State hot tickets?  the University of South Central is and that game will sell even if the students aren't there, and perhaps that could be  magnet to get students to show up sooner than they would for say Washington State.

Anyway, don't sleep on playing the University of South Central at home so early.  the University of South Central is historically terrible in its first OOC road game.  And then you have a bye after the University of South Central to get ready to play Washington the following Thursday.  So you get 12 days off after the University of South Central to prepare for UW, and then you get nine days off before the next game at home against Arizona. 

Look a little deeper.  The schedule isn't that bad for Stanford.

As much as I would like to agree with your positive spin on the USC game scheduling, I'm not sure there's enough Kool-Aid in the world for me to get there.  First, ditto to what Terry said about students showing up way early to attend. 

Second, under the circumstances, I think it will turn out to be a misnomer to call this a "road game" for U.S.C.  In the not-too-distant past, Stanford Stadium was decidely more crimson/gold than red/white for the S.C. game, as seats that had been empty for earlier games, and became empty again after the S.C. game, were filled with S.C. fans.  It was obvious [and, around us, freely admitted] that those S.C. fans had bought Stanford season tickets for the purpose of attending just one game.  It's no secret that S.C. is planning on a VERY BIG YEAR next season, so there likely would have been some of that effect anyway.  Now, however, with what is likely to be a substantial portion of the Red Zone freed up for sale to the general public, it is almost certain that the Red Zone will become the Crimson/Gold Zone for that game, unless there is some creative marketing by Stanford.  Having sat in the designated Stanford section in the Coliseum for the past two games down there [which, by the way, I wouldn't have missed for the world, even if I couldn't actually see anything], it is simply outrageous to contemplate how good the seats are for the S.C. fans who come up here, compared to what we have to endure down there.  Allowing them to get anywhere near the Red Zone seats would be criminal.  In short, barring some genius local marketing by Stanford, if someone escorts you into Stanford Stadium for that game blindfolded and wearing ear-plugs, when you remove them it will likely take you a few seconds to figure out that you're not in the Coliseum...

Now, about that marketing plan...  Tell every Stanford season ticket holder who bought a season ticket this year that next year's plan, if they renew now, will include TWO tickets to the S.C. game: the normal seat at the normal price and a second, non-reserved seat in the usual Red Zone area at half-price.  It won't entirely eliminate the "S.C. home game" effect [as scalping...excuse me, secondary-market selling... is sure to occur], but it should put a dent in it.  It's likely there were very few season ticket packages purchase this year by S.C. fans, and I'm sure a lot of this year's season ticket holders could see their way clearly to getting that extra ticket next year into the hands of someone who would wear [and cheer] red and white, not crimson/gold.  I'd gladly pay it [not something I ever thought I'd say about Stanford ticket prices].

Bottom Line:  This schedule is basically the Pac-12 saying: "Thanks, Stanford, for all you've done for the conference over the past two years [yes, we really appreciated all that extra BCS money].  Now, we would like to sacrifice you so that S.C. can make us even more money."  Of course, I suppose it's possible this won't be the high-profile TV game that week; ESPN may opt for Tennessee Tech v. Oregon, instead...  >:(

When GoodGrief gets back from Australia, somebody send him to the Pac-12 office.  There are noses to be punched...