(09-01-2017, 11:02 AM)Farm93 link Wrote:[quote author=FarmBoy link=topic=17272.msg198638#msg198638 date=1504277226]
I was informed by a Michigan fan on Wednesday that if you stop the average college football fan on the street and asked him to list the top 20 programs Stanford wouldn't make the cut.
That's likely true. It would be 10 SEC teams, 4 ACC teams, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, etc. etc. Not quite sure Michigan makes that "average" fan top 20 over the last 10 years. Doesn't matter either way.
That would be a worry if Stanford Football needed in-state popularity to land recruits or big time local passion to sell tickets to get revenue.
Thankfully the school does the recruiting and the alums (and the endowment and other assets) provide the revenue.  So while Stanford might not make your "average" fan's top 20, Stanford is making your smart 4 or 5 star recruit's top 5.
Happy to make that trade BTW. I would rather the school be the first choice of a 17 year old 240 lb, 6' 2" player that runs a 4.6 40, than be popular with a 47 year old 240 lb, 5' 10" man that watches 5 college football games on TV each Saturday.
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Of course, Top 20 program is seen through a certain time lens. If you are looking all-time, no, Stanford wouldn't be Top 20. If you were looking at the last five years, then Stanford absolutely would be in the Top 20. In any case, David Shaw has more work to do, because one of his objectives is to have Stanford thought of as a Top 10 program, when someone ponders who the best college football programs are.