Go Mighty Card

Cardinal Cover Boy!

Stanford's training camp only started two days ago, but the media love is already pouring in. After years of asking a different version of the same question (How can Stanford compete now that ____ is gone?), it seems like college football observers are finally -- finally -- accepting the truth. Stanford football is here to stay. Sports Illustrated has the Cardinal at #2 in their preseason rankings (here's Stewart Mandel's Stanford preview), and there's also a nice piece on cover boy Shayne Skov.

While I love that Skov is gracing one of SI's six regional covers this week, I have a small quibble with the magazine's all-too-simple lumping of Stanford in the same category with Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and Duke in their subhead, "The Rise of the Nerds." If we're being honest, none of those schools or football teams belongs in the same conversation with Stanford. First, even though those other three schools are quality academic institutions, I'm guessing that there isn't a student on any of those campuses who wouldn't jump at Stanford acceptance letter. Second, not one of those football teams can begin to compete with the Mighty Card. I apologize if that sounds a touch elitist, but I don't think you can really argue against either assertion.

No university in America can match the academic and athletic prowess of Stanford University. The football team is only the latest example.

Rank and File: Preseason

Most all of the pundits and major media outlets have weighed in with their preseason rankings, so I thought I'd put them together here in one place and skip to the chase. The chart below shows the #1 team in each poll, as well as Stanford's ranking.

 

Poll	Stanford Ranking	Top Team
AP	21	USC
USA Today	18	LSU
Sports Illustrated	17	Alabama
FOX Sports Power Rankings	10	USC
ESPN Power Rankings	13	USC
Ted Miller (ESPN)	16	LSU
Kevin Gimmell (ESPN)	10	USC
Ivan Maisel (ESPN)	13	LSU
Gene Wojciechowski (ESPN)	14	USC

 

Do these preseason polls really matter? That's a complicated question with a complicated answer. For schools like Alabama and USC and LSU, these preseason rankings don't mean a thing. Since they have the shared goal of winning a national championship, Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Lane Kiffin can completely ignore what all those folks have to say. Each coach knows that if his team takes care of business over the next three months, the BCS Championship Game will come to him.

For Stanford, it's a bit different.

The Pac-12 Network Is Coming. Will It Be On Your Television?

We've been hearing about the Pac-12 Networks for more than a year now, and it finally arrives today. Programming begins at 6PM Pacific time, and the first live event will air on Friday evening when the reigning national champion Stanford women's soccer team will open its title defense against Santa Clara.

You probably already know the problem. Here at GMC Headquarters, we subscribe to DirecTV, so I don't know if I'll get to watch the Mighty Card. Stanford's August 31st home opener is set to air on the Pac-12 Networks, which means they won't appear on my television unless the network and the satellite company come to an agreement in the next two weeks.

If you're in a similar predicament, you can do more than just cross your fingers. The Pac-12 Networks have created a Facebook App called Power of the Pac. All you need to do is enter your zip code and provider, and the app will let you know where you stand. If the Network is available for you, get your popcorn ready and enjoy the season. If not, the app will let you send a quick email to your cable or satellite provider to nudge them in the right direction.

Do this now.

GMC on The Pulse on Campus

A lucky few of you may have caught this live, but for those who didn't, please check below to watch my appearance on the college sports internet show, The Pulse on Campus. We talked about Andrew Luck, touched on the Oregon Ducks, and discussed Stanford's opportunity to win a national championship. Great stuff, and great fun. Enjoy!

 

How Not to Cover Pac-12 Media Day

If you make the same mistakes I did when you decide to cover Pac-12 Media Day for  the first time, your day might go something like this.

The Revolution Will Be Televised

Even though the season is still four months away, there's been lots of news regarding Stanford Football, especially as it relates to how you'll be listening and watching it.

The big news, of course, was the Pac-12 television deal that commissioner Larry Scott brokered last week. Here are the basic facts: 

• The deal kicks off in 2012 and runs through 2023.
• Official numbers haven't been reported either by the Pac-12 or by the partnering networks, ESPN and Fox, but widespread reports peg the haul at roughly $250 million per year, distributed equally across the conference for an average of approximately $21 million per school per year. That's some serious cheddar, dog. (Utah, by the way, didn't get as sweet a deal as Colorado upon joining the conference, so they won't get a full piece of the pie for two more years. The Utes aren't crying though; that expected $21M share is about ten times the TV revenue they banked last season.) 
• There will be a Pac-12 Network, and unlike the Big Ten Network, this one will actually carry some marquee football and basketball games.
• EVERY SINGLE football and basketball game will be televised. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough. Games will be divvied up over the three platforms, but they'll all be there, and they'll all be live.

So what does this mean for the Mighty Card? The money will be nice -- money is always nice -- but it's the impact on recruiting that I'll most look forward to watching. We all know that Stanford has to cast a wide recruiting net in order to gather in those players who are academically-minded enough to gain admission to the University, and it can sometimes be difficult to convince an East Coast recruit to come to the other side of the country to play football. One of the big sticking points is often that friends and family won't be able to watch any of the games, but that argument has just been erased. Unlike any coach in the Big Ten, the SEC, or the ACC, Stanford coaches will be able to sit in any living room in America and tell proud parents that they'll be able to watch their son play football on television. Huge.

Also, in smaller but equally interesting news, it was announced last week that San Francisco's KNBR, the premiere sports radio station in the Bay Area, will be the flagship station for Stanford Football and Basketball. As the football program faces the daunting task of building up a fan base and increasing interest in the team, this is a huge step. Bay Area sports fans who are tuning in to KNBR to listen to San Fransciso Giants and 49er games will hear promos for Stanford football, interviews with Stanford coaches and athletes, and sports talk geared focusing on the program.

Amazing stuff.