While this is an opportunity to compete among some top-ranked collegiate football teams, having to travel back east on a regular basis is not an ideal scenario.

Stanford and Cal should be situated in a more local conference even if it means creating a new one comprised of west coast teams.

Though not as attractive as the ACC conference line-up, a smaller regional PAC-8 conference comprised of Stanford, Cal, San Jose State, San Diego State, Oregon State, Washington State, Portland State, and possibly UC Davis makes far more sense.

The prime ACC football teams that Stanford will have to play in conference competition will ensure a decade of losing seasons.

Brady Phelp's suggestion makes better sense...why bite off more than one can chew?

If Stanford lowered their admission standards like USC, Ohio State, and various SEC football teams, they might faire better when it comes to playing the premier nationally ranked teams.

Not every college 'student-athlete' is college material and many football and baseball collegiate players don't even complete their college degrees because they have professional ambitions and are allowed to take easy classes to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA NCAA requirement.

The college students who are not athletically gifted should probably focus more on their studies instead.

It is very difficult to attend college classes while being committed to extensive after hours practice for sports-related activities.

Where's the time for reading, completing course assignments, and studying for midterms/finals?

College athletes are professionals because they are now eligible for product endorsements and paid appearances, something the NCAA tried to squash.

And if they are really good in football or baseball, they hardly need a 4-year degree in some unemployable discipline like the humanities or liberal arts (two of the easiest college degrees if one can read).

Just stay focused and stay healthy.

Brady Phelps nailed it. That’s what should have been created. This ACC thing can still be turned around. As a loyal SU football fan since ‘64, let’s keep it west coast. Now for a less diplomatic reflection on this change (including the write up by ACC officials).
Over the past four-decades, college ball has become about money contracts for TV coverage. The extra cash pays for acquiring the expensive coaches (who typically make X3 what the campus President gets paid) and finances all the other sports that have comparative low attendance offered at a given college. Next, all the college players on the top 15 teams, typically of color, would not otherwise be accepted to the same universities (and this from a previous jock and college professor who witnessed this process over my 30 year career - and no big surprise ). In short, college ball has a history of an increasing form of professional status especially with players now able to gain compensation. I’ve always argued for a semi-pro feeder league (filled with non-college bound candidates) and then an actual student-athlete model with us slower follow white guys! However, there is too much money at stake for that change. The same can be said of basketball. And where a university can’t make the top 10 academically they can nonetheless have top ten bragging rights, name recognition, and millions of dollars . Also, a chance for many persons of color to gain a college degree not otherwise possible (or an individual of a white ancestry but similarly situated, i.e., lower socioeconomic status certainly of no fault of their own). Bottom line (ironic term when we know why the PAC 12 imploded and why USC and UCLA began their economic exodus), college football has alas, for better or worse, gone pro except for the lower leagues.

Junior colleges could also serve as a stepping stone to professional sports for those less academically inclined.

OJ Simpson attended San Francisco Junior College prior to being recruited by USC due to his low grades. After two years at USC, he was the #1 AFC draft pick in 1969. Chances are he could have played at a high level in pro football after only 2 years at junior college. Why waste time in college?

LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant went into the NBA right out of high school. To have spent time playing college basketball would have been a complete waste of their talents, not to mention the risk of suffering a career ending injury.

The truly gifted athletes do not need to go to college unless they have the desire to or are participating in a collegiate sport with minimal professional opportunities.

Both Tiger Woods and John McEnroe didn't need a Stanford diploma. They bailed out to turn pro at the earliest opportunity. A good call on their part.

"No athletic conference has won more NCAA championships in the last two years than the ACC."

Let's look at the overall breadth of NCAA Championships.

Stanford holds 134 NC's. Cal has 42 for a combined total of 176.

The ACC schools total 153 NC's. Stanford and Cal will more than double the NC's won by the 17 ACC schools.

Stanford and Cal will more than double the NC's won by the 17 ACC schools.

I meant to write Stanford and Cal have more NC's than the 17 ACC schools.

*This is what happens when you hit submit before you finish your edits.*