In a shocking turn of events, Stanford Athletics announced on Monday that the program would sever ties with the Pac-12 effective next season and will join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) as a full member.
“We’re very excited about this partnership moving forward and are looking forward to a brighter future for the American Athletic Conference,” said an AAC official. “With the departure of Louisville and Rutgers, we had a significant void to fill and were searching for an established, respected national program. Stanford was the ideal fit for the opening.”
While the Pac-12 has not made any official comments regarding the nature of its break with Stanford, it is speculated that the move is occurring largely as a result of Stanford Athletics’ dissatisfaction with the perception of Pac-12 men’s basketball.
“It was an incredible opportunity to compete against some of the best athletes on the West Coast during our time in the Pac-12,” said a men’s basketball player on condition of anonymity. “But after we made the Sweet 16 this year, there was definitely a hint of disappointment among members of the team because we weren’t getting the respect we felt we deserved. We hope that by having games against the likes of UConn, Memphis and Cincinnati every season, we’ll be able to elevate our standing among the nation’s best teams.”
Stanford football, meanwhile, will look to have a much easier path to the first year of the new College Football Playoff, as its formerly daunting schedule against the likes of Oregon, Washington and USC being replaced by significantly less established competition in teams such as East Carolina and Houston. The only marquee opponent on its 2014 slate will be defending Fiesta Bowl champion UCF.
“Although our strength of schedule will decrease, we felt that it was the best move for all involved parties moving forward,” said an anonymous Stanford Athletics official. “Stanford football has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with the Pac-12 Conference in the past, but being able to extend our recruiting sphere of influence to a more East Coast-centric area was a huge factor in our decision. We’re very excited to see the new heights that we can reach as a member of the AAC.”
Stanford’s vacated spot in the Pac-12 will reportedly be filled by either Boise State or San Jose State moving into next season, with talks already underway between administrators from both schools and the Pac-12 Conference.
Contact George Beyda at gbeyda15 ‘at’ stanford.edu.
Editor’s note: This article was published as part of The Daily’s April Fool’s Day edition and is completely fictitious. All attributions in this article are not genuine and this story should be read in the context of pure entertainment only.