Stanford is up a creek without a paddle at the moment, left with California, Oregon State and Washington State as the remains of a Pac-12 on life support.
SMU, too, is in an unusual position—three of its big-market peers have departed the American Athletic Conference for greener pastures in the Big 12.
As the Cardinal and Mustangs look to the future, both are reportedly turning to big names in their corner to lobby on their behalf.
Former president George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have pushed the ACC to invite SMU and Stanford, respectively, to join the conference, according to a Tuesday night report by Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.
Bush, president from 2001-09 and a former owner of the Rangers, represented Texas his entire political career. His wife attended SMU, and his presidential center is located on the university’s campus.
Rice, secretary of state from 2005-09, is a former Stanford provost who currently leads the Hoover Institute, a policy think tank on campus. An avid football fan, she served on the College Football Playoff selection committee from 2014-16.
So far, Bush’s and Rice’s efforts have been unsuccessful, as efforts to add California, the Cardinal and the Mustangs to the ACC are said to have stalled out.
