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.
