Stanford's Taylor amid Pac-12 turmoil: We 'want to play Power 5 football'

New Stanford head coach Troy Taylor wants to ensure that his program continues to play Power 5 football despite the current state of the Pac-12.

"I think the players that committed to us and came here, they want to play Power 5 football, and that is what our intention is with this university," Taylor said Tuesday, according to ESPN's Kyle Bonagura. "I can't imagine anything else."

Stanford, Cal, Oregon State, and Washington State are the only Pac-12 programs remaining. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah will depart for the Big 12 following the 2023 campaign, while Oregon, USC, UCLA, and Washington will join the Big Ten beginning in 2024.

The ACC has reportedly had exploratory talks regarding the potential additions of Stanford and Cal, but both schools' futures remain uncertain.

"Obviously, people want to hear what's going on, and I tell them to just be patient and, hopefully, we'll come to some resolution," Taylor said. "I don't have any answers for them at this point, but they trust the brand of Stanford, why they chose Stanford, and we will end up at a good place."

Playing in the ACC would result in increased travel requirements for the California-based Stanford. However, that doesn't concern Taylor.

"I'm OK with traveling. Our guys love playing football, and if you've got to travel a little more, that means when people come play us, they got to travel," Taylor said. "We want to be in a great conference, and we're sure that will happen."

He added: "We get on a plane for five hours, six hours, that's not the end of the world. You get drinks served to you and some snacks, and it's not that bad."

Stanford expects a resolution by the end of the week, sources told Bonagura.

Stanford hired Taylor in December after longtime coach David Shaw resigned. The Cardinal haven't won more than four games since 2018. Taylor previously served as the head coach of FCS program Sacramento State from 2019-2022.