The Stanford Cardinal are coming off of another strong season, and they’re set to enter 2013 as one of the favorites to rip a national championship away from the SEC. Head coach David Shaw is 23-4 during his two years with the team, and he’s coming off of a 12-2 record, which includes wins in both the Pac-12 championship and the Rose Bowl.
A couple of weeks ago Arizona State was in great shape…then they lost their last 4 games to finish just 9-9 in a far from stacked PAC 12. They have 20 victories on the season but probably need at least a couple more to improve their position on the bubble.
The Cardinal are hanging in there in the PAC 12. They have a 5-4 conference record, winning, and losing, mostly when they should. Their best win to date was a home romp against an Oregon team that was ranked 10 at the time, mostly due to the strength of their win against a then undefeated Arizona.
Duke really impressed me last week with their throttling of Florida International last week. I really liked FIU as an upset candidate but they beat the Golden Panthers by 20 points in a game that might not have even been that close.
Well, the Cardinal are a ranked team, but they have big shoes to fill since Andrew Luck and TE Coby Fleener are gone. Josh Nunes won the QB battle, but he has not thrown a pass for Stanford since the 2010 season.
Stanford football fans hoped this day would never come, but this is the year where they must go on without Andrew Luck under center. The prosperity of the last couple seasons wasn’t based on only one player, but losing him will hurt a great deal.
In the finals of the NIT tournament tonight at Madison Square Garden 2 teams that missed out on the Big Dance have a chance to add to their trophy collection.
Cal (23-8) may be a safe bet to make the Big Dance, but they really blew it at the end of the regular season losing their last 2 games, including their last one to Stanford, to finish Pac 12 play one game behind conference winner Washington.
In what is really a BCS consolation game, two of the top five scoring offenses in the nation will square off for the first time ever, and , it should be a game for the ages.
Two of the PAC 12’s most high powered offenses go head to head on Saturday when the #8 Stanford Cardinal (6-0, 4-0) take on the #25 Washington Huskies (5-1, 3-0) in Palo Alto.
Washington State (3-2, 1-1) takes on its first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they host the #7 Stanford Cardinal (5-0, 3-0).
The University of Colorado Buffaloes (1-3, 0-1) are going to need a lot of luck if they want to knock of the #7 Stanford Cardinal (4-0, 2-0) in Palo Alto on Saturday. Unfortunately, they’re going to be seeing a lot of luck, Andrew Luck that is.
The Stanford Cardinal lost only one game in 2010, a heartbreaking 52-31 defeat to PAC-10 powerhouse Oregon, a game in which they lead 31-24 at the half. Had they of won that single decision, it would have been them playing Auburn in the National Championship Game.
2011 Pac Twelve | Stanford Cardinal Football Preview
Coach: Brian Shaw
2010-11 Record: 12-1 (8-1)
Stanford Cardinal Gambling Odds from Bodog.com to win BCS: 16-1
Stanford Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
Despite the loss, Jim Harbaugh’s Cardinal finished the season 12-1, after a crushing defeat over Virginia Tech, 40-12 in the Orange Bowl. Regrettably for Stanford, Harbaugh left the team to coach the San Francisco 49ers this season.
Enter new head coach, former offensive coordinator Brian Shaw, who will get the privilege of taking over a team that has a ton of potential on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
And with a little “Luck”, as in QB Andrew, and a few other key returning starters, as well as getting Oregon at home this year. The Cardinal definitely have a shot of winning it all in 2011.
To get a better picture of who Stanford will put on the field come opening day, here is a breakdown and my prediction on where I see them finishing the year in the newly formed PAC-12.
After Harbaugh’s departure, there was much speculation that Luck would follow, deciding to enter the NFL Draft. However, the junior QB decided to stick around for at least one more season to see if he could lead his team to a National Title.
After passing for more than 3,300 yards with 32 TDs to just eight INTs, I’d say the odds are pretty good. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
But even great players can’t win championships alone, and he will get some help from returning starting running back Stepfan Taylor, who had a great sophomore campaign with 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns.
And while Taylor has the skills to help mix up the Cardinal offensive attack, there are a few questions concerning an offensive line that will need to find three new starters to bookend two of the best offensive lineman in the conference, in junior left tackle Jonathan Martin and junior right guard David DeCastro.
Nothing is perfect in the receiving corps either, as there is still the uncertainty left by a pair of departing pass catchers that combined for 99 receptions and 11 touchdowns in 2010.
However, tight end Coby Fleener is one of those guys who figures to see his numbers jump in 2011, especially being on the receiving end of a first-rate passer like Luck.
Just as the offense appears to have the necessary ingredients for a successful season, the same can also be said for a Cardinal defense that returns six starters that helped Stanford hold opponents to an average 17.4 PPG, beginning along the three-man front with senior defensive end Matthew Masifilo.
Just behind Masifilo, returning starters and two of the teams top tacklers who combined for 152 tackles, Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas, will anchor a solid linebacking squad.
The secondary should also be strong again in 2011, with three of four starters returning.
Senior safeties Delano Howell and Michael Thomas finished third and fourth in tackles last year, and Howell had a team-best five interceptions.
The team should be adjusted by Week 1 to Snow’s offense that I expect to mimic last year’s playbook, and I look forward to the Cardinal to knocking off the defending conference champs with a reverse in this year’s home meeting to finish the season with a perfect record.
I also anticipate this team to roll over anyone from the PAC-12 South in the title game, spotting them a bid for the National Championship.
9/3/11 12:00 PM ET SJST
9/10/11 3:30 PM ET @DUKE
9/17/11 9:45 PM ET @ARZ
10/1/11 12:00 PM ET UCLA
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET COL
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET @WSHST
10/22/11 8:00 PM ET WASH
10/29/11 8:00 PM ET @USC
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @OREST
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET ORE
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET CAL
11/26/11 8:00 PM ET NOTRE
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