Stanford Cardinal Seek another Pac-12 Title

With the College Football season fast approaching, the Stanford Cardinal are preparing in hopes of claiming their fourth Pac-12 title in five years.

Jim Harbaugh is the reason for Stanford’s emergence as contenders for the Pac-12 since taking over a struggling program enriched in history. David Shaw may be the coach now, but the Harbaugh effect remains within the program.

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With Harbaugh rejuvenating a program struggling to recruit good players and Shaw now continuing the tradition through his style, Stanford looks to defend their Pac-12 title in another daunting conference schedule featuring an early match-up against the USC Trojans at home and road games against the stingy Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the high-flying Oregon Ducks. A critical North Division game will test the Cardinal early in Seattle, as the media picked Washington to finish behind Stanford. Husky Stadium is a hostile environment and falling behind would not be ideal.

A favorite to repeat as Pac-12 champions again by the media, Stanford needs to address a few questions heading into the opener at home against Kansas State. Kevin Hogan, who led the Cardinal to three Rose Bowl appearances, is gone. Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns are the two quarterbacks competing for the starting position. This battle will be watched closely by other schools as the Cardinal have aspirations beyond another Rose Bowl appearance.

Big plays are in store knowing the explosive, versatile running back Christian McCaffrey is behind Chryst or Burns to receive hand-offs. Setting the NCAA single-season all-purpose record last season, McCaffrey looks to set more records while leaving defenders in the dust. Defenses will also have to contend with receivers Francis Owusu and Michael Rector who look to make big plays. Tight end playmaker Austin Hooper departed early for the NFL Draft, but Dalton Schultz is capable of making plays.

Issues on the offensive and defensive lines will need to be addressed soon with USC being the second game of the season to open conference play. The versatile Josh Garnett is now with the San Francisco 49ers‘ offensive line, going in the first round of the 2016  NFL Draft. Throughout the past seasons, Stanford has been able to plug in a line which gels during the season thanks to McCaffrey making plays with his feet. The issue will be if the new starting quarterback can find chemistry with his receivers and tight ends and not be under pressure.

When the Stanford offense can ground and pound, the defense builds off the momentum and gets stronger as the game goes on. Solomon Thomas will lead the Stanford defense, having to replace linebacker Blake Martinez, who led the Pac-12 in tackles last season. Look for the spots to be filled by Kevin Palma and Bobby Okereke. The defense will get a boost at safety with the return of Zach Hoffpauir. A dual athlete at Stanford, Hoffpauir played minor league baseball last season and decided to come back to Stanford to play football. Tyler Gaffney did the same in 2013 after a season of minor league baseball.

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Once the questions have been answered, Stanford will be facing another difficult schedule where the Pac-12 gets stronger each season. The matchup against the USC Trojans will determine if the Cardinal are good enough to make a run at the College Football Playoff or another trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. The Trojans will look to avenge their losses at home and the Pac-12 Championship Game to the Cardinal. A loss to USC would not be devastating, but would add pressure of having to win out and get help.

What has been the marquee matchup in the Pac-12 North (but may lose some luster depending on both teams’ directions) will take place November 12 in Eugene, Oregon, where 60,000-plus will pack Autzen Stadium to watch the Ducks potentially spoil the Cardinal dreams of a spot in the College Football Playoff. Stanford may possibly be favored to win heading into the match-up, which is unseen for visiting teams playing in the loudest stadium in the conference.

Oregon will once again have a new starting quarterback. The pressure is on head coach Mark Helfrich hoping FCS transfer Dakota Prukop is another Vernon Adams or current roster quarterback Travis Jonsen emerges to be the starter. Defense will be the biggest concern as new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke implements a new system from a defense struggling to tackle players and missing assignments on third down last season under Don Pellum. Offense will not be an issue with Royce Freeman carrying the load and speedy receivers Darren Carrington and Olympian Devon Allen.

The game will be exciting, but Oregon Football is at a crossroads. A daunting schedule awaits the Ducks with a trip to Nebraska to face the Cornhuskers which will determine the direction of the team. With games against Arizona State and USC before Stanford, Oregon could possibly enter the matchup with two-straight losses. Oregon’s dominance over Washington could be in jeopardy as the Huskies were picked to finish ahead of the Ducks adding fuel to the fire in the Northwest Rivalry. As of now too many questions surround the team.

No doubt certain patrons who support Stanford will want to see Oregon lose at home. Throughout the years, Stanford has been supported by loyal backers of the university. Stanford Alumni makeup most of the fan base supporting not only football but the other athletic programs.

One Stanford Alum for over sixty years, Marshall O’Neill (’49), has been a Stanford Football season ticket holder for many years and has experienced many triumphs and heartbreaks by the Cardinal ever since being a student manager of the team for three years. He has seen the greats Plunkett, Elway, and Luck dazzle with spectacular plays.

His son, daughter, and grandson, who grew up attending Stanford games with him but is now an Oregon Alumni, continue to attend games to cheer on the Cardinal. He chooses now to be at his wife’s side during games, as the two will celebrate seventy years of marriage in October. The passion for Stanford Football still resides with him. He will forever love Stanford along with the other alumni as they look forward to another exciting season of Stanford Football.

Next: Cardinal NFL Combine Wrap-Up

College Football is fast approaching and the Pac-12 will produce another great season of heart-stopping action. Stanford knows the challenges ahead and will take on the season week by week preparing for opponents. The Pac-12 will hope for a representative in the College Football Playoff along with other conferences looking to take down the SEC.