The season opener against Northwestern is near and I am one excited Stanford football fan. I've read pretty much everything that's been published the past few weeks about Stanford's progression in the offseason.
And I've read posts about the importance of the USC game as an indicator of how successful Stanford will be this season. I don't think people have ignored the first two games, but there hasn't been much discussion.
I'm intrigued by the first two matchups for Stanford and how the Northwestern and UCF games could benefit Stanford heading into the "pivotal" USC game.
I will admit that I am not knowledgeable of either Northwestern or UCF, but obviously they are a significant upgrades to UC Davis and Army. And I think that's perfect for what this Stanford team needs.
The way I see it, there are two general points of concern for Stanford fans this season: How effective will the offense -- which clearly has plenty of talent -- prove to be and how quickly will a young but athletic group of defenders coalesce?
In my opinion, those first two games will be informative for fans about those questions and benefit the team a great deal as they work to sharpen their skills before the USC game. Personally, the main focus of my attention will be on the defense.
The coaching staffs of those two teams are not stupid. They know what Stanford lost on defense and will do their best to challenge a young secondary with everything from trickery to quick screens. They will do everything they can to exploit the youth of Stanford's back four and test the front four's communication and coordination.
That suits me just fine.
I think Stanford should win both of those games even with the Wildcats and Knights worked up into a frenzy looking for an early season-defining win. I expect Fitzgerald to talk up the angle to his players that there are guys on the Northwestern team who were "passed over" by Stanford. And I expect O'Leary to tell his players that a win over Stanford is what the Knights need to jump into the top 25 and make a run at a New Year's Bowl.
Stanford will get both teams' best punch.
Which means -- barring injuries or on-field implosions that deflate confidence -- playing those two teams puts Stanford in a much stronger position to win at the Coliseum. USC will undoubtedly focus on Stanford's defensive backs and it only benefits that young group to have already played two teams that will have done the same thing.
If Stanford loses to USC and starts the season 2-1, then I like how the schedule sets up to help the Cardinal bounce back.
Heading up to Corvallis the following week could be tricky, but that should be a win. And then Stanford gets what I consider to be the three most unpredictable teams (Arizona, UCLA and Washington) on its schedule in consecutive weeks at home.
I think it's more likely Stanford goes 2-1 in that stretch than 3-0 or 1-2. If Stanford is 5-2 heading into Washington State (have fun DBs!) and Colorado, then the Cardinal should be 7-2 heading into the final stretch. Which is why my prediction is a 9-3 regular season and finishing with 10 wins in a season when the defense had massive turnover. And a top-15 or 20 finish and a top-10ish recruiting class isn't a bad way to head into the next offseason.
And I've read posts about the importance of the USC game as an indicator of how successful Stanford will be this season. I don't think people have ignored the first two games, but there hasn't been much discussion.
I'm intrigued by the first two matchups for Stanford and how the Northwestern and UCF games could benefit Stanford heading into the "pivotal" USC game.
I will admit that I am not knowledgeable of either Northwestern or UCF, but obviously they are a significant upgrades to UC Davis and Army. And I think that's perfect for what this Stanford team needs.
The way I see it, there are two general points of concern for Stanford fans this season: How effective will the offense -- which clearly has plenty of talent -- prove to be and how quickly will a young but athletic group of defenders coalesce?
In my opinion, those first two games will be informative for fans about those questions and benefit the team a great deal as they work to sharpen their skills before the USC game. Personally, the main focus of my attention will be on the defense.
The coaching staffs of those two teams are not stupid. They know what Stanford lost on defense and will do their best to challenge a young secondary with everything from trickery to quick screens. They will do everything they can to exploit the youth of Stanford's back four and test the front four's communication and coordination.
That suits me just fine.
I think Stanford should win both of those games even with the Wildcats and Knights worked up into a frenzy looking for an early season-defining win. I expect Fitzgerald to talk up the angle to his players that there are guys on the Northwestern team who were "passed over" by Stanford. And I expect O'Leary to tell his players that a win over Stanford is what the Knights need to jump into the top 25 and make a run at a New Year's Bowl.
Stanford will get both teams' best punch.
Which means -- barring injuries or on-field implosions that deflate confidence -- playing those two teams puts Stanford in a much stronger position to win at the Coliseum. USC will undoubtedly focus on Stanford's defensive backs and it only benefits that young group to have already played two teams that will have done the same thing.
If Stanford loses to USC and starts the season 2-1, then I like how the schedule sets up to help the Cardinal bounce back.
Heading up to Corvallis the following week could be tricky, but that should be a win. And then Stanford gets what I consider to be the three most unpredictable teams (Arizona, UCLA and Washington) on its schedule in consecutive weeks at home.
I think it's more likely Stanford goes 2-1 in that stretch than 3-0 or 1-2. If Stanford is 5-2 heading into Washington State (have fun DBs!) and Colorado, then the Cardinal should be 7-2 heading into the final stretch. Which is why my prediction is a 9-3 regular season and finishing with 10 wins in a season when the defense had massive turnover. And a top-15 or 20 finish and a top-10ish recruiting class isn't a bad way to head into the next offseason.
