Stanford Cardinal Most Disrespected Team in Football?

Prediction

This is a Stanford Cardinal team that was involved in a Rose Bowl game with Michigan State that could’ve gone either way, and the Spartans had national title talent.

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With the First Pick

The other 2 losses were both on the road to a rolling USC team by 3 points and a dangerous Utah team by 6 points. But with just a few extra breaks, this could have been a national title team.

But instead of receiving that respect, analysts still have Oregon ahead of them. Perhaps because they play the Ducks and the UCLA Bruins on the road this year.

It won’t matter.

The Cardinal are winning the Pac 12 again, barring injury. I’m making the claim now.

Dec 7, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Members of the Stanford Cardinal wait to take the field to start the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Defense wins championships, and this was a suffocating defense last year that should be even better this year. How can you bet against that simply because you have minor questions on offense?

Those questions, by the way, are answered with lots of young talent that is only held back by inexperience. That won’t matter midway through the year, and  the Ducks and the Bruins are late in the season.

First half games agains USC, at Washington, and at Notre Dame make it unlikely that the Cardinal go undefeated because those are all potential slip-up games. But make no mistake, it will only happen once, and Stanford will be rolling the rest of the way. Shaw will take respect that continues to elude him.