Stanford Football: 2017 Cardinal season preview, predictions
By Zach Bigalke
2017 Schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Aug 26, 2017 | Stanford v. Rice | Sydney, Australia |
| 2 | Sep 9, 2017 | Stanford @ USC | Los Angeles, CA |
| 3 | Sep 16, 2017 | Stanford @ San Diego State | San Diego, CA |
| 4 | Sep 23, 2017 | UCLA @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 5 | Sep 30, 2017 | Arizona State @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 6 | Oct 7, 2017 | Stanford @ Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 7 | Oct 14, 2017 | Oregon @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 8 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 9 | Oct 26, 2017 [THU] | Stanford @ Oregon State | Corvallis, OR |
| 10 | Nov 4, 2017 | Stanford @ Washington State | Pullman, WA |
| 11 | Nov 10, 2017 [FRI] | Washington @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 12 | Nov 18, 2017 | California @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 13 | Nov 25, 2017 | Notre Dame @ Stanford | Stanford, CA |
What’s in store for Stanford in 2017?
The season starts with a trip to the Land Down Under to kick off the college football season later this month. The Cardinal take on Rice in Sydney, then turn around and play USC in Los Angeles in their Pac-12 opener. Stanford stays on the road the following weekend at San Diego State before opening things on the Farm against UCLA and Arizona State to close out September.
By October, the Cardinal should be in a groove. Stanford plays at Utah and hosts Oregon before a bye week in the middle of the month. They come out of their break and begin a road swing in Corvallis against Oregon State.
November opens with a trip to Pullman to face Mike Leach’s Washington State squad. Then Stanford stays home for the rest of the regular season. The conference slate closes out as Washington and California visit Stanford Stadium. Then the annual grudge match against Notre Dame takes place on Thanksgiving weekend. By then, Stanford will know whether or not they are headed a dozen miles southeast to Levi’s Stadium for the Pac-12 Championship Game.
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Prediction: 11-1 (8-1 Pac-12)
The game against Rice is as close to a guaranteed win as a team like Stanford can get. A fortnight later, the Cardinal face a tricky test against USC. That game is likely going to end in a loss. But it could be the only loss Stanford suffers in the regular season, as Chryst and the offense find their stride against San Diego State. Look for a possible Trojans-Cardinal rematch in the conference title game.