Stanford Football: 5 reasons Cardinal will beat Oregon State

5 of 5

PALO ALTO, CA – OCTOBER 14: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal is congratulated by teammates after he catches a three yard touchdown pass against the Oregon Ducks during the first quarter of their NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. Stanford is still eyeing a Pac-12 title

There’s something to be said about teams playing with more urgency when a title is on the line. A few weeks ago, we probably would have laughed at the idea of Stanford competing for a Pac-12 title, but after the loss to USC, the Cardinal have won four straight games in impressive fashion.

David Shaw has been a great coach for Stanford. Not only has he replaced Jim Harbaugh as well as anyone could have imagined, he’s also a master of keeping his teams focused on the task at hand. You know he’s not preaching about the upcoming matchup against Washington State at practice, but rather taking care of Oregon State in Corvallis.

With a Pac-12 title still on the line, the Cardinal are going to have no problem taking care of the Beavers on the road. Stanford will be focused on keeping its conference title hopes alive.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: First round after Week 8

There are four more conference games on the docket and Stanford controls its own fate. No slip-ups can be afforded if it wants to make the Pac-12 Championship. The Cardinal will be treating each contest like a must-win.

Home/Stanford Cardinal