Stanford Football: 5 bold predictions for Alamo Bowl vs. TCU
By Zach Bigalke
5. Bryce Love will be back to 100 percent
Bryce Love was the distant runner-up in the Heisman race to winner Baker Mayfield. Had he been healthy the entire season, he probably would have run away with the award. Instead, ankle injuries hampered Love through the back half of the season. Love’s numbers suffered slightly after he finally got his shot to lead the offense with Christian McCaffrey gone to the NFL.
The funny thing is, though, to say that Love’s numbers suffered slightly one must first recognize that he put up ridiculous stats all season. Love is just 27 yards away from a 2000-yard season on the ground despite missing the Oregon State game. In his 12 appearances so far, Love was held under 100 yards rushing just once. That was the Washington State loss immediately following the narrow victory over the Beavers, when Love was still not at 100 percent.
To be honest, he wasn’t at 100 percent through the rest of November or in the Pac-12 championship game rematch against USC. Nevertheless, Love still ran for an average of 129 yards and a touchdown in his last four appearances. He was a spark that helped Stanford close out the year 3-1 against Washington, California, Notre Dame, and USC.
Love will be facing a tough TCU defense that gives up less than 100 yards per game to opponents on the ground. The Alamo Bowl will let Love show NFL scouts that the ankle injuries just needed time to heal sufficiently. Love will put an exclamation point on the end of his college career with at least 200 rushing yards and two touchdowns.