Stanford football: (Bryce) Love is all Stanford needs

This is a pretty manageable schedule, relative to Stanford’s talent level. Their non-conference slate isn’t too bad, as I think they’ll be favored against SDSU and UC Davis, and Notre should be a toss-up. Their conference matchups aren’t terrible either. They get USC at home, and there really aren’t any awful stretches here.

The first month or so will be pretty tough though. of their six toughest games this season come within less than a month of each other, and two of them are on the road. If Stanford can get out of that stretch with three wins, I really only see one other toss-up on this schedule, on the road against Washington.

Prediction: 10-2

Stanford kicks off the season with a bang, winning their first four games, including statement wins over USC and Oregon. I think the momentum is short-lived though, as they drop a game to Notre Dame in South Bend. Three more wins over Utah, Arizona State and Wazzu put them at 7-1, and send them into a huge matchup with a Washington team that I think will be 8-1 entering this game. If Stanford wins, they win the Pac-12 North. I don’t think they pull it off though.

They do win their last three though, but it’s not enough to overcome Washington, who heads to the Pac-12 title game instead. If Stanford wins that game, they could be playoff bound. This season will likely come down to what happens against USC, Notre Dame, and Washington. If they take two of the three, I think they’re playoff bound.