Stanford Cardinal 2016 NCAA Football Preview
STANFORD CARDINAL
PAC-12 Conference – North Division
2015 Record – 12-2
ATS – 10-4
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
North Division #2
Conference #2
2015 Recap
We were not sure what to expect after the week one loss at Northwestern. However, the Cardinal would not lose another game the entire season, other than a two-point defeat at the hands of Oregon. The 12-win season ended in fine fashion with consecutive wins over Notre Dame, USC (PAC 12 Title) and Iowa. Their consistently excellent brand of football makes them the class of the conference until proven otherwise.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
QB Kevin Hogan did a fine job last season and probably did not get the credit he deserved. Hogan finished 4th in the FBS in passing efficiency just behind Baker Mayfield of the Sooners. This season Stanford is going to have some growing pains as they adjust to an inexperienced QB. The job will go to either sophomore Keller Chryst or junior Ryan Burns depending on how camp goes in August. Regardless, there is a big loss in terms of leadership, experience and proven production.
JUGGERNAUT ALERT – Nobody needs to be told about RB Christian McCaffrey. We like to keep the prized “juggernaut” label for guys that might be a bit under the radar, but in this case, we have to make an exception. What an amazing athlete. And the production was incredible. 2,000 yards rushing, 45 receptions, a punt return TD and a kickoff return TD. Pretty much unstoppable. We are really excited to see if he can come close to last season’s numbers.
The running game should be excellent. With McCaffrey and Bryce Love running the football they are going to be a handful. Now the biggest worry is probably the offensive line since they return only one starter and are without the 2015 Outland Trophy winner Joshua Garnett.
Last season’s #1 wideout Michael Rector returns for his senior season and McCaffrey led the team in receptions in 2015. The passing game should be fine as long as the QB situation is not an unpleasant surprise.
DEFENSE
The defense is in good shape despite returning only 6 starters. Last season they finished 3rd in the conference in scoring defense as well as total defense. They have very good players at all levels of the defense, have done a good job recruiting and are well coached. They are going to have to be better in 2016 because the offense may need some time to get in a groove with a new QB.
SPECIAL TEAMS
McCaffrey returning kickoffs and punts. Check. A solid FG kicker in Conrad Ukropina (18/20 last season) gives them an almost-certain 3 points every time they get inside the 30-yard line. They are in decent shape at punter. This is a very impressive looking group.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 6.5
MEGALOCKS says:
The first six games are really going to test the boys on the Farm. Kansas St, USC, UCLA, Washington, Washington St and Notre Dame by the middle of October. The second half of the schedule looks a lot more manageable with only a road game at Oregon to really worry about.
Overall, we give the CARDINAL a 6.5 ATS Value Rating (Above Average) this season. How good has David Shaw been ? Really good. How well has David Shaw treated handicappers ? Really well. Stanford has a 41-25-2 ATS mark the past six seasons (62% !) which is truly remarkable. They often prove us wrong, but this season, we cannot give them a higher rating due to the uncertainty at QB and the retooled offensive line. The early half of the docket is punishing.
Want more Stanford Football ?
Website
http://www.gostanford.com/index.aspx?path=football
Forum
http://www.scout.com/college/stanford/forums/1712-bootboard-football
http://thecardboard.org/board/index.php?PHPSESSID=bco23ujbbddj6s24eg254g41l3&board=1.0
https://stanford.forums.rivals.com/forums/cardinal-football.12/
News
http://www.stanforddaily.com/category/sports/football-sports/
http://bleacherreport.com/stanford-football
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/category/stanford-football/
https://twitter.com/StanfordFball @StanfordFball
https://twitter.com/tomgfitzgerald @tomgfitzgerald Tom FitzGerald
https://twitter.com/wilnerhotline @wilnerhotline Jon Wilner