In the first season under new head coach David Shaw, the Stanford Cardinal put together an impressive 11-2 record. Shaw deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Cardinal in contention for a PAC-12 title, but things are about to get a lot harder in his second season.
No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft Andrew Luck is no longer under center, which means the offense will almost definitely take a step back. Although it may not be easy, Stanford still has some pieces to work with to continue their success in 2012.
The Cardinal may not make a third straight trip to a BCS bowl, but they should still be very competitive in the PAC-12.
Offense
The Cardinal offense was one of the best in the conference last year. They averaged 43.2 points and 489.3 yards of total offense per game.. Teams had to respect the passing game with Luck behind center, which allowed the Cardinals to pile on 210.6 ypg on the ground.. Stanford will likely continue to focus on the running game in 2012, but those yards figure to be a lot harder to come by. If the Cardinal are going to surprise and remain one of the elite teams in the country, they are going to need sophomore quarterback Brett Nottinghame to quickly emerge as a star..
With three starters returning, Stanford remains solid up front despite the loss of two All-American offensive linemen. This should benefit senior tailback Stepfan Taylor as he is one of the best ball carriers in the PAC-12.
Taylor, who has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground each of the past two seasons, rushed for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns last year.
The receiving corps will be counting on sophomore wide receiver Ty Montgomery and junior tight ends Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo to step up and provide better production in 2012.
Defense
The Cardinal defense was actually pretty good last year, despite being overshadowed by a dynamic offense. They ranked second in the conference in both total and scoring defense with 337.6 yards and 21.9 points/game. They were especially
No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft Andrew Luck is no longer under center, which means the offense will almost definitely take a step back. Although it may not be easy, Stanford still has some pieces to work with to continue their success in 2012.
The Cardinal may not make a third straight trip to a BCS bowl, but they should still be very competitive in the PAC-12.
Offense
The Cardinal offense was one of the best in the conference last year. They averaged 43.2 points and 489.3 yards of total offense per game.. Teams had to respect the passing game with Luck behind center, which allowed the Cardinals to pile on 210.6 ypg on the ground.. Stanford will likely continue to focus on the running game in 2012, but those yards figure to be a lot harder to come by. If the Cardinal are going to surprise and remain one of the elite teams in the country, they are going to need sophomore quarterback Brett Nottinghame to quickly emerge as a star..
With three starters returning, Stanford remains solid up front despite the loss of two All-American offensive linemen. This should benefit senior tailback Stepfan Taylor as he is one of the best ball carriers in the PAC-12.
Taylor, who has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground each of the past two seasons, rushed for 1,330 yards and 10 touchdowns last year.
The receiving corps will be counting on sophomore wide receiver Ty Montgomery and junior tight ends Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo to step up and provide better production in 2012.
Defense
The Cardinal defense was actually pretty good last year, despite being overshadowed by a dynamic offense. They ranked second in the conference in both total and scoring defense with 337.6 yards and 21.9 points/game. They were especially
good in defending the run, ranking first in the league with just 84.4 rushing yards allowed/game. With six starters back in the front seven, the Cardinal should maintain its suffocating defense on ground attacks.
Second-team All-PAC-12 selection, Ben Gardner, anchors the defensive line. The linebacker corps will receive a welcome boost from the return of Shayne Skov, who was the team's top tackler in 2010. This unit is definitely one of the best in the nation. Chase Thomas is coming off an excellent 8.5 sack campaign last year and is an excellent pass rusher.
They do have some underlying questions on the secondary, particularly at safety as they lose both Delano Howell and Michael Thomas. Their corner back situation is in better shape with Terrence Brown and Wayne Lyons in the forefront.
Head over to College Football Free Picks during the regular season for all your betting needs. You will be able to follow the odds for every game, plus get expert advice on who to take against the spread.
PAC-12 North Prediction: 2nd Place
Their brutal schedule does them no favors as they will face Washington, Notre Dame and Oregon on the road. If they can get one win out of those three, they will be extremely happy.
Stanford will face USC at home, but it will be harder for them to keep up with Matt Barkley and his cohorts without Luck.
The team should temper their expectations moving forward as they lose valuable contributor Andrew Luck among others, but they still have an excellent chance at finishing second in the PAC-12 North. Their quarterback play will determine whether or not they exceed expectations.
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Second-team All-PAC-12 selection, Ben Gardner, anchors the defensive line. The linebacker corps will receive a welcome boost from the return of Shayne Skov, who was the team's top tackler in 2010. This unit is definitely one of the best in the nation. Chase Thomas is coming off an excellent 8.5 sack campaign last year and is an excellent pass rusher.
They do have some underlying questions on the secondary, particularly at safety as they lose both Delano Howell and Michael Thomas. Their corner back situation is in better shape with Terrence Brown and Wayne Lyons in the forefront.
Head over to College Football Free Picks during the regular season for all your betting needs. You will be able to follow the odds for every game, plus get expert advice on who to take against the spread.
PAC-12 North Prediction: 2nd Place
Their brutal schedule does them no favors as they will face Washington, Notre Dame and Oregon on the road. If they can get one win out of those three, they will be extremely happy.
Stanford will face USC at home, but it will be harder for them to keep up with Matt Barkley and his cohorts without Luck.
The team should temper their expectations moving forward as they lose valuable contributor Andrew Luck among others, but they still have an excellent chance at finishing second in the PAC-12 North. Their quarterback play will determine whether or not they exceed expectations.
About the Author:
Jack Jones will be posting his college football picks at Betfirms this season. Be sure to check out our website for a more detailed Stanford football preview.