Stanford Football Faces Toughest Stretch of 2009
Cardinal's Four Remaining Opponents Are All Ranked
Oct 30, 2009
Stanford has certainly kicked up the excitement level during the 2009 season. Running back Toby Gerhart has piled up big yardage, quarterback Andrew Luck is establishing himself as a future star and the Cardinal is making a bid for its first winning season since 2001.
The Cardinal went 9-3 that year, finishing with a 24-14 loss to Georgia Tech in the Seattle Bowl. Stanford has not been back to a bowl game since.
Coach Jim Harbaugh's team is looking to change that this season. The Cardinal took a 5-3 overall record into its bye week, and can become eligible for a bowl game by winning one of its four remaining games.
Normally, that would seem like a fairly simple task — 1-3 isn't much to ask of most teams.
But that final stretch happens to be by far the most difficult of Stanford's schedule. Over its first eight games, Jim Harbaugh's team met just one opponent that was ranked in the Top 25. In the final four contests, Stanford will play nothing but ranked teams.
The Cardinal's last four opponents were all in the Bowl Championship Series standings entering this weekend's games. And two were in the Top 10.
Cardinal Must Face Oregon and USC Back to Back
Stanford's bye comes at the perfect time. The Cardinal, which defeated Arizona State 33-14 on Oct. 24, will have two weeks of preparation and healing time before squaring off with No. 10 Oregon on Nov. 7 at home.
After that, Stanford tangles with No. 5 Southern Cal on Nov. 14 in Los Angeles, returns home to face rival Cal in the Big Game on Nov. 21, then finishes the regular season at No. 23 Notre Dame on Nov. 28.
The only ranked opponent Stanford has met so far has been Washington, which was No. 24 in the AP poll for a week before being pummeled 34-14 by the Cardinal.
Stanford Making Progress Under Harbaugh
There's little doubt that Stanford has taken steps forward in its three seasons under Harbaugh. After inheriting a 1-11 team from Walt Harris, Harbaugh went 4-8 in 2007 — a campaign that included a monstrous 24-23 upset of USC. Last season, Stanford barely missed becoming bowl eligible, finishing with a 5-7 record.
It is, of course, possible that the Cardinal could finish 5-7 again in 2009. But even so, the program appears to be sewing roots for future success.
The athletic Luck has shown constant improvement in his freshman campaign, completing 58.2 percent of his passes for 1,825 yards and nine TDs with just three interceptions. Barring injury, Stanford should be set at the quarterback position for at least a couple more seasons.
His top receivers, junior Ryan Whalen and sophomore Chris Owusu, will also be back. So will most off the offensive line and half the defense. Gerhart won't be return, but his big senior season (994 yards, 13 TDs thus far) certainly won't hurt Stanford's efforts to recruit standout running backs.
Strong Finish Could Make All The Difference
It would only be a major coup, however, if Stanford can finish with a flurry. Six or seven wins would be a definite improvement. Eight would be a great. Nine could be remarkable.
Yet the challenges are great. Oregon and USC will be the toughest defenses Stanford's faced all season, and Cal's Jahvid Best and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen loom as a potential foils for a Cardinal defense that's been inconsistent.
Basically, Stanford will get to see in less than a month's time how far it's come as a program. It'll definitely be interesting to watch.
