2013 College Football Preview: #4 Stanford Cardinal

With one of the toughest schedules in the nation and slated to play five ranked teams, #4 Stanford is going into the 2013 season with hopes to prove themselves in the Pac-12 and on the national stage without Andrew Luck.

The season starts off slow for the Cardinal where they do not face a ranked opponent until late October when they meet #21 UCLA. Playing the rival Bruins will be the first stop of a difficult road ahead for Stanford, that includes five top 25 teams and five conference teams in six weeks.

The biggest test for Stanford will come when they host #3 Oregon on November 7 in a potentially decisive matchup of the Pac-12 crown. In addition to Oregon and UCLA, the boys from Palo Alto will also cross paths with USC, Oregon State, California, and Notre Dame.

Succeeding in the last half of their schedule will be crucial to the Cardinal’s hopes of finishing the season where they started: in the top 5.  For the Stanford defense, the last six games will be the ultimate opportunity to solidify themselves among the nation’s best.

Stanford has potential to meet those expectations on defense, returning eight players from last year’s 12-1 team. Last season, Stanford held opponents to an eleventh best 17 points per game.

The biggest returns for Stanford on defense will be four seniors in linebackers Shayne Skov and Trent Murphy, lineman Ben Gardner, and senior defensive back Ed Reynolds A product of Guadalajara, Mexico, Skov was a tackling machine in his junior season, averaging more than six per game. Skov’s fellow linebacker, Murphy, as well as Gardner excelled in the pass rush during their junior campaigns by combining to provide 17.5 sacks. Reynolds anchored the secondary with six interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

The only notable defensive recruit for Stanford will be the sixteenth best safety in the Class of 2013, Brandon Simmons out of Arlington’s Timberview High School.

While the defense is preparing for another strong season after holding opponents to fourteen points or less seven times last year, the offense remains a bit uncertain.

Though they are returning seven starters, Stanford’s playmakers remains undecided with subtractions accounting for almost 75% of last season’s offensive yardage, according to RuleOfTree.com. Stanford’s biggest loss will be running back Stepfan Taylor who ran for thirteen touchdowns and 1,530 yards as a senior.

The only returning starter at a skill position for the Cardinal will be junior quarterback Kevin Hogan. As a sophomore, Hogan started five games, sharing playing time with Josh Nunes. Now with Nunes gone, Hogan is the likely starter after throwing nine touchdowns and 1,096 yards in his contained season. Hogan’s only legitimate threat to will be freshman Keller Chryst, who ESPN lists as this year’s recruiting class’s best pocket passing quarterback, but that is unlikely.

On offense, the biggest strength for the Cardinal will be their offensive line. The Cardinal line is made up of four returning upperclassmen.

Though they lack big name recruits or an early Heisman favorite, the Stanford Cardinal will manage to win this season. Stanford’s strengths come at the most vital positions: defense, offensive line, and quarterback, which will serve any team well when competing in a conference with four other top 25 teams.

The 2013 season gets underway for the Cardinal on Saturday versus San Jose State in a likely bloodbath, or rather a Cardinal red bloodbath.