My previous post outlined reasons why it’s not likely Stanford will compete in the FBS football playoffs. Now let’s look at why we could.
#10—Tradition of Excellence. Stanford freshmen have managed to outcompete 94 percent of the other students who applied to get into The Farm. Then they compete with each other to be even better. Stanford students welcome competition, and relish being the best. According to the GoStanford website, "Stanford teams have won 103 NCAA Championships and 119 national championships overall. No other school has won more than Stanford’s 423 individual national titles." Is anyone who’s affiliated with Stanford tired of us winning the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup, honoring the overall most successful NCAA athletics program, 19 years in a row?
#9—Chip on the Shoulder. We’re the small dog who thinks and acts like a big dog, Chihuahua syndrome, no respect, Nerd Nation. But we keep our sense of humor (nerd glasses after the Oregon victory). Take nothing for granted. Remember how we were the underdog in the Pac 12 championship game last year?
#8—Depth. We were supposed to fold after Gerhart graduated, then after Harbaugh moved north, then after Luck left, and now after our O-line stalwarts, along with Gaffney, Murphy and a lot of other veterans, have moved on. Uh-huh… We still have tons of experience on the roster with Hogan, receivers, RBs and defenders returning.
#7—Intelligence. Stanford students are usually pretty smart, so let’s assume our football players are, too. Smart enough to learn the complicated, extensive playbook. Smart enough to read defenses and offenses, to be flexible and adapt to new situations. Review and learn from game film. Students of the game. Our coach is a Stanford man, after all. If any school can make football a science, we’re it. Award-winning Shannon Turley deserves mention in this category for fine-tuning his sports performance program, especially toward minimizing injuries. Smart.
#6—We’re BIG. An article on the Linemakers website notes that Stanford has, on average, the biggest football players in the Pac-12. We measure in at 6-2 2/3, 237.4 pounds. Looking at the roster, our O-line averages 6-5, 300. Crikey, overall we’re bigger than USC and on par with prominent SEC teams. No need to fear matchups with those big boys in the South or Midwest, not anymore. Who’da thunk it? And we’re not just big and smart…
#5—Toughness. Harbaugh’s legacy was bringing smash-mouth football to the Farm. Years (decades) ago, we were known as the "cardiac kids", trying to pull out a last-minute win with crazy, amazing pass plays. The culture now is cultivating the ability to demoralize the opposition by imposing our will (remember Ducks crying on camera at the 2013 Oregon game? What mean bullies we’ve become!). Bludgeoning the line with runs up the middle, over and over and over again. Letting them know it’s coming, and them knowing they can’t stop it. Didn’t we beat Oregon two years in a row? And USC four years in a row?
#4—Coaching. The coaching record speaks for itself: 46-8 the last four years. Because our program has improved so dramatically and garnered so much attention, we lose coaches to other programs (step ups to head coaching at other universities as well as to the NFL—Harbaugh, Hamilton, Mason, cases in point). On the other hand, because of that success, we’re also a magnet for some super-amazing talent—Duane Akina being the most notable. Here’s hoping still-developing David Shaw stays awhile to establish a dynasty on par with Parsighian or Schembechler or Bryant. Or Pop Warner.
#3—Underrated Offense. We have stars we don’t hype, and they don’t grandstand to draw attention to themselves. Ty Montgomery, second in the nation in kickoff return yardage last year, is a joy to watch. An underrated, unappreciated (in the media, anyway) quarterback who as a starter is 16-3 coming into his third year under center. Incredible receiver corps including Rector, Montgomery, Cajuste, Owusu, others. Potential dazzling RB in (fill in the blank, we have five on the roster). Don’t forget an ultra-solid kicking game with Williamson, Rhyne and Ukropina. Yes, we’ve lost starters on the O-line, but refer to #6, above.
#2—Defense. The tradition of dominant, experienced and deep defensive play will continue. We have Tarpley returning, as well as the Andersons, Kevin and Harry, along with Carter, Richards, and others. There is continuity of coaching with Lance Anderson stepping into the defensive coordinator slot. Somebody once said, "Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships."
#1—Strength of Schedule. Our brutish schedule is a two-edged ax, a big reason we will—or will not—be in contention for a playoff berth. Tussles with Oregon, UCLA and Washington on their turf. USC at home, but before students arrive on campus. Last year, we played six ranked teams within our own conference. As I stated before, parity within the Pac 12 means no gimmes, no cupcakes (except maybe our neighbors across the Bay). We can’t even take UC Davis for granted—they beat us the last time we met—and certainly not Notre Dame in (please let it not be rainy) South Bend.
Some pundits postulate that SOS should be the sole basis for picking playoff teams (thank you, Zack Pugh). Assuming we’re able to run the table and accumulate a 13-0 regular season record for the first time in our history . . . dreams could come true. Ohio State did it in 2002, Alabama in 2009, Auburn 2010, Florida State last year—why not us?