This is probably the worst possible schedule that Stanford could have got for the 2012 regular season. The Pac-12 released its 2012 football schedule today, and it is disappointing, to say the least.

First up, Big Game, as rumored, has been moved up in the schedule to October 20. While it is the highlight of the Pac-12 schedule for that weekend, it will go up against the revival of the A&M-LSU; rivalry and the Third Saturday in October game (Alabama-Tennessee). Even though I think some of us can live with moving it up a week or so, moving it that early in the season is not what anyone wanted, Cal fan or Stanford fan. I think people will find it pretty mindblowing that it is very well possible that fans could be wearing shorts and t-shirts to a Big Game, the first ever played in October.

With the move of Big Game, Pac-12 officials did other maneuvering of the schedule. Since 2006 with the advent of the 12-game schedule, Stanford has always played at least one of its final two games at home. That is not the case this year: Stanford opens Thanksgiving break in Eugene followed by ending the regular season at UCLA. The final home game is in mid-November.

Next, there is a Thursday night game. Granted, it's an away game (against UW in Seattle), it happens three days after fall quarter begins. Good luck, techies, finding time to find a television and finish your first problem set that night.

Finally, as I've long preached against since last spring, the Stanford-USC game happens in the third weekend of the season. In fact, the first three weekends of September are Stanford home games before students even step on campus. This is followed by Stanford's lone bye week of the season on September 22. For a season that sees only six home games (in which USC is the lone "big" home game), this is extremely disappointing.

After the jump, Stanford's complete schedule.

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As expected, Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro will declare for the NFL Draft. | College Hotline

Kevin Gemmell doesn't sound like much of a betting man, but if he was, he'd put money on the under for 8.5 wins next season. | Stanford Football Blog

Solid recruiting should ensure Stanford won't fall too far without Andrew Luck. | SB Nation

After a brutal ending to Luck's storied career, Jacob Jaffe says rebuilding appears to be inevitable. | NYT

Here's a harsher take on David Shaw's decision to play for the field goal. To answer the last question in this article, I don't have any doubt that Shaw was the right hire, and a good one. | Pacific Takes

Shaw maintains that it was the right decision. | SF Chronicle

Here's a look back at the best and worst moments from Stanford's 41-38 overtime loss to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Best Goodbye: Andrew Luck arguably saved his best performance for last, completing 27-of-31 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns. After throwing an early interception, Luck was almost perfect. He was 5-for-5 on Stanford’s final drive in regulation.

Worst Night: Jordan Williamson had a nightmare of a game that he can’t forget soon enough – and maybe never will. The freshman missed three of four field goals, including a 35-yard attempt at the end of regulation that would have won the game, and a 42-yarder in overtime. Williamson made 13-of-19 field goal attempts this season, but only 2-of-7 since returning from an injury he suffered before the USC game. Keep your head up, Jordan. Next time you'll be the hero.

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Jordan Williamson has plenty of support from his teammates after last night's rough performance. "We trust him," Stanford linebacker A.J. Tarpley said after the freshman kicker missed 3-of-4 field goals, including the game-winner. "We'd put him out there if there was a game tomorrow." | Stanford Football Blog

The misses left Williamson in tears. | Mercury News

Tim Kawakami says that Andrew Luck was better than he has ever been. The numbers: 27-of-31, 347 yards, two touchdowns. | Mercury News

"Yes, it was worth it," Luck said of his decision to return to Stanford. | SF Chronicle

Quick reads from the loss. | The Daily Axe

Larger questions loom for Stanford, such as who will replace Luck. | Stanford Football Blog

Jeremy Stewart, who applied for and received an extra year of eligibility after last season, had his second standout performance in a BCS bowl.| SF Chronicle

A running diary of the game from a Cowboys fan. Here's what he wrote about the final minute. "Uh oh, Jeremy Stewart just went for 25 yards to get Stanford within field goal range. Of course they’re going to be trotting out a redshirt freshman who already missed a 41-yarder so "field goal range" right now might be like inside the 10." | Pistols Firing

[Oklahoma State scores to tie the game with 2:35 remaining. Ty Montgomery downs the ensuing kickoff for a touchback. Andrew Luck enters stage right. He's calm.]

You couldn't have scripted a better opening to the final chapter of Andrew Luck's remarkable Stanford career than the situation that unfolded late in the fourth quarter of Stanford's 41-38 loss in the Fiesta Bowl. The two-time Heisman runner-up, who had completed 22-of-26 passes to that point, had more than 2 minutes and three timeouts to march the Cardinal 80 yards for the winning score in a wild shootout with Oklahoma State. It was almost too easy. The Cowboys, it seemed, were cooked.

Sure enough, Luck started the drive with four consecutive completions. A 5-yard run by Stepfan Taylor moved the ball to midfield with more than a minute to play. On 2nd and 5, Luck found Jeremy Stewart for a 25-yard gain and Oklahoma State called timeout with 52 seconds remaining. Taylor ran for 6 yards on the first play after the timeout. Just like that, Stanford was in the red zone -- Luck's happy place -- and the Cardinal still had three timeouts. The game was won...until it was lost.

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Stanford is prepared to write the final chapter in the most nationally scrutinized season in school history. | Stanford Football Blog

Prior BCS experience isn't worth much. | Stanford Football Blog

Here are three keys for the Cardinal to knock off the Cowboys. | Stanford Football Blog

...and three keys for the Cowboys to knock off the Cardinal. | ESPN

Stanford knows it can't stop Oklahoma State's offense, it can only hope to contain it. | Mercury News

As Tree's Company goes, so goes the Stanford offense. | Mercury News

David Shaw was busy preparing for the game while his team celebrated New Year's at the hotel. | SF Chronicle

The Fiesta Bowl should trump the BCS title game in terms of entertainment value. | SF Chronicle

Matt Hinton picks Stanford. | Dr. Saturday

Oklahoma-based writers all pick OSU. | The Oklahoman

Addressing a large crowd at the Stanford Fiesta Bowl pep rally in Scottsdale last night, bittersweet is the word Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin used to describe what it was like watching his former Cardinal teammates this season. "You want to be out there with them," said Baldwin, who capped his impressive rookie year with 3 catches for 40 yards in a 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium earlier in the day.

No. 4 Stanford will cap its season against No. 3 Oklahoma State in the same venue today. While I don't especially "want to be out there with them" -- Brandon Weeden could throw a ball through me -- bittersweet could be an apt description for the game. It's been more than a month since the Cardinal wrapped up its second consecutive 11-1 regular season with a win over Notre Dame, and the players are eager to finally get back on the field. Still, it's a little sad to think that this is the last time we'll see Andrew Luck (not to mention Coby Fleener, Jonathan Martin, David DeCastro, and a host of others) in a Stanford uniform.

Would anyone be opposed to another week of Cardinalfiesta?

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It was an especially good year to be a Stanford sports fan. As we prepare to close the door on 2011, I'd like to thank everyone who has e-mailed, tweeted and retweeted, commented, voted, and simply visited this site over the past year. As much as I enjoy doing what I do, there wouldn't be a site without you. If you have any suggestions for improving the Rule of Tree community or are interested in contributing regularly or semi-regularly, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. With your help, I have no doubt that 2012 will be even better.

And with that, here are 11 of the best Stanford sports moments from the past year, in chronological order. Please let me know what I forgot in the comments. (I know you will, Grandpa. I couldn't decide which Track and Field feat was most worthy of inclusion, if any.)

1. Stanford Blasts Virginia Tech in Orange Bowl

It wasn't supposed to be this easy. Installed as slight favorites entering the game after an 11-1 regular season, Stanford outscored the Hokies 27-0 in the second half to cruise to a 40-12 win. Coby Fleener had 6 catches for 173 yards and 3 touchdowns.

2. Andrew Luck Decides to Come Back

Do you remember where you were when Stanford held a huge press conference issued a brief press release to announce that Andrew Luck was returning to school?

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Here are four things that probably won't (but maybe will) happen in Monday's Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Vote for the least preposterous prediction and feel free to leave your own in the comments section. (These are more preposterous than usual. You've been warned.)

1. Justin Blackmon will have 75 or fewer receiving yards.

Why it's preposterous: Bwahahaha! More like 175! The two-time defending Biletnikoff Award winner is better than Juron Criner, Marqise Lee, Robert Woods, and Michael Floyd, all of whom enjoyed at least moderate success against a Stanford secondary that allowed 241.1 passing yards per game. With Heisman candidate Brandon Weeden throwing him the ball, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Blackmon is poised for one more statement game before he takes his talents to the NFL. Blackmon had 113 catches for 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He's scored in all but two games and has 6 games with at least 10 catches. In last year's Alamo Bowl, he burned Arizona for 9 catches, 117 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Why it could happen: Four Stanford players sported a No. 81 jersey in practice and rotated in on each play to replicate Blackmon's incredible production and seemingly limitless energy. Now, if the Cardinal practiced with two or three fake-Blackmons lined up on one side of the field on a given play, they might be well prepared to stop the real Blackmon on Monday. Stanford plans to alter its defensive schemes in an attempt to confuse OSU's up-tempo attack and limit Blackmon's effectiveness. While the junior receiver set a new career-high in catches this season, his yards were down. After having at least 100 yards receiving in every game last season, Blackmon has been held below the century mark in 6 games this year, and under 75 yards 3 times. There's always a chance that Blackmon gets a mid-day craving for some Mexican food. As anyone who has frequented a place like Los Betos can attest, the food is delicious, but best not followed by any sort of physical activity.

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Stanford used the month layoff between its final regular season game and Monday's Fiesta Bowl to get healthy, but the Cardinal will be without one key member of the defensive line: Ben Gardner's mullet.

Kevin Gemmell has the sad report from Scottsdale and a video interview with the now all-business junior. Gardner says he's less wind resistant and more aerodynamic since putting an end to the party in the back. Still, one has to question the timing of the change.

"I wouldn't say it's a bad omen," linebacker AJ Tarpley told reporters. "I hope not. I wouldn't want to put that kind of pressure on him."

Yeah, I hope not. A mullet isn't type of thing you can just grow back at halftime if things aren't going well. I may need to craft a Ben Gardner cut-out mullet before Monday.

And if you don't think this is big news, well, you're wrong: