Breaking Down Stanford Football's Big Matchup with San Jose State

Urgency has struck Stanford football. Losing in blowout fashion on the road to Virginia, the Cardinal (1-3, 1-1 ACC) return home for a game against the San Jose State Spartans, where a win could dictate how the rest of their season plays out. A tough slate of games lie ahead for the Cardinal, making San Jose State a potential confidence booster.

The Cardinal entered the game against Virginia as underdogs, but fell in a way that they did not expect. Allowing the Cavaliers offense to put on a strong display all game long, Stanford's defense is determined to redeem itself and get back to playing the elite level of football that they played earlier in the season.

Favored in a game for the first time this season, the Cardinal are ready to live up to expectations and earn a win that gives them some momentum and confidence back as they hit the gauntlet portion of their schedule. But San Jose State is no slouch, going into Stanford Stadium ready to give the Cardinal a run for their money.

Here is a preview of Stanford's matchup against the San Jose State Spartans.

Game Information

When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 4:30 p.m. (PT)

Where: Stanford Stadium

How to Watch: ESPN/ACC Network

Spread: Stanford (-3)

Moneyline: Stanford (-163), San Jose State (+136)

Total: O/U 50

*Betting odds provided by Fox Sports and are used here as a reference point, not betting advice.

Players to Watch - Stanford

WR Bryce Farrell

Farrell entered 2025 as Stanford's most experienced player, a part of the program since 2020 and bringing a leadership presence that was much needed this season, considering how much turnover Stanford football experienced over the offseason.

But despite being on the team for as long as he has, Farrell had played a limited role offensively, primarily playing special teams throughout his career. But this season, things have been much different.

Experiencing a career year, recording four catches for a career high 135 yards and a touchdown against Virginia, Farrell has become an integral part of the receiving corps over the last couple of weeks.

Known for his punishing speed, Farrell's explosiveness has been put on full display all season long, which has led to him being an effective deep ball threat, giving Stanford a spark on offense. So far this season, Farrell has 14 catches for 275 yards and a touchdown.

The Spartans are a much different team than they were a year ago, with a very young defense. Given how fast Farrell is, and how much confidence he has from his big game last week, expect him to get a lot of targets from Ben Gulbranson. This could be a scenario where the experience of both Farrell and his QB play a big role.

WR CJ Williams

Transferring from Wisconsin in the offseason, Williams came over looking to play a big role for Stanford right out of the gate. After all, the Cardinal lost every single starting wide receiver from last season's team either to the NFL Draft or the transfer portal and were left gutted at that position.

Through the first three games of the season, Williams had a limited impact, managing to record just over 60 yards receiving combined. But all that changed against Virginia, where Williams broke out.

Hauling in a team high nine catches for 103 yards, Williams looked dominant against Virginia's defense and with the Cardinal still banged up at reciever, he showed flashes of being a No. 1 receiver.

The Cardinal should expect to see some of the injured guys back soon, and it will be interesting to see how much action Williams sees when that happens. But if he can replicate his game against Virginia, expect Stanford to carve out a role for him.

Given how young new San Jose State's defense is, the Cardinal will look to take advantage of that, especially in the passing game. If that is the case, look for Williams to have a field day.

DB Collin Wright

Over the course of his four seasons at Stanford, Wright has evolved into a cornerstone player for the Cardinal, even becoming a potential NFL Draft prospect. Named one of only two season long captains for Stanford, alongside Sam Roush, it is clear that Stanford sees Wright as the face of the program.

And since returning after missing the Week 0 game against Hawaii, Wright has lived up to his star status.

Recording his first interception of the season in the home opener win over Boston College—a pick six—Wright followed that up with another spectacular performance against Virginia, making seven tackles and one pass defended.

Wright is a key player for Stanford in every game, and if the Cardinal want to beat San Jose State, they will need Wright and the defense to come up clutch.

Players to Watch - San Jose State

QB Walker Eget

In his fifth season with the Spartans, Eget brings experience and leadership to a team looking to re-establish its identity after the departure of longtime superstar, Nick Nash. And while Eget has struggled some in 2025, he has proven himself to be vital for San Jose State's success.

In the Spartans' first win of the season over Idaho last weekend, Eget completed 13 out of his 21 pass attempts for 222 yards and one touchdown, helping the team win 31-28. On the season, he has 714 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, boasting a career-high 61.8% completion percentage.

If the Spartans want to win, their offense will need to be on point in order to combat Stanford's strong defense. Eget will need to play a good game in order for that to happen.

WR Danny Scudero

Now that Nick Nash is gone, the Spartans needed someone to step up and become the new superstar of the offense. And so far this season, Scudero has had no trouble taking on that role and has now become an integral part of the offense in his first season with the program after transferring from Sacramento State.

Having 22 catches for 379 yards and a touchdown so far this season, Scudero had his second 100-yard game of the season in last weekend's win over Idaho, catching six passes for 130 yards. His first 100-yard game of the season came in week one against Central Michigan where in the 16-14 loss, he caught nine passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Scudero is only a sophomore and is playing FBS football for the first time after spending a season in the FCS, but already, he has shown just how good he is. Stanford will really need to gameplan well and keep an eye on him all afternoon in order to keep him from going off.

LB Jordan Pollard

A seasoned veteran for the Spartans, Pollard is not only the leader of the defense, but is the heart and soul of the program this season. Since joining the program in 2022, Pollard has played a big role since day one and has continued to do so in 2025.

Having 27 tackles so far, Pollard had a big game against Idaho, recording seven tackles. Known for his ability to cover sideline to sideline, Pollard flies to the ball and is always hungry to make a play. Getting off to a hot start this year, week one saw Pollard record 15 tackles and one defended pass, putting his full skillset on display.

San Jose State will need to play a good defensive game in order to stand a chance against Stanford, especially when it comes to defending the run. That is where Pollard comes into play, with all eyes on him to be a big factor on Saturday.

By the Numbers

68 - number of times Stanford and San Jose State have played each other

Throughout the course of both school's history, they have played each other a total of 68 times previously. Stanford leads the all-time series, with a record of 52-15-1 (49-13-1 at home, 3-2 at San Jose State). Saturday will mark the 69th all-time meeting between the two programs.

34-31 - score of last season's game when SJSU upset Stanford

Meeting for the first time in over a decade last season, the Cardinal traveled down the road to San Jose to take on the Spartans—a matchup that they were favored in. But the Cardinal's rough season reached a low point when they fell 34-31 in upset fashion—the Spartans' first win against Stanford since 2006.

Despite 100-yard games from both wide receivers Elic Ayomanor and Emmett Mosley V, and a defensive touchdown from linebacker, Jahsiah Galvan, Stanford could not seal the deal and finished 3-9 for the fourth consecutive season.

Four - number of future games left Stanford and San Jose State have scheduled

Reaching an agreement to play six games against each other across future dates, Stanford and San Jose State have four future matchups left that are set to take place. They will be played at Stanford in 2028 and 2034 and in San Jose in 2026 and 2035.

Score Prediction

Stanford 34, San Jose State 20

Coming off of a bad loss last week, Stanford will not only go into this game hungry for a win, but is in desperate need for one. Without a win on Saturday, it's difficult to piece together enough wins for the Cardinal to improve upon the 3-9 record they've posted the past four seasons. With that being the case, expect the best version of Stanford football to take the field on Saturday.

San Jose State got the best of the Cardinal last season, but the Spartans look like a vastly different team this year, losing a lot of key players from their past—none more notable than Nick Nash. The Cardinal have a lot of questions still left to answer themselves, but with a lot of promise shown, especially defensively, they will look to take advantage of that and force the Spartans to adjust.

Losing to Virginia put Stanford's backs against the wall, and with its season possibly hanging in the balance, the Cardinal will come home and be hungry. They take the win in this one.