CBS Sports predicts another dreadful season for Stanford
It is hard not to be pessimistic about Stanford's chances for this upcoming season.
The Cardinal struggled to run the ball last year, and lost their two most experienced running backs to the transfer portal during the offseason. The defensive line was considered thin last season, and after a couple key departures, the team will likely have to rely on freshman or walk-ons to contribute. Not to mention, Stanford will be playing one of the toughest schedules in the country with at least six ranked teams on the docket.
Outlets such as CBS Sports have taken all of these factors into consideration and predicted the win totals for each of the Pac-12 teams. The not so kind people in Las Vegas have Stanford's at 4.5 wins, and David Cobb of CBS Sports does not think the Cardinal will be able to surpass that mark.
Here is why he thinks that Stanford will finish below that mark:
The door is open for the Cardinal to regain their footing in the Pac-12 after a 3-9 season last year, but it's going to take a massive improvement on both lines of scrimmage for that to happen. Stanford couldn't run the ball last season, and it couldn't stop the run, either. The Cardinal should improve on their 2-7 league record, but nonconference games against Notre Dame and BYU look like road blocks on the path to bowl eligibility. Pick: Under 4.5 (-115)
Cobb went on to predict that the Cardinal would suffer losses against USC, at Washington, at Oregon, at Notre Dame, at UCLA, at Utah, at California, and BYU.
For the sake of David Shaw and the sanity of Cardinal fans, most would hope that he is wrong but given the flaws on this roster it is hard to see Stanford coming out of their difficult schedule unscathed.
