How Stanford Should Approach the Rest of the Season

Now that bowl hopes are most likely over, Stanford may need to switch its mindset

Nov 1, 2025; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Caden High (0) runs out of bounds during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

After another loss, Stanford football's season is hanging by a thread. Falling 35-20 to Pittsburgh, the Cardinal have dropped to 3-6 on the season. With three games left to play, winning out is critical if the Cardinal wants any chance of making a bowl game.

But with a tough slew of games left, making a bowl game is probably a long-shot for this year's Stanford program, which changes how the program should approach the rest of the season.

Entering the 2025 season, there were minimal expectations for a Cardinal team not only in the midst of a rebuild, but going through multiple changes in the offseason.

Highlighted by the firing of Troy Taylor in favor of interim head coach Frank Reich, the Cardinal were not expected to do much this season. Instead the main goal of continuing to make progress so that they are able to have a successful future.

So far this season, the Cardinal have done a lot of good things to the point where there was talk of a bowl game at one point. Going into the game against Pittsburgh undefeated at home, and with the chance to surpass their win total from the previous four seasons, the Cardinal were determined to get it done this weekend.

But falling to 3-6 after the loss and with games against tough teams such as UNC, Cal and Notre Dame still to go, a bowl game is probably out of the cards which means that the win-now mentality is gone.

Naming Ben Gulbranson the starting quarterback coming out of training camp, the decision was surprising to some but it signaled that the Cardinal wanted someone more experienced under center, someone who had experience playing in big games.

After all, Gulbranson is a sixth year player with starting experience at Oregon State. Naming a seasoned veteran the starter signaled that Stanford was ready to try their hand at making something happen in 2025.

But now with a bowl game out of the cards, Stanford can focus more on building for the future instead of winning now. Gulbranson, who is out of eligibility after this season, has been replaced by Elijah Brown, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining. He could be someone that Stanford looks to see if he has what it takes to lead the team next season and beyond.

Getting the young guys more playing time over these next few games has a lot of benefits. First, it gives them the chance to play and show what they can do so if they do decide to enter the portal or make a change after the season, they have film for people to look at.

For the program, it also gives them the chance to see what they have for next season, so when the offseason comes, the Cardinal know where to put the most focus when it comes to building their roster, while also giving them an idea of which players they can rely on.

These next three games will be vital for the Cardinal even in the situation that they are in. The season may not matter that much anymore when it comes to winning now and making a run at the postseason, but when it comes to creating confidence and momentum for the future, it is vitally important that the Cardinal do not quit and keep showing fight whenever they step out onto the field.

Next up for Stanford is its final road game of the season: a matchup against Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Kick off is set for 1:30 p.m. on The CW.