Stanford Football Projected for Less Than Ideal Finish In ACC Preseason Poll

After four straight 3-9 seasons, not much is expected from Stanford football nationally

Jul 22, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford head coach Frank Reich answers questions from the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Stanford football has been overlooked all offseason. Whether or not that lack of attention has been fair or not will be decided when Stanford's season kicks off in Hawaii on August 23.

Coming off of four straight 3-9 seasons, fans have started to give up, the national media hasn't paid much attention, and the Cardinal felt as if they needed a culture change. That’s why in the offseason, the Cardinal picked up general manager and former player Andrew Luck to lead the Cardinal football program. Luck then hired Frank Reich to serve as interim head coach for the 2025 season.

In the portal, Stanford lost a number of players, but also brought in a program-record 17 talents that appear committed to Luck’s plan to rebuild the Cardinal--not just in 2025, but beyond. Stanford definitely had a heck of an offseason, both positively and negatively, but it seems as if the nation hasn’t noticed the positives.

The Greenville News compiled a group of voters from around the ACC, and they ended up ranking Stanford No. 17, while Cal came in just ahead of them at No. 16.

As expected, Clemson takes the top spot, following a recent ACC Championship victory in 2024. Following them is Miami in second, and third goes to SMU, who came just a few points short of hoisting the trophy last season.

Louisville, Georgia Tech, Duke, Florida State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, and NC State round out the top 10. Down the rankings, Syracuse, North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia, and Wake Forest take up spots before the final two: Cal and Stanford.

The top spots in the ranking seem pretty on point, but 12-17 appear more interchangeable, between the Eagles, Cavaliers, Demon Deacons, Bears, and Cardinal. It seems like any one of those teams not only can be placed anywhere there, but could even make a jump out of that group and into the top-11.

Over the past four years, Stanford’s 3-9 seasons have resulted in second-to-last finishes. In 2021, they finished above Arizona. In ‘22 and ‘23, they finished above Colorado. And in 2024, their first season in the ACC, the Cardinal finished above Florida State. In theory, it seems pretty unlikely that Stanford finishes dead last in 2025.

Luck, Reich, and Stanford’s goal is not just to avoid being the worst. In fact, they have high hopes for the upcoming season. They return a large portion of their defense, ranking sixth in the nation in returning production.

Offensively, they have position battles between some elite players that will be fighting for the top spots. Stanford has many 50/50 games that could go their way, and prove that this Cardinal team not only has a chance to not be last, but even in the top half of the ACC standings if things go well.