Will Stanford Football End Their 3-9 Streak in 2025?

Over the past four years, Stanford football has been in one of, if not worst stretches of their program’s history. The Cardinal have gone 3-9 four straight years, cycled through three coaches, and have lost four straight rivalry games to Cal.

And in this time, Stanford has had some absolute lows. Losses to three group of five/FCS programs, Sac State (2023), San José State (2024), and Hawaii (2025), in three straight seasons just shows the tough times that the program has faced.

But in 2025, the Cardinal are beginning to turn their program around.

Stanford preseason talk quickly became silent as the Cardinal lost back-to-back games to open the season, including an embarrassing loss to Hawaii in Week 0. The quarterback play looked rough, and interim head coach Frank Reich had trouble shifting to the college game due to his pro-style offense.

Many expected Stanford to go 3-9 once again, if not continue their streak in a worse fashion. But the past three weeks have helped hope return.

Stanford hosted Boston College in their season opener and everything changed. The Cardinal won 30-20, and the entire roster stepped up. Even after a tough loss on the road at Virginia, Stanford followed by coming home and winning again, this time against San José State, in a thrilling rivalry battle.

Now, Stanford is 2-3 with seven games left to go. And they only need two more wins to break their streak. That said, the toughest part of their schedule now remains.

The Cardinal have some winnable games on the schedule. They host Pitt, a team with talent, but has been struggling early into the season. Their loss to rival West Virginia completely stunted their hopes in the locker room, and it looks like it could be an ugly year for the Panthers, sitting on a 2-2 record.

Especially since it’s at home, Stanford could be the favorites in that one. The Cardinal also play North Carolina on the road, who has been a dumpster fire in their first season under head coach Bill Belichick. In their second-to-last game of the season, Stanford also plays Cal, which looks like a 50/50 game as of now, though the Golden Bears are playing well overall.

Stanford will have a shot to take at least two of those three games, which would technically put them in a spot to break the streak. But one thing hasn’t been mentioned.

Throughout the Cardinal’s four year streak, the majority of their wins have come against opponents they were heavy underdogs against. Last year, for example, two of three of Stanford's wins came against top 25 opponents, Syracuse and Louisville.

And before that, still during their streak, they have beaten Notre Dame, Oregon, and USC. Stanford will play Miami, Florida State, and Notre Dame, three highly ranked opponents this season, and history will tell you one of those matchups will go to the Cardinal.

Stanford is getting closer and closer to ending their streak in 2025. With winnable games scattered all over their remaining schedule, it looks like there could finally be an end to one of the worst streaks in Stanford football history.