Stanford Cardinal 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Stanford 2008 Record: (5-7, 4-5)
Stanford 2008 Bowl: none
Stanford Coach: Jim Harbaugh (9-15 at Stanford, 38-21 overall)
Stanford Offensive Coordinator: David Shaw
Stanford Defensive Coordinator: Andy Buh and Ron Lynn
Stanford Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Toby Gerhart, RB, 1,136 yards
• Passing: Tavita Pritchard, QB, 1,633 yards
• Receiving: Ryan Whalen, WR, 508 yards
• Tackles: Bo McNally, S, 76
• Sacks: Thomas Keiser, DE, 6.0
• Interceptions: Bo McNally, S, 4

Notable Stanford Returning Players: LB Chike Amajoyi, G Chase Beeler, WR Doug Baldwin, CB Kris Evans, DT Sione Fua, DE Erik Lorig, OT Chris Marinelli, LB Clinton Snyder, G Andrew Phillips, DT Dkom Udofia, S Sean Wiser

Stanford Key Losses: DE Pannel Egboh, C Alex Fletcher, TE Austin Gunder, RB Anthony Kimble, LB Pat Maynor, OT Ben Muth, CB Wopamo Osaisai, K Aaron Zagory

Jim Harbaugh has done a great job in his two years at Stanford. After inheriting a team which only won one game the year before he took over, he has guided the Cardinal on a steady upwards arc towards respectability, highlighted by a shocking 2007 upset victory over USC in the Coliseum. He’s also done a great job convincing high school players that the Cardinal is rapidly approaching a breakthrough on the field; He signed a top 20 recruiting class this past February! The key to maintaining the undeniable momentum surrounding the team, which went 5-7 last year, is for Harbaugh to guide Stanford to a bowl berth for the first time in his tenure. With seventeen starters back it seems likely he’ll succeed this fall.

On offense, Harbaugh’s first two teams have improved by leaps and bounds each season. Last fall, the major flaw with his offense was the lack of a solid quarterback as Stanford threw more picks than touchdowns. This fall, they’re in luck as redshirt freshman Andrew Luck, a highly acclaimed recruit two years ago, is slated to take over after wowing everyone with 5 touchdown passes in the spring game! Luck will have plenty of talent back at receiver, where junior Ryan Whalen led the team in catches last fall with 41. Junior Doug Baldwin, who led the team last fall with 4 touchdown catches, was Luck’s favorite target in the spring game and could have a huge season. After averaging barely over 150 yards per game last year through the air, I expect Stanford to be one of the league’s better passing attacks. However, Stanford will also be a very balanced offense as senior Toby Gerhart returns after rushing for over 1,100 yards and racking up 15 touchdowns in 2008! With a strong returning offensive line which opened enough holes for the Cardinal to average 200 yards per game on the ground, Gerhart could challenge for the Pac Ten rushing title after earning 1 st team all-conference honors last fall. I really like Stanford on offense this year.

Defensively, there has been a lot of improvement under Harbaugh, though it hasn’t really shown on the scoreboard. This season’s D-Line will easily be the best of Harbaugh’s tenure as three starters are back. Even better, the open spot should be very ably filled by sophomore Thomas Keiser, who had 6 sacks last season as a reserve and was named a 1st team Freshman All-American! Expect a strong performance up front. At linebacker, two starters are back but neither was spectacular last season. However, with a better defensive line and another year of experience, I expect the linebackers to make a bigger impact and Stanford should once more improve against the run. The secondary returns three starters and should be solid. Senior safety Bo McNally was the team’s leading tackler last fall and will be a force in run support. Overall, I like the Cardinal to field an improved run defense and they should be decent against the pass. However, this is no better than a middle of the road Pac Ten defense.

The schedule is not going to be easy. Stanford’s non-conference schedule features a trip across the country to Wake Forest and a visit from Notre Dame, giving them two very tough tests outside of Pac Ten play. The good news is that Stanford does host archrival Cal as one of their five conference home games and their 4-1 record at Stanford Stadium last fall should give them some confidence.

Overall, I think that Stanford will have a very similar year to Arizona’s 2008 campaign: A strong and balanced offense combined with an improved defense producing a bowl berth for the first time in years. Despite the Cardinal’s daunting out of conference slate, I think that the pieces are in place for Stanford to make their first return to the postseason since 2001.

Stanford Big Games: Sept. 12th @ Wake Forest, Oct. 3rd vs. UCLA, Oct. 10th @ Oregon St, Oct. 17th @ Arizona, Nov. 7th vs. Oregon, Nov. 21st vs. Cal, Nov. 28th vs. Notre Dame

Stanford’s Strength:

The offense only moved during the 2008 campaign because of running backs Toby Gerhart and Anthony Kimble. Gerhart is back on the team and ready to become the team’s go-to-guy. After rushing for 1,136 yards and 15 touchdowns a year ago, the 6-1, 232 pound bruiser should be in for a huge year. His offensive line returns three starters that did a pretty decent job of paving the way for the ground game. Even receivers Ryan Whalen and Doug Baldwin are back and that should give quarterback Tavita Pritchard a few options. However, Pritchard is a liability. He has had some great moments during his time at Stanford and he is an experienced senior, but he has some competition for the starting job. Redshirt freshman Andrew Luck had a solid spring and could push for the job in the fall.

Stanford’s Weakness:

Even if the offense can move the ball efficiently, can the defense stop anybody? With eight starters returning, there is certainly hope. Linebacker Clinton Snyder will be a superstar and the leader of the defense, but the strength should be up front. Defensive ends Tom Keiser and Erik Lorig are capable of wreaking havoc in the backfield and tackles Brian Bulcke and Ekom Udofia are both upperclassmen. All of that experience is helpful, but the Cardinal still gave up over 150 yards per game on the ground. The pass defense was even worse, ranking ninth in the conference. Strong safety Bo McNally is a quality player, but the rest of the secondary could use a boost in talent.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Cardinal:

With seven home games, Stanford has the schedule to win at least six games and reach a bowl. The overall talent level is improving and that should show in the team’s depth. Replacing defensive stalwarts Pat Maynor and Wopamo Osaisai will not be easy, but at least there are options. It is usually year three in a coaching tenure when the big changes start to happen and that could just be the case for Coach Harbaugh and Stanford.

Stanford Betting Odds

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