After playing California in their seventh game of the season, WSU will complete the Bay Area double play with Stanford in their eighth game. Technically, there is a bye week in between, but predicting a bye week would be rather pointless. Then again all of these predictions may be rather pointless considering WSU gets 80 percent of the vote every week.
Even still, I'm pot committed by this point so click the jump for Stanford profile and the prediction poll.
Stanford Profile:
2011 record: 11-2
2011 S&P+ rating: 245.0 (WSU 175.3)
2011 home record: 6-1
Returning starters: 13
Athlon Sports preseason ranking: 21 (WSU 51)
Phil Steele power rating: 140.02 (WSU 123.32)
All-time record vs. WSU: 36-25-1
Last meeting: Stanford 44 vs. WSU 14 (2011)
Bill C Stat Profile: LINK
Bill C Preview: LINK
If some freshmen are ready to play at least medium-sized roles right away, if a No. 2 wide receiver emerges, and if the secondary is at least stable, Stanford really could be a top 15 team once again. But none of those three things are guaranteed. In the end, as long as Stanford builds well for a fantastic 2013, then 2012 will have been a success. But after the statement David Shaw made in hauling in this recruiting class on Feb. 1, we perhaps shouldn't count 2012 as a total loss just yet. Stanford is still going to be one of the meanest, most physical teams in the country, and it isn't out of the realm of possibility that they add another 10 or 11 wins to the ledger this fall.