The Stanford Cardinal continue to improve their College Football Playoff chances, using Saturday's 31-14 win as a springboard from #10 to #8 in Sunday's AP poll release. Sitting on the verge with just one loss on their resume, Stanford is in full national title contender form. Here's three reasons why we see them as a legit CFP threat.
1. Kevin Hogan
The Stanford QB has flipped a complete 180 since the team's opening week debacle at Northwestern, tossing fourteen touchdowns against just three picks and torching nearly every defensive back he's come in contact with. This is the version of Kevin Hogan that Stanford fans have been clamoring for, and it's also the version who's capable of leading this team to a national title.
2. Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey posted his third 300 all-purpose yard game of the season on Saturday, hitting that number on the head a week after accounting for 369 total yards in the team's 56-35 win over UCLA -- the most by a non-quarterback this year. Stanford's championship hopes are strapped to the back of one of the nation's most gifted running backs and newest top-tier Heisman contenders. They wouldn't have it any other way.
3. Remaining Schedule
Stanford's three toughest games to come will be played at home -- Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame. If they win out in the conference, they're guaranteed a spot in the Pac-12 title game. If they win out AND beat Notre Dame, they'll position themselves as the best one-loss team in the nation and a championship game win away from a CFP berth -- at least, that would be the fair scenario.
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