Shortly after understated David Shaw reaffirmed himself as the best college football coach on the West Coast by a wide margin when Stanford claimed its third Pac-12 title in four years on Saturday, it seemed like an opportune time for reporters to quickly jot down a note to themselves:
For golly gosh sakes, do not underestimate the Cardinal in the 2016 preseason.
Hopefully that note endures in a safe and remembered place and doesn't get lost in the shuffle of days and mood swings, because it's pretty clear that falling in love with shiny new things in the Pac-12 is often a mistake.