As Stanford's earlier eight-game winning streak built momentum this season, talk of a berth in the College Football Playoff intensified. But the Cardinal ultimately lost a second game, and even their recovery to a Pac-12 championship couldn't push them into the four-team field.
So Stanford's postseason destination is again the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual -- but no one on The Farm is complaining about that.
"If the worst thing we do is go to the Rose Bowl, I think that's pretty cool," coach David Shaw said with a smile after his Cardinal defeated USC 41-22 on Saturday night.