There's plenty of reasons to like the Cardinal this year - but what are the biggest things that stand in their way?
It's good to be optimistic, but it's wise to remain realistic. There is a very good chance Stanford could win the Pac-12 North, but it will not be an easy task. So what stands between Stanford and the Conference championship game? Here are the three things that seem the most significant.
1) The Defense
Stanford's defense was beyond stout last season. It took a stellar performance from Oregon's Marcus Mariota to snap the Cardinal's 31 game streak of allowing 30 points or less.