[socalstanfan1]

I would only add to OF's post about our under-rated level of talent, that Stanford STILL likely suffers from low expectations.  For roughly the last seven years, there has been one reason after another to explain Stanford's rise to a legitimate contender for the Pac-12 north crown.  First, it was the Jim Harbaugh effect; then all attributed to Andrew Luck, then David Shaw's teams are just riding the coattails of the Harbaugh/Luck era.  Last year when a bunch of players left for the NFL it was supposed to be the time when Stanford would be unmasked as an imposter.  And, sure enough, for much of the season, Stanford came up just short in key games.  But then, at the end of the season, with its biggest playmaker sidelined, Stanford ran off three impressive victories, including a thrashing of then-top 10 UCLA in Pasadena, and that whole narrative was thrown into doubt.  Is Stanford declining? Is it actually holding its own? Might it be (gasp) improving?

But wait, this year the whole defense has to be rebuilt.  Sure, nearly everyone is back from the offensive outburst at the end of the season, but, still, that defense...

And so here we are, a bit miffed at being ranked 21st, but really, 15 years ago we all would have been elated to start the season anywhere in the top-25.  And I think the ranking may reflect the division of opinion. More sports writers have learned not to write off Stanford entirely, but there remain lingering doubts as to how long this whole run will last. (Or, maybe it isn't just a "run" or "streak" of good play.  Maybe this is the new normal, where people realize that, like VSC, Bama, Oregon, and Ohio State, Stanford can be expected to field a super competitive program year in and year out.  But that reality takes some getting used to, for many in the sports journalism world.)

[socalstanfan1]

I would only add to OF's post about our under-rated level of talent, that Stanford STILL likely suffers from low expectations.  For roughly the last seven years, there has been one reason after another to explain Stanford's rise to a legitimate contender for the Pac-12 north crown.  First, it was the Jim Harbaugh effect; then all attributed to Andrew Luck, then David Shaw's teams are just riding the coattails of the Harbaugh/Luck era.  Last year when a bunch of players left for the NFL it was supposed to be the time when Stanford would be unmasked as an imposter.  And, sure enough, for much of the season, Stanford came up just short in key games.  But then, at the end of the season, with its biggest playmaker sidelined, Stanford ran off three impressive victories, including a thrashing of then-top 10 UCLA in Pasadena, and that whole narrative was thrown into doubt.  Is Stanford declining? Is it actually holding its own? Might it be (gasp) improving?

But wait, this year the whole defense has to be rebuilt.  Sure, nearly everyone is back from the offensive outburst at the end of the season, but, still, that defense...

And so here we are, a bit miffed at being ranked 21st, but really, 15 years ago we all would have been elated to start the season anywhere in the top-25.  And I think the ranking may reflect the division of opinion. More sports writers have learned not to write off Stanford entirely, but there remain lingering doubts as to how long this whole run will last. (Or, maybe it isn't just a "run" or "streak" of good play.  Maybe this is the new normal, where people realize that, like VSC, Bama, Oregon, and Ohio State, Stanford can be expected to field a super competitive program year in and year out.  But that reality takes some getting used to, for many in the sports journalism world.)