11-06-2017, 09:21 AM
Why is 7-5 some sort of unacceptable result? Preseason the bookies suggested 8-4. Bill Connelly's S&P+ prediction system suggested 8-4. ESPN's FPI suggested... 8-4. People's expectations well outran the actual neutral observers' expectations.*
*(Now I suppose a reasonable logical retort is that the neutral observers did not, preseason, reckon with "Bryce Love, supernova," and that figuring in that talent should push Stanford up a win or so. But that's only counting the upside scenarios. It doesn't account for the underperformance of Stanford's DBs, the injury-enforced instability at OL, and the barren defensive line. Some of those problems are coaching problems, of course, but some of it is strictly in the "stuff happens" category.)
*(Now I suppose a reasonable logical retort is that the neutral observers did not, preseason, reckon with "Bryce Love, supernova," and that figuring in that talent should push Stanford up a win or so. But that's only counting the upside scenarios. It doesn't account for the underperformance of Stanford's DBs, the injury-enforced instability at OL, and the barren defensive line. Some of those problems are coaching problems, of course, but some of it is strictly in the "stuff happens" category.)