[DC 86]

Bit of a chicken and egg problem with the QBs, no?  Is he good because top-flight QBs come to his program, or do QBs become top-flight because he makes them good (or, alternatively, do they merely look good because it's a more dynamic, pass-happy offense that plays to the QB's strengths and isn't overly complicated)?

This is a great point. Kellen Moore was a short, 3-star quarterback from a tiny town in eastern Washington, and in he is currently on the Cowboys practice squad having played in three games over the course of his NFL career, which started in 2012 as a UFA. Yet at BSU he was a dynamic player and a H-trophy candidate. A lot of credit  should go to Petersen for maximizing his talents and constructing an offensive system that played to his strengths.

In my West Coast Bias I consider Shaw and Petersen to both be among the top ten FBS head coaches; it's difficult to definitively argue the merits of one over the other. There is definitely no coach I would want for Stanford over David Shaw, but it's interesting that Petersen might be the only other top-ten coach who would be a good fit for the school.

[DC 86]

Bit of a chicken and egg problem with the QBs, no?  Is he good because top-flight QBs come to his program, or do QBs become top-flight because he makes them good (or, alternatively, do they merely look good because it's a more dynamic, pass-happy offense that plays to the QB's strengths and isn't overly complicated)?

This is a great point. Kellen Moore was a short, 3-star quarterback from a tiny town in eastern Washington, and in he is currently on the Cowboys practice squad having played in three games over the course of his NFL career, which started in 2012 as a UFA. Yet at BSU he was a dynamic player and a H-trophy candidate. A lot of credit  should go to Petersen for maximizing his talents and constructing an offensive system that played to his strengths.

In my West Coast Bias I consider Shaw and Petersen to both be among the top ten FBS head coaches; it's difficult to definitively argue the merits of one over the other. There is definitely no coach I would want for Stanford over David Shaw, but it's interesting that Petersen might be the only other top-ten coach who would be a good fit for the school.