[fullmetal]

And now we know why Mandel is down on Stanford: defense.

I keep hearing all this talk about Stanford being a darkhorse team this year (ranked in most publications) and all the focus is Andrew Luck. But I think people are missing how bad their defense was last year -- they gave up 26.5 points a game. I don\'t think their offense will be as powerful as it was with Toby Gerhart in the backfield. Can Luck still score 35-plus points a game, because that is what it\'s going to take against a Pac-10 full of experienced QBs.
-- Tyler, Los Angeles

You hit the nail on the head, Tyler. The Cardinal have become semi-media darlings because A) We writers love whenever one of the academic-minded schools does well, B) Jim Harbaugh is such a quotable, intriguing fellow, and C) Luck is being hailed as a possible No. 1 pick. In reality, Stanford will be hard-pressed to match last year\'s eight wins -- and especially its six Pac-10 wins -- and it would be no surprise to see the Cardinal slip back to around 6-6.

My concern isn\'t with Luck. He\'s the real deal, and we only began to see his full potential last season, when Gerhart was still the focal point of the offense. I\'ve heard some speculation that defenses will be able to focus more on Luck with Gerhart out of the picture, but it\'s not like Stanford\'s fundamental scheme will change. Defenses will still have to account for the threat of play-action. And he\'s got the benefit of a very good offensive line, fullback (Owen Marecic) and receivers (led by Ryan Whalen).

It\'s that defense -- ranked 110th against the pass last year, with more experience than this year\'s unit -- that makes you cringe. Stanford got away with it a bit last year because most Pac-10 defenses stunk, but you\'re going to see a lot of improvement around the league on that side of the ball, from Washington to Oregon and Oregon State to USC. But like Tyler said, the offenses will only be getting more potent with all those returning QBs. Harbaugh has improved Stanford\'s talent level immensely, but not to the point where it can shut down dynamic offenses.

Link here.

[fullmetal]

And now we know why Mandel is down on Stanford: defense.

I keep hearing all this talk about Stanford being a darkhorse team this year (ranked in most publications) and all the focus is Andrew Luck. But I think people are missing how bad their defense was last year -- they gave up 26.5 points a game. I don\'t think their offense will be as powerful as it was with Toby Gerhart in the backfield. Can Luck still score 35-plus points a game, because that is what it\'s going to take against a Pac-10 full of experienced QBs.
-- Tyler, Los Angeles

You hit the nail on the head, Tyler. The Cardinal have become semi-media darlings because A) We writers love whenever one of the academic-minded schools does well, B) Jim Harbaugh is such a quotable, intriguing fellow, and C) Luck is being hailed as a possible No. 1 pick. In reality, Stanford will be hard-pressed to match last year\'s eight wins -- and especially its six Pac-10 wins -- and it would be no surprise to see the Cardinal slip back to around 6-6.

My concern isn\'t with Luck. He\'s the real deal, and we only began to see his full potential last season, when Gerhart was still the focal point of the offense. I\'ve heard some speculation that defenses will be able to focus more on Luck with Gerhart out of the picture, but it\'s not like Stanford\'s fundamental scheme will change. Defenses will still have to account for the threat of play-action. And he\'s got the benefit of a very good offensive line, fullback (Owen Marecic) and receivers (led by Ryan Whalen).

It\'s that defense -- ranked 110th against the pass last year, with more experience than this year\'s unit -- that makes you cringe. Stanford got away with it a bit last year because most Pac-10 defenses stunk, but you\'re going to see a lot of improvement around the league on that side of the ball, from Washington to Oregon and Oregon State to USC. But like Tyler said, the offenses will only be getting more potent with all those returning QBs. Harbaugh has improved Stanford\'s talent level immensely, but not to the point where it can shut down dynamic offenses.

Link here.