05-16-2013, 07:49 AM
Not speaking for all Stanford fans, the reason I'm gun shy on our 2013 prospects is because I remember how razor thin the margin of error was in 2012. This is not the 2010 or 2011 team that regularly blew out the competition. In '12, 8 of our 12 wins came by a margin of 7 or fewer points. If 1 or 2 plays go a different way, we don't go to the Rose Bowl. Sure you could argue that if 1-2 plays go differently against UW and ND, we would place in the BCS championship, but I think the ball bounced in our favor more often than the opposite.
I wholly expect that the 2013 team will be improved on offense and will be comparable, if not better, on defense. The point about Hogan's opportunity for improvement is a great one to consider and should reduce the margin of error greatly, even if we're losing 99% of our rushing and receiving yard play makers. Still, I don't think I'm ready to think of this team, with the question marks they have, as a top 5 team until I've seen how they do in their first 3 games.
I wholly expect that the 2013 team will be improved on offense and will be comparable, if not better, on defense. The point about Hogan's opportunity for improvement is a great one to consider and should reduce the margin of error greatly, even if we're losing 99% of our rushing and receiving yard play makers. Still, I don't think I'm ready to think of this team, with the question marks they have, as a top 5 team until I've seen how they do in their first 3 games.