College Football Preview: The Best Of the Rest: Stanford Cardinal

Stanford Cardinal, Un Ranked, Key Loss: RB Toby Gerhart
Most of the time teams who loss Heisman runners ups to the NFL draft are left in a mess. Not Stanford. The Cardinal said good bye to Toby Gerhart because they knew they could switch to the passing game with sophomore Andrew Luck. Coach Jim Harbaugh raved about Luck for good reason as along with spectacular passing numbers Luck can bring down the ball and run. Replacing Gerhart as starter will most likely be Tyler Gaffney but Harbaugh will use a three running back style along with sophomore Stepfan Taylor and senior Jeremy Stewart. Full back Owen Marecic is a true talent who can also linebacker. The O-Line is decent with center Chase Beeler, an All Conference Selection. On defense, the line returns three starters in Thomas Keiser, Sione Fua and Chase Thomas. The linebacker core lost some of its luster but returns sophomore Shayne Skov, who was a five star 2009 recruit and played well including 15 tackles in the Sun Bowl vs. Oklahoma. If the secondary plays well the Cardinal will be just fine on defense.

Heisman Hopeful: Andrew Luck
Other Notable Player: Owen Marecic
Key Games: Oct. 9 vs. USC Quick Pick: Sophomores Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck go up against each other but Luck will have a better day. Stanford escapes.
Oct. 30 vs. Washington Quick Pick: Washington could be a surprise contender as the Cardinal defense looks to shut down Jake Locker. Washington wins.