How Would a Successful Stanford Football Season Look?

Now that the schedule is out, let's see how this year's team could fare

Jan 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Retired NFL quarter Andrew Luck smiles court side during the fourth quarter of the game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Statement season. That is the type of campaign that the Stanford Cardinal are hoping for on the gridiron in 2025 after four straight seasons of finishing 3-9. Entering the '25 season having undergone a lot of changes, most notably bringing in legendary Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to be the football team's general manager. With moves like that, the Cardinal are focused more than ever on returning to being competitive.

With the full schedule now released, it is time to start looking at how things could go for the Cardinal football program in the new season, even after the roster turnover by way of the portal. At key positions, such as quarterback, wide receiver and linebacker, the Cardinal will boast a largely new roster than what they had last year. So, what would make for a successful season?

To make a bowl, teams typically have to finish at 6-6 or better, with some teams earning a bowl game with a 5-7 record, albeit that's more rare. For Stanford, the goal this year will be to make a bowl game for the first time since 2018, an era in which they were perennial bowl contenders and were consistently in the conversation to win their conference.

This year, the Cardinal will face a rather grueling schedule, with games against Miami, Notre Dame and a Bill Belichick-led North Carolina team being three matchups that the Cardinal will have to deal with. But while those types of teams could be expected to be contenders in the ACC, Stanford now has a year under its belt being in the conferece, going in this time around knowing more about what to expect.

In 2024, growing pains were a big part of it, with a new conference and a new set of opponents creating a sense of not knowing what to expect in year one for the Cardinal. But this season, things are different, as the program now knows what it needs to do in order to compete with the high level competition of the ACC.

A lot of the games on the Cardinal's schedule could be very winnable, with teams like Florida State, Boston College and Virginia coming off of down years. But they will also be challenged, with every team on their schedule at one point establishing themselves as ACC contenders.

Notre Dame, the final game of the season for Stanford, is coming off of a national championship game appearance while Miami, who were able to land Carson Beck from Georgia in the portal, will have lofty playoff expectations this fall.

Looking at the schedule as a whole, a successful campaign for Stanford could be five to seven wins. Five wins would mark considerable improvement over the last few years while seven wins could cement themselves as a bowl team. But whatever the case is heading into 2025, the Cardinal will be intently focused on proving that they belong in the ACC.

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