Behind the skills of quarterback Andrew Luck, the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal have risen to national prominence over the last two football seasons. Since the beginning of last season, Stanford has won 18 of its 19 games and transformed from an unranked team to a Top 10 staple. This week, the Cardinal take aim at their 15th straight win when the No. 22 Washington Huskies comes to town.
Stanford's last loss came at the hands of the then-No. 4 Oregon in Week Five of the 2010 season. Facing the Ducks in Autzen Stadium, the Cardinal came away with a 52-31 loss that would serve as the only blemish on their 2010 campaign.
Since then, Stanford has racked up 14 straight victories. After closing out last year with eight straight wins, Stanford has maintained its hot streak this season behind the strength of its defense. The Cardinal are holding teams to 11.2 points per game (fifth-best in the country).
The defense will need to play big against Washington and quarterback Keith Price. Price has thrown a Pac-12 leading 21 touchdowns so far this year and hasn't recorded less than three touchdowns in any one game.
The Cardinal defense will need to put the clamps down on Price and contain the Huskies suddenly explosive offense on Saturday. If they manage to do so, Stanford will give itself a great shot to get its milestone 15th straight victory.