After a very promising 3-0 start and a win over USC to begin conference play, the Stanford Cardinal has faltered, with quarterback Josh Nunes struggling in his first career road start and his team lost to Washington. With a brutal stretch of schedule on the horizon, the Cardinal can go one of two ways.
SB Nation's Stanford blog, Rule of Tree, thinks this game will determine how the rest of the year goes in Palo Alto:
Now, the Arizona Wildcats come to town – and Stanford is looking to settle just which split personality will show up this week.
Can Stanford rebound against Arizona and look more like the team that could go 10-2? Or will it struggle again and look like the team that could go 7-5? Or will it be somewhere in the middle?
Stanford seems like a solid bet on Saturday afternoon. Given their power rushing attack and Arizona's shortcoming up front in their 3-3-5 scheme, running back Stepfan Taylor should be in for a big day. The Wildcats have the offensive firepower to score points, but they're among the nation's worst at turning the ball over and failing to convert in the red zone. This won't be an easy game by any means, but look for the Cardinal to get back on track this weekend.