08-21-2017, 01:44 PM
Wilner has published his game by game predictions for Stanford this season.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/21/st...e-by-game/
While I don't think Wilner has any particular prognostication powers (which in and of itself isn't a put down), it may be a vehicle to spur some discussion as we await the opener.
Here are a few key quotations from Wilner, followed by my responses.
"The Cardinal will have impressive but just-short-of-elite season."
Fair enough, but it's hardly going out on a limb.
And, what Wilner calls impressive would probably be enough to cause a fair amount of Shawgrumbling [9-3 again].
"Based on Cals post-Sydney experience, Stanford will need every minute of the bye week to recuperate from the travel and body clock adjustment."
I fear that could be true, and it comes at a bad time with $C looming. Thought it is also quite possible that San Diego State was merely a better team than cal was last year. [Two weeks after their Sydney game, cal lost to SDSU on the road 40-45.]
"[U$C]Â Not close in the fourth quarter."
Wilner has really bought into the resurgence of $C thing. If we lose "Not close in the fourth quarter", that will be the first time this will have happened since pre-Harbaugh.
[The 2008 game (Harbaugh year #2) may also qualify, but technically I might be okay here. We were only down 17-24 at the start of the fourth quarter (still close), but were down three scores by 7 minutes left.]
Wilner predicts a loss to SDSU.
That would be a source of lots of Shawgrumbling.
"Stanford rises up to hand the Huskies, who have commanding division lead at this point, their first defeat."
Now he is just being cute, but had to balance the predicted losses to SDSU and WSU.
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It appears that Wilner is changing his College Hotline blog to a Pac 12 Hotline blog. Given that he already preferred conference and national stories to local stuff, it's not clear that will make any difference but I certainly wouldn't look for his coverage of the local teams to go up.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/08/21/st...e-by-game/
While I don't think Wilner has any particular prognostication powers (which in and of itself isn't a put down), it may be a vehicle to spur some discussion as we await the opener.
Here are a few key quotations from Wilner, followed by my responses.
"The Cardinal will have impressive but just-short-of-elite season."
Fair enough, but it's hardly going out on a limb.
And, what Wilner calls impressive would probably be enough to cause a fair amount of Shawgrumbling [9-3 again].
"Based on Cals post-Sydney experience, Stanford will need every minute of the bye week to recuperate from the travel and body clock adjustment."
I fear that could be true, and it comes at a bad time with $C looming. Thought it is also quite possible that San Diego State was merely a better team than cal was last year. [Two weeks after their Sydney game, cal lost to SDSU on the road 40-45.]
"[U$C]Â Not close in the fourth quarter."
Wilner has really bought into the resurgence of $C thing. If we lose "Not close in the fourth quarter", that will be the first time this will have happened since pre-Harbaugh.
[The 2008 game (Harbaugh year #2) may also qualify, but technically I might be okay here. We were only down 17-24 at the start of the fourth quarter (still close), but were down three scores by 7 minutes left.]
Wilner predicts a loss to SDSU.
That would be a source of lots of Shawgrumbling.
"Stanford rises up to hand the Huskies, who have commanding division lead at this point, their first defeat."
Now he is just being cute, but had to balance the predicted losses to SDSU and WSU.
-----------------
It appears that Wilner is changing his College Hotline blog to a Pac 12 Hotline blog. Given that he already preferred conference and national stories to local stuff, it's not clear that will make any difference but I certainly wouldn't look for his coverage of the local teams to go up.