[Farm93]

Here's the bit that irks me: Stanford has consistently outrecruited Oregon State in the last decade or so.  We should have the talent to beat them soundly, as we have for most of the last eleven years.  In fact, our current win streak dates to 2010.  And yet, we are 12+ point underdogs.  What is the difference?  Frankly, it can only be attributable to coaching.  Or maybe our recruits were overrated, or the wrong set of recruits for the program.  But that also is attributable to coaching.  Ultimately, that's what it boils down to.

That logic only gets you so far.   Notre Dame, USC and Oregon have all consistently recruited MUCH better than Stanford can ever hope to recruit based on the 2 AP requirement.   And yet, in the last decade Coach Shaw's record against those programs is pretty solid.  So that ability for Stanford to secure wins against superior talent boils down to....coaching.   At least that was the perspective of USC and Oregon types.

Ultimately 3-6 comes down to coaching and a 3-9 or 4-8 season would be an undesirable result.  4-2 in the 2020 season with only one home game and no home practice venue came down to coaching too.   Though, I suspect that season is discounted by most fans because we didn't get to see it in person. 

FWIW - The relatively poor performance by most of the fall 2021 Stanford sports teams suggest to me that the COVID-19 pandemic campus experience for student-athletes, and probably all students, should not be discounted.   I applaud the AD for not trying to use COVID protocols or the challenging campus environment as excuses while the pandemic kills thousands of people each week, but with the possible exception of men's cross country, the teams are having a really tough time.  7 teams (WXC, WFH, WVB, MWP, WSOC, MSOC and Football) are having seasons well below their norms.   I am not in DAPER day to day but maybe it is not just coaching this season at Stanford.

That noted, I would hope Shaw could find a way to implement a more creative offense and a new strength and conditioning program ASAP.

[Farm93]

Here's the bit that irks me: Stanford has consistently outrecruited Oregon State in the last decade or so.  We should have the talent to beat them soundly, as we have for most of the last eleven years.  In fact, our current win streak dates to 2010.  And yet, we are 12+ point underdogs.  What is the difference?  Frankly, it can only be attributable to coaching.  Or maybe our recruits were overrated, or the wrong set of recruits for the program.  But that also is attributable to coaching.  Ultimately, that's what it boils down to.

That logic only gets you so far.   Notre Dame, USC and Oregon have all consistently recruited MUCH better than Stanford can ever hope to recruit based on the 2 AP requirement.   And yet, in the last decade Coach Shaw's record against those programs is pretty solid.  So that ability for Stanford to secure wins against superior talent boils down to....coaching.   At least that was the perspective of USC and Oregon types.

Ultimately 3-6 comes down to coaching and a 3-9 or 4-8 season would be an undesirable result.  4-2 in the 2020 season with only one home game and no home practice venue came down to coaching too.   Though, I suspect that season is discounted by most fans because we didn't get to see it in person. 

FWIW - The relatively poor performance by most of the fall 2021 Stanford sports teams suggest to me that the COVID-19 pandemic campus experience for student-athletes, and probably all students, should not be discounted.   I applaud the AD for not trying to use COVID protocols or the challenging campus environment as excuses while the pandemic kills thousands of people each week, but with the possible exception of men's cross country, the teams are having a really tough time.  7 teams (WXC, WFH, WVB, MWP, WSOC, MSOC and Football) are having seasons well below their norms.   I am not in DAPER day to day but maybe it is not just coaching this season at Stanford.

That noted, I would hope Shaw could find a way to implement a more creative offense and a new strength and conditioning program ASAP.