09-11-2023, 12:11 PM
The coolest outcome of all this is learning Mr. E once hooped against Kevin McHale. (Isn't Hibbing, MN where Dylan grew up?)
I really appreciate Matt taking the time to watch carefully enough to post those cogent and sober thoughts. I was done after the first drive and the game became a "last channel" laugh track while I watched Cal and Auburn. Matt gives me some hope that maybe USC is just that good. My game time thoughts were that maybe USC is just that good, but more likely Stanford is at best Nevada (who is awful - bludgeoned by transitioning-to-FBS Idaho after a Stanford-like performance against the Trojans), not nearly as good as San Jose State who at least fought for a half plus), and Hawaii may be the worst football team in recorded history. Sure enough, my phone app showed them in a game-long battle with SUNY-Albany, an FCS program from the Colonial, who was playing on an early morning body clock (like Waffle House bad decision time) 5,000 miles from home. The Great Danes gave them a game, anyway.
I get it. One game in one year. But this was different than watching the Texas beatdown in '99. To my eyes this is the worst football team Stanford has trotted out there at least since I started watching in 1985. Small and slow and nowhere near ready for the moment. Blame whomever you want (plenty to go around), but there is a lot of work to do. Hopefully Taylor can do it. My other thought while listening to the comparison between Riley and Folsom-Sacto Taylor, was "what are we doing?" Hire an FCS coach and suddenly we look FCS. That said, Harbaugh came with little HC experience directly from the Big Sky and Shaw had zero HC experience. But contrast Saturday's mauling with Harbaugh's first game against a highly ranked SC in LA. No comparison. Also, a bit of an unfair comparison, because there was an extra month before facing SC in '07. I do think this probably being the last matchup in some time added a lot of fuel to SC's fire and they avoided any John David Booty moments. SC gave that game away in '07, but at least Stanford was capable of taking it. I'm not sure this year's team is capable of anything close. I don't think there is enough time in any game or enough vindictiveness for anyone to hang 222 on anyone, but if USC wanted to do it, they could have gotten about half way there.
1960 (no conference victories) is a real possibility with this schedule. Assuming Taylor can fire everyone up to avoid another Davis debacle, Stanford can't beat any of the teams remaining on their schedule without significant improvement. There is always one of those games where it comes together, so I'd be surprised if that happens, but only mildly.
I really appreciate Matt taking the time to watch carefully enough to post those cogent and sober thoughts. I was done after the first drive and the game became a "last channel" laugh track while I watched Cal and Auburn. Matt gives me some hope that maybe USC is just that good. My game time thoughts were that maybe USC is just that good, but more likely Stanford is at best Nevada (who is awful - bludgeoned by transitioning-to-FBS Idaho after a Stanford-like performance against the Trojans), not nearly as good as San Jose State who at least fought for a half plus), and Hawaii may be the worst football team in recorded history. Sure enough, my phone app showed them in a game-long battle with SUNY-Albany, an FCS program from the Colonial, who was playing on an early morning body clock (like Waffle House bad decision time) 5,000 miles from home. The Great Danes gave them a game, anyway.
I get it. One game in one year. But this was different than watching the Texas beatdown in '99. To my eyes this is the worst football team Stanford has trotted out there at least since I started watching in 1985. Small and slow and nowhere near ready for the moment. Blame whomever you want (plenty to go around), but there is a lot of work to do. Hopefully Taylor can do it. My other thought while listening to the comparison between Riley and Folsom-Sacto Taylor, was "what are we doing?" Hire an FCS coach and suddenly we look FCS. That said, Harbaugh came with little HC experience directly from the Big Sky and Shaw had zero HC experience. But contrast Saturday's mauling with Harbaugh's first game against a highly ranked SC in LA. No comparison. Also, a bit of an unfair comparison, because there was an extra month before facing SC in '07. I do think this probably being the last matchup in some time added a lot of fuel to SC's fire and they avoided any John David Booty moments. SC gave that game away in '07, but at least Stanford was capable of taking it. I'm not sure this year's team is capable of anything close. I don't think there is enough time in any game or enough vindictiveness for anyone to hang 222 on anyone, but if USC wanted to do it, they could have gotten about half way there.
1960 (no conference victories) is a real possibility with this schedule. Assuming Taylor can fire everyone up to avoid another Davis debacle, Stanford can't beat any of the teams remaining on their schedule without significant improvement. There is always one of those games where it comes together, so I'd be surprised if that happens, but only mildly.