I was wondering the same thing so I watched the Oregon State-Colorado game.
While anything can happen on a given Saturday, I think the odds of an upset like that are very low.
While Stanford has dropped some trap games in the past, I can't recall them recently letting up in midseason this bad and inexplicably dropping one like this.
My #1 concern would be injuries.
My #2 concern would be that it would be closer than it should be due to a lack of focus and seriousness.
My #3 concern would be a very mild test of Stanford's defense with the most balanced offense since U$C (I am talking only about their relative mix, not its effectiveness). I don't think there's enough star power there to come within 10, but if Stanford struggles even slightly with the Beaver's just OK mix of pass and run (even if we win), that will bode very poorly for how we'll do against Washington.
This will also be the second game for their new interim head coach. On the one hand, he is incented to shock the world and set himself up nicely for next season. On the other hand, he has no time to try to install much new at all.
So, while an upset is always possible, I am more worried about implications for the rest of the season (injuries, possible weaknesses, implications for the H)eisman).
While anything can happen on a given Saturday, I think the odds of an upset like that are very low.
While Stanford has dropped some trap games in the past, I can't recall them recently letting up in midseason this bad and inexplicably dropping one like this.
My #1 concern would be injuries.
My #2 concern would be that it would be closer than it should be due to a lack of focus and seriousness.
My #3 concern would be a very mild test of Stanford's defense with the most balanced offense since U$C (I am talking only about their relative mix, not its effectiveness). I don't think there's enough star power there to come within 10, but if Stanford struggles even slightly with the Beaver's just OK mix of pass and run (even if we win), that will bode very poorly for how we'll do against Washington.
This will also be the second game for their new interim head coach. On the one hand, he is incented to shock the world and set himself up nicely for next season. On the other hand, he has no time to try to install much new at all.
So, while an upset is always possible, I am more worried about implications for the rest of the season (injuries, possible weaknesses, implications for the H)eisman).