[CTcard]

The write-up, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Not what I would've expected from them.
(Had he had enough attempts, Costello's "just 8.6" ypa would have ranked him at #13, right behind Sam Darnold's 8.63.)

ypa rankings: https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/...vidual/908

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12. Stanford Cardinal

X-Factor: ... but the Cardinal offense still sputtered behind quarterback K.J. Costello, who averaged just 8.6 yards per attempt. The junior showed potential in what was his first season as a starter, leading the team to an upset win over Washington and a victory over Notre Dame, but he completed barely 50% of his passes in losses to USC and TCU. ...

There does seem to be a theme out there in various previews that Stanford really struggled on offense in 2017. That seems to be because the writers are taking a quick glance at yds/game stats and don't realize that Stanford operates at a far slower pace than most college teams … or they simply don't know how to divide. 

And while I agree the comment about Costello's ypa is inane, it looks to me as if he actually averaged about 7.45 ypa, which is more on the order of okay than great (and would be about #51 on the list you gave). Costello does need to improve his completion percentage. 


There are other previews out there. The one from College Football News caught my eye. They are generally kind of complimentary towards Stanford if not particularly well informed [in fact there are a few double-take inducing statements in there, along with an impressive number of simple errors]. They pick Stanford for what has become the standard #2 in the North slot. 
https://collegefootballnews.com/2018/06/...eview-2018

On page 2, we learn that Love was even better than we had thought, though the ability of this writer to put together a sentence wasn't as strong:

The Cardinal led the Pac-12 in the fewest sacks allowed, and was great for the ground game that averaged over 200 yards per carry – someone had to pave the way for Love.

[CTcard]

The write-up, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Not what I would've expected from them.
(Had he had enough attempts, Costello's "just 8.6" ypa would have ranked him at #13, right behind Sam Darnold's 8.63.)

ypa rankings: https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/...vidual/908

---

12. Stanford Cardinal

X-Factor: ... but the Cardinal offense still sputtered behind quarterback K.J. Costello, who averaged just 8.6 yards per attempt. The junior showed potential in what was his first season as a starter, leading the team to an upset win over Washington and a victory over Notre Dame, but he completed barely 50% of his passes in losses to USC and TCU. ...

There does seem to be a theme out there in various previews that Stanford really struggled on offense in 2017. That seems to be because the writers are taking a quick glance at yds/game stats and don't realize that Stanford operates at a far slower pace than most college teams … or they simply don't know how to divide. 

And while I agree the comment about Costello's ypa is inane, it looks to me as if he actually averaged about 7.45 ypa, which is more on the order of okay than great (and would be about #51 on the list you gave). Costello does need to improve his completion percentage. 


There are other previews out there. The one from College Football News caught my eye. They are generally kind of complimentary towards Stanford if not particularly well informed [in fact there are a few double-take inducing statements in there, along with an impressive number of simple errors]. They pick Stanford for what has become the standard #2 in the North slot. 
https://collegefootballnews.com/2018/06/...eview-2018

On page 2, we learn that Love was even better than we had thought, though the ability of this writer to put together a sentence wasn't as strong:

The Cardinal led the Pac-12 in the fewest sacks allowed, and was great for the ground game that averaged over 200 yards per carry – someone had to pave the way for Love.