[CardinalSagehen]

Predicting anything this year is tricky.  To say the least. Too many other factors.  Heck I thought the Giants would go 22-38.  So, who knows.

I agree.  Given the uncertainty, we might as well try to be optimistic.  Enough already with all the doom-and-gloom before we've even played a down!

We have a returning 5-star QB that showed us quite a bit last year when healthy, a deep and talented WR room, two ILBs coming back from injury that are fantastic athletes and haven't really played yet, a returning (for the moment, anyway?) "lockdown" CB, and an OL that can't possibly experience as many injuries as last year.  A ton of freshmen were pressed into action last year and will make the big leap into their second season - Austin Jones, Nathaniel Peat, Jonathan McGill, Walter Rouse, Branson Bragg and others. Guys like EJ Smith and Myles Hinton are entering the program and will contribute to the future. Anything can happen.

I know that the arrow has been pointing downward for a few years, Walker Little has opted out, we lost a few grad transfers that might have helped (Hamilton and Swann in particular), and the 2021 class is going to be thin. But just consider that we didn't even think we'd have Stanford Football in 2020!  I kind of view this abbreviated season as all upside. Nobody is expecting much, so it will be hard to be disappointed. Some guys will move closer to graduating and the lure of the transfer portal, but technically nobody is even burning any eligibility. 

If we can get through the season without a major Covid outbreak on this team, I'll probably be happy enough.

[CardinalSagehen]

Predicting anything this year is tricky.  To say the least. Too many other factors.  Heck I thought the Giants would go 22-38.  So, who knows.

I agree.  Given the uncertainty, we might as well try to be optimistic.  Enough already with all the doom-and-gloom before we've even played a down!

We have a returning 5-star QB that showed us quite a bit last year when healthy, a deep and talented WR room, two ILBs coming back from injury that are fantastic athletes and haven't really played yet, a returning (for the moment, anyway?) "lockdown" CB, and an OL that can't possibly experience as many injuries as last year.  A ton of freshmen were pressed into action last year and will make the big leap into their second season - Austin Jones, Nathaniel Peat, Jonathan McGill, Walter Rouse, Branson Bragg and others. Guys like EJ Smith and Myles Hinton are entering the program and will contribute to the future. Anything can happen.

I know that the arrow has been pointing downward for a few years, Walker Little has opted out, we lost a few grad transfers that might have helped (Hamilton and Swann in particular), and the 2021 class is going to be thin. But just consider that we didn't even think we'd have Stanford Football in 2020!  I kind of view this abbreviated season as all upside. Nobody is expecting much, so it will be hard to be disappointed. Some guys will move closer to graduating and the lure of the transfer portal, but technically nobody is even burning any eligibility. 

If we can get through the season without a major Covid outbreak on this team, I'll probably be happy enough.