[JohnR34231]

Yes, that 2016 blowout loss to the Huskies in Seattle felt like a sea-change: once the home of "intellectual brutality", Stanford was brutalized by the Dawgs on both sides of the line.  Burns and Chryst were running for their lives, while CMac was stymied every time he got the ball.  The first seven games of that season were a sign that the foundation for Stanford's brand of football was no longer firm, especially after that travesty of a home loss to Colorado (10-5!).  A few stand-out players, most notably Bryce Love in 2017, helped plaster over the cracks during this period; but the crumbling continued apace, and last night's game represents a logical nadir (or can it still get worse?).

I think Utah last year was far worse.

Well, that was against a very good Utah team.  The way we choked last Saturday was against a decidedly average Beaver squad with its second string QB.  Plus, this defeat sets a Stanford record for consecutive losses to FBS teams.  Feels like a relative nadir, which could be exceeded this coming Saturday.  Anyway, we can quibble about where rock bottom is.  We are at or near it right now.

Yep, and we were playing with our second string QB against Utah.
Not that things got much better when McKee returned.
Fortunately, ND is not a particularly good team this year by ND standards. So maybe we can hope for a respectable outcome, although I think our chances of winning are just about zilch.
As far as Shaw doing an excellent job in 2020, I agree with that sentiment. It made one hope that 2019 was something of a fluke. Unfortunately subsequent events have clearly shown it wasn't.

[JohnR34231]

Yes, that 2016 blowout loss to the Huskies in Seattle felt like a sea-change: once the home of "intellectual brutality", Stanford was brutalized by the Dawgs on both sides of the line.  Burns and Chryst were running for their lives, while CMac was stymied every time he got the ball.  The first seven games of that season were a sign that the foundation for Stanford's brand of football was no longer firm, especially after that travesty of a home loss to Colorado (10-5!).  A few stand-out players, most notably Bryce Love in 2017, helped plaster over the cracks during this period; but the crumbling continued apace, and last night's game represents a logical nadir (or can it still get worse?).

I think Utah last year was far worse.

Well, that was against a very good Utah team.  The way we choked last Saturday was against a decidedly average Beaver squad with its second string QB.  Plus, this defeat sets a Stanford record for consecutive losses to FBS teams.  Feels like a relative nadir, which could be exceeded this coming Saturday.  Anyway, we can quibble about where rock bottom is.  We are at or near it right now.

Yep, and we were playing with our second string QB against Utah.
Not that things got much better when McKee returned.
Fortunately, ND is not a particularly good team this year by ND standards. So maybe we can hope for a respectable outcome, although I think our chances of winning are just about zilch.
As far as Shaw doing an excellent job in 2020, I agree with that sentiment. It made one hope that 2019 was something of a fluke. Unfortunately subsequent events have clearly shown it wasn't.