[Papa John]

Stanford football has suffered through 4 consecutive 3-9 seasons. By my calculations, that .250 wins/game average is the second-worst four-year streak in school history--1958 through 1961 Stanford went 2-8, 3-7, 0-10 (!) and 4-6 for a .225 average.

If we go back to 2019, the season following Stanford's most recent bowl appearance, the wins/game average is .303, the third-worst six-year streak in school history. The worst is 1958-1963--2-8, 3-7, 0-10, 4-6, 5-5 and 3-7 for a .283 average; second worst is 2002-2007--2-9, 4-7, 4-7, 5-6, 1-11, 4-8 for a .294 average.

The good news is that both previous nadirs were followed by significant improvements, as opposed to sustained mediocrity or worse. The Jack Curtice-led swoon of 1958-1962 was followed by the glory years of College Hall of Fame coach John Ralston, who, from 1963-1971 compiled a 55-36-3 record and back-to-back Rose Bowl wins. The Buddy-Walt years were followed by Jim Harbaugh's resurgence and a full decade of winning football.

So what will the 2025 season bring? Will we suffer another losing season and possibly establish the worst stretch of football results in school history? Will Frank Reich steady the ship in a transition year that will lead to another period of sustained success? There have been a smattering of divergent opinions, but the purpose of this poll is to collect the predictions of a broader swath of the CardBoard community.

Papa John, thanks so much for reminding me of how bad our football team was when I was at Stanford.  i have tried to forget it.

GK3, I feel your pain. As a Stanford student I was present for the events of November 20, 1982 in Strawberry Canyon. Wish I could forget that.

For what it's worth, the football wins/game during my five years at Stanford, which are the 1980-84 seasons, is .345 (6-5, 4-7, 5-6, 1-10, 5-6). The first three of those were Elway's final three years, and Stanford would have attended bowl games with Big Game wins in 1980 and 1982.

Back to this year's team, I still haven't heard discussion about how the 2025 team is improved over the 2023 and 2024 teams, other than coaching and the strength of schedule. It seems to me that there will be equal or less talent in every position group, especially QB.

When I Google "stanford football returning starters 2025," Google's AI tells me that "Key players like quarterback Kevin Jennings, linebacker Tevarua Tafiti, and safety Jay Green are expected to be major contributors." That would be great if it were true. Kevin Jennings is the starting QB for SMU...

[Papa John]

Stanford football has suffered through 4 consecutive 3-9 seasons. By my calculations, that .250 wins/game average is the second-worst four-year streak in school history--1958 through 1961 Stanford went 2-8, 3-7, 0-10 (!) and 4-6 for a .225 average.

If we go back to 2019, the season following Stanford's most recent bowl appearance, the wins/game average is .303, the third-worst six-year streak in school history. The worst is 1958-1963--2-8, 3-7, 0-10, 4-6, 5-5 and 3-7 for a .283 average; second worst is 2002-2007--2-9, 4-7, 4-7, 5-6, 1-11, 4-8 for a .294 average.

The good news is that both previous nadirs were followed by significant improvements, as opposed to sustained mediocrity or worse. The Jack Curtice-led swoon of 1958-1962 was followed by the glory years of College Hall of Fame coach John Ralston, who, from 1963-1971 compiled a 55-36-3 record and back-to-back Rose Bowl wins. The Buddy-Walt years were followed by Jim Harbaugh's resurgence and a full decade of winning football.

So what will the 2025 season bring? Will we suffer another losing season and possibly establish the worst stretch of football results in school history? Will Frank Reich steady the ship in a transition year that will lead to another period of sustained success? There have been a smattering of divergent opinions, but the purpose of this poll is to collect the predictions of a broader swath of the CardBoard community.

Papa John, thanks so much for reminding me of how bad our football team was when I was at Stanford.  i have tried to forget it.

GK3, I feel your pain. As a Stanford student I was present for the events of November 20, 1982 in Strawberry Canyon. Wish I could forget that.

For what it's worth, the football wins/game during my five years at Stanford, which are the 1980-84 seasons, is .345 (6-5, 4-7, 5-6, 1-10, 5-6). The first three of those were Elway's final three years, and Stanford would have attended bowl games with Big Game wins in 1980 and 1982.

Back to this year's team, I still haven't heard discussion about how the 2025 team is improved over the 2023 and 2024 teams, other than coaching and the strength of schedule. It seems to me that there will be equal or less talent in every position group, especially QB.

When I Google "stanford football returning starters 2025," Google's AI tells me that "Key players like quarterback Kevin Jennings, linebacker Tevarua Tafiti, and safety Jay Green are expected to be major contributors." That would be great if it were true. Kevin Jennings is the starting QB for SMU...