(10-06-2014, 01:39 PM)OutsiderFan link Wrote:Overall, this is the first time in years I've seen the future outlook not at least as good as the present. Curious what others think.
The outlook for 2012 was far and away worse than 2011.
We didn't just lose Luck, we lost Whalen, Owusu, Fleener, DeCastro, Martin, and Gaffney.
We also lost Michael Thomas, Delano Howell, Matt Masifilo, Terrence Stephens, Johnson Bademosi, Harold Bernard, Max Bergen.
The 2012 was clearly the weakest of the four BCS years, but really how far that team went was amazing considering the personnel turnover.
Most prognosticators had Stanford projected to be down this year as well, mostly with comments that it would be a 1 year thing.
My view of next year is mixed.
The OLine should be significantly better. We should either have everyone back or lose just Peat with Tucker being groomed as an apparently high-level replacement. Improvement there will be absolutely the H-word.
We lose Montgomery, our best player on offense.
Otherwise, no losses in the receiving corps, no real losses in the RB group, no loss at QB.
The offense must be better next year.
[Must as an imperative, not an inevitability.]
The defense is mainly an issue on the line. Anderson, Parry, Leuders all gone. We'll need to see some folks emerge here. A big worry.
Tarpley and Vaughters gone from the linebacking corps but there seem to be candidates for replacements.
Lyons and Richards gone from the secondary. Think we have some candidates there.
I see no reason in particular that Stanford football should be down next year - though the DLine will need development.
And of course these days there's more down room than up - which I am thankful for.