Stanford experienced a wild offseason as it lost its head coach to the NFL and found itself in the top heavy North Division of the restructured Pac 10, now Pac 12 conference. The oddsmakers still like the Cardinal, though, as the 2011 version of the team is presently listed at -210 moneyline odds to finish with more than 8.5 wins. The latest 2011 College Football Predictions also see Stanford factoring into the Pac 12 title chase with the team drawing +250 odds to win the league's inaugural championship game.
Stanford went through a 
number of dark days in the early 2000's, but those hard times seemed like centuries ago last year. The Cardinal dusted off the ashes of numerous losing seasons by fighting its way to a near perfect 12-1 record.
Quarterback Andrew Luck, a Heisman finalist a season ago and the cornerstone of the school's football resurgence, helped the team cap off its brilliant regular season with a 40-12 shellacking of No. 12 Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Luck, the oddsmakers favorite to win the Heisman this year, completed 18-of-23 passes for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the blowout victory. He finished the season with 3338 pass yards, 453 rush yards, and 35 touchdowns (32 passing, three rushing).
To the surprise of many Luck decided to return for his junior season at Stanford, giving hope to a program that saw Head Coach Jim Harbaugh move on to the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to Luck, 10 other starters, including leading rusher Stepfan Taylor (1137 yards, 15 touchdowns) and top tackler Shayne Skov (84 tackles, 7.5 sacks), return to Palo Alto. The group will be lead by new Head Coach David Shaw, who served as Harbaugh's offensive coordinator at Stanford from 2007-2010.
While there are some significant losses (DE Thomas Keiser, WR Doug Baldwin, WR Ryan Whalen), Luck's presence and his familiarity with Shaw's offensive system make the Cardinal a threat to match last season's numbers and remove the Oregon Ducks from their conference championship perch.
2011 College Football Predictions: 11-1 Overall, 8-1 Conference, First Place North Division
Stanford Cardinal 2011 College Football Predictions:
Regular Season Wins: Over 8.5 Games (-210), Under 8.5 Games (+160)
Pac 12 North Division 2011 – Odds to Win +150
2011 Pac 12 Championship Game – Odds to Win +250
2012 BCS National Championship – Odds to Win +2000
