Stanford Football: 8 Teams the Cardinal Should Play in the Future
The Stanford Cardinal are one of the emerging football programs in college football today.
Last season was a testament to the Cardinal's recent improvement as they finished 12-1, ending the season with a BCS Bowl victory in the Orange Bowl.
Now that Stanford is capable of competing with the best teams in college football again, the days of scheduling San Jose State and Sacramento State need to be over.
The Cardinal need to begin showing they can play well against the best conferences and the best teams in the country.
Here are eight teams Stanford should schedule in the future.
Northwestern Wildcats
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Good news! These two teams are set to face off in 2019.
The more Northwestern continues to improve it's football tradition, the more interesting this matchup becomes.
According to US News and World Report, Stanford is academically the best school in the FBS—and Northwestern is not far behind.
Stanford and Northwestern would have the opportunity to prove which school has the best combination of academics and football excellence in the country.
These two schools have played each other six times, with the most recent matchup in 1994 ending in a 41-41 tie. If played today there wouldn't be a tie, but the game would provide some of the same excitement seen in their previous matchups.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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The Alabama Crimson Tide are coming into the 2011 season as one of the favorites to win the BCS National Championship, a position they seem to find themselves in almost every year.
Stanford is also a legitimate contender for the BCS National Championship so we could see this matchup sooner than we think. Either way, though, Alabama would be a great addition to the Cardinal's schedule.
There are so many things about this matchup that would be compelling, like Alabama, a team primarily known for its defense, playing against a West Coast-style offense that relies primarily on throwing the football.
Not to mention a top SEC team competing against a top Pac-12 team for conference bragging rights.
Stanford could certainly not be accused of playing a weak non-conference schedule if it played Alabama.
Oklahoma Sooners
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The Cardinal have yet to play the Oklahoma Sooners since the 2009 Sun Bowl, which ended in a 27-31 loss for Stanford.
Another meeting between the two teams would look much different.
Both teams have improved a lot since that bowl matchup. The Cardinal finished last season with a 12-1 record and an Orange Bowl victory, while the Sooners finished 12-2 with a dominating win in the Fiesta Bowl.
It doesn't look like either of these teams will regress anytime soon, likely making this game one that would hold serious BCS implications.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
TCU Horned Frogs
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TCU is coming off the biggest win in its program's history.
The Horned Frogs became the first mid-major to win a BCS Bowl game by beating the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19.
Stanford wasn't given the opportunity to play in that Rose Bowl and instead had to watch a non-Pac-10 team hoist the trophy.
Now, although the Cardinal did win the Orange Bowl, they still wouldn't mind proving Pac-10 supremacy in a regular-season matchup between these two schools.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Since 2001, the Stanford Cardinal have a 2-7 record against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, with those two wins coming in the last two seasons.
The Irish have been playing the Cardinal since the early 1900s and now the game has become a mini-rivalry—but one dominated by Notre Dame.
However, as the Cardinal continue to become a football powerhouse this game is sure to offer up some instant classics in the future.
We'll get the chance to see this matchup again in the 2011 season, but this is a game Stanford should definitely keep on the schedule.
Auburn Tigers
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The 2010 College Football Season ended with Auburn defeating Oregon in the BCS National Championship game.
Losing to the Auburn was not only a loss for Oregon, but a loss for the Pac-10.
Oregon had (rather easily) ran through the Pac-10—including Stanford—in conference play and that loss took credibility away from Stanford's season.
A matchup with the Tigers would allow the Cardinal to redeem the conference and prove that their success in 2010 was no fluke.
LSU Tigers
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There haven't been many teams that have seen as much success on the football field this decade as LSU.
In fact, The Tigers boast one of the best records since 2000, going 107-32.
LSU also seems to get a top five recruiting class every year, something Stanford rarely—if ever—sees.
However, it's not Stanford's facilities, coaches or program that prevent top recruits from attending the school, but rather the academic standards these athletes must meet in order to attend the university.
Now that Stanford has become one of the best teams in the country, this game could allow the Cardinal to show the country that they can beat the best without lowering their standards.
Michigan Wolverines
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The first time the Michigan Wolverines and the Stanford Cardinal faced each other was in 1901.
The last time they played, Stanford was humiliated by the Wolverines, getting shutout and losing by 59 points.
Stanford would love to see Michigan again.
The Cardinal are on an even playing field with the Wolverines now and are much more capable of beating the football powerhouse.
These two programs have such a rich history that starting this series up again could possibly be the beginning of a new rivalry in college football.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
