Stanford Cardinal Football Is Here to Stay Without Andrew Luck

This is likely Andrew Luck's last season in a Cardinal uniform. As a redshirt sophomore last year, Luck could have left school early for the 2011 NFL Draft. Had he done so, he would have been the outright No. 1 overall pick of the Carolina Panthers instead of Cam Newton.

According to some scouts' rating systems, Andrew Luck is a perfect 99. It's hard to think of a quarterback in recent memory who has been thought of as such a sure thing as Luck currently is.

So it's not hard to see why a lot of people think that is Stanford's last chance at glory.

When Jim Harbaugh left Stanford for the San Francisco 49ers, that was seen as the first of two steps that were signs of Cardinal football possibly on the decline.

The second step would be the eventual departure of Andrew Luck.

Although Luck is arguably the best quarterback in college football, Harbaugh built a foundation that should at least last a handful of years before the Cardinal fades into oblivion.

First of all, let's look at the Pac-12. In the North, with the exception of Oregon, who is going to compete with Stanford for a spot in the Pac-12 championship every year?

Oregon State is a mess. They're one of the worst teams in the BCS, as they currently sit at 0-4 and are starting numerous true freshman.

Washington doesn't have the balance to compete for a division title. Washington State shouldn't be a factor, and although it appears California is improving, they still have a ways to go before they prove themselves worthy for a conference title.

In the South division, USC is restricted since they're on probation. Colorado is the same Colorado team that was coached by Dan Hawkins over the last several years. Arizona doesn't have the talent to hang with the high-scoring offenses of Oregon and Stanford. You never know what to expect out of UCLA. Utah is better than their current 2-2 record indicates, but they will suffer with the departure of Jordan Wynn.

When you look at the Pac-12 as a whole, you see two teams that will have a chance to be better than Stanford. Those two would be Oregon and Arizona State.

Look at Stanford's 2012 recruiting class. With the recent success experienced during the Harbaugh/Luck era, it has resulted in more prospects from the local area committing to play at Palo Alto. The Cardinal rank 24th in the Class of 2012.

The only two teams in the Pac-12 that are ahead of team are Arizona and USC.

This past year, even with the departure of Harbaugh and the insertion of David Shaw as head coach, the Cardinal ranked 22nd in the Class of 2011. Only USC and Oregon had a better recruiting class.

Depending on how the season progresses, Stepfan Taylor could return for his senior season at running back. The Cardinal will likely return four of their five current starting offensive lineman, with the exception of tackle Tyler Mabry.

On defense, the team should return six of its 11 starters in 2012.

Josh Nunes will likely take Luck's job in 2012, and he is extremely inexperienced. As a junior in 2011, he has appeared in just four games with two attempted passes.

He was, however, a four-star prospect coming out of high school, and the 17th-best prospect at his position. So he does have talent.

The point is this: Will Stanford be a National Championship contender under Nunes as they currently are under Luck? Most likely not.

But the main point is they will still be a great team. They will still be one of the top teams in the Pac-12. They will still be contending for conference titles.

Although Stanford loses a lot of shine once Luck leaves for the NFL, the Cardinal should have no problem continuing to compete with the very best of the Pac-12.