Oregon vs. Stanford: Is Cardinal Success More Andrew Luck or David Shaw?

When No. 4 Stanford takes on No. 7 Oregon, they will need everything they have in the bag to get by the Ducks. How much of their success will rely on QB Andrew Luck and how much will rely on head coach David Shaw?

There's more at stake here than just a Pac-12 title. With Stanford sitting just outside the "money seat" for a National Title, they have hopes even bigger than the Rose Bowl. A loss to the Ducks would take Stanford out of the running for a National Title and place them in the back seat for a shot at the Rose Bowl, as well.

In a nutshell, their entire season comes down to tonight. No pressure or anything.

Andrew Luck has been the face of the Cardinal. His tremendous passing ability has kept him firmly in the Heisman race and led Stanford to a 9-0 start that has seen them only truly tested by USC. His stats are impressive and his leadership is undeniable.

However, Luck isn't the one putting together the game plans and he's not the one calling in the plays. He has nothing whatsoever to do with the defensive performance or special teams play.

That's all Shaw.

Who will be a more important factor in tonight's game against Oregon? The simple answer is, both. However, life really isn't that simple.

Oregon has the third best pass defense in the Pac-12, statistically speaking. They allow an average of 234.6 yards per game through the air and have given up 11 passing touchdowns.

However, they're also opportunistic, taking away 10 interceptions on the year (also third best in the conference.)

There's no question that Luck is going to have to be on his game.

Luck is no stranger to good pass defenses, though. Just last week he faced Oregon State, who owns the second best pass defense in the conference.

In that game, he completed 66.7 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and an interception. Not a terrible day considering the defense he was up against.

However, as far as yardage goes, it was his second worst performance of the year. He got the job done, but didn't account for a ton of yards on the process, picking up just 206 yards.

Given that Oregon typically puts up a lot of yards and quite a few points per game, he may have to do more to keep Stanford in this one.

That's where the focus needs to shift.

What if Luck can't do better? What if Oregon puts together a game plan that minimizes Luck's abilities and takes away Stanford's strongest threat?

David Shaw now has his chance to shine.

Oregon brings the second best scoring offense in the conference (just behind Stanford). They are far and away the best offense the Cardinal have faced this year.

How will Stanford slow them down, or will they? Will Shaw hope to out-gun the Ducks in a wild shootout and focus heavily on the offensive attack, or will he bone up the top-rated Pac-12 scoring defense and try to shut down the Ducks attack?

What if things don't go as planned? Does he have a "Plan B" to fall back on if things take a turn for the worst?

How will he handle the pressure? We've seen coaches like Wisconsin's Bret Bielema make questionable choices during tight games and potentially lose the game for their teams. We've seen plenty of coaches fold under the weight of a potential National Title bid.

Heck, just last week Alabama's Nick Saban—who is no stranger to big games—made some very interesting calls with the biggest game of the year on the line.

Stanford has the tools to win this game. Andrew Luck is in the Heisman Trophy race for good reason. He's a tremendous quarterback with a skill set that's tough to negate and he has tremendous support around him.

However, they'll need a head man who can stay cool under pressure, make the right calls and lead his team through the toughest storm they've faced this year. They'll need a coach who can make the right adjustments to keep Oregon on their heels.

The Cardinal will need more than Luck to beat Oregon—they'll need David Shaw.