Stanford opened with four wins in a row. Then the Cardinal lost two in a row and everybody seems down on them. I'm not especially since they have Bryce Love back from his ankle injury.

The Cardinal losses came on the road to Notre Dame and to Utah when Love didn't play. Notre Dame is ranked fourth in the country. Utah has the best defense in the Pac-12.

When healthy, Love is the best running back in the country. He was a monster when Stanford beat Arizona State, 34-24, last season rushing for 301 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford has a strong offensive line that can open holes for Love against a Sun Devils defense giving up 227.3 rushing yards in their last four games.

Stanford has a coaching edge with David Shaw against Herm Edwards. This advantage is magnified with both teams coming off a bye.

The Cardinal have defeated the Sun Devils in five of the past six meetings. Stanford also has covered 14 of the last 18 times following a bye.