Breaking down 2022 Stanford football schedule
With college football already underway and Stanford’s first game this upcoming Saturday, I thought it would be good to provide a breakdown of the Cardinal’s 2022 schedule. Stanford is coming off a 3-9 season and is hoping to have a bounce back season that exceeds the 4-5 win projection that many have for them. Without further ado, let’s dive in!
The Cardinal will get things started on Saturday, September 3rd at home against Colgate. Kickoff is set for 5:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and KNBR Radio 1050.
Colgate is an NCAA Division I FCS school a.k.a. Division I AA. They compete in the Patriot League along with Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, and Lehigh. They have four other schools in the league for football. Two of their conference members compete at the FBS level (Army & Navy), so that’s why their football conference is so tiny. That and some of the other schools don’t have a football team.
Stanford should defeat Colgate with little trouble. Colgate went 5-6 last season, losing at Boston College by a final score of 51-0. Ideally, it’s at least a 35 point victory for Stanford. One could argue it should be even more, but I’m saying 35 because you need to factor in the fact that Stanford is trying to keep their guys healthy and once they have the game in hand, it would make more sense to pull out starters than to keep them in to run up the score. The key thing is they win with no trouble and move onto their next opponent without any key guys getting injured.
Week 2 for Stanford will be on Saturday, September 10th at home against USC. Kickoff is set for 4:30 PM PT on ABC and KNBR Radio 1050.
USC is ranked #14 in the AP Top 25 poll at the moment and excited to begin year one of the Lincoln Riley era. USC is also excited to be making the switch to the Big Ten in a couple of seasons and just in general, they’re a confident bunch with a lot of bravado. This is always a big rivalry for Stanford, but with USC leaving for the Big Ten, this year’s game will have an extra pop to it. On top of that, former Stanford running back Austin Jones decided to peace out of Palo Alto for the Southern California sunshine and join the Trojans. That no doubt adds even more fuel to the game. And as if that isn’t enough, Stanford defeated USC 42-28 last season on the road when USC was ranked #14, so the Cardinal should have a great deal of confidence as well. Both teams should be amped up to 11 for this game.
Week 3 for Stanford is a bye week (Saturday, September 17th).
This will be a week for them to rest and get ready for the rest of the season. The timing of the bye week is important. I think most teams would prefer a bye week that’s in the middle of the season as opposed to being too early or too late. But this is the hand Stanford was given and they just gotta roll with it. Getting some rest early on isn’t all bad.
Week 4 for Stanford is at Washington on Saturday, September 24th. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will be carrying the game.
The Huskies are coming off a 4-8 season and have a new head coach in Kalen DeBoer, so they are looking to take things in a new direction. This will be a bit of a payback game for Stanford as they lost to Washington at home last season by a final score of 20-13. Stanford should have won that game and they know it. After getting up 3-0 at the end of the 1st quarter, Washington took a 9-3 lead at halftime and kicked another field goal in the 3rd quarter to go up 12-3. This was a pretty ugly game and Stanford wasn’t able to complete the comeback, outscoring Washington 10-8 in the 4th quarter.
If Stanford is going to get a road win this season, this might be their best shot. Washington is in year one of a new head coach and likely will have a rocky season. There also should be plenty of motivation on the grounds that Stanford knows they should have defeated the Huskies last season.
Week 5 for Stanford is at Oregon on Saturday, October 1st. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Oregon is currently ranked #11 in the nation, so this projects to be a really tough game. Oregon is always tough to beat up in Eugene. Their fans are loud and Oregon always feeds off of that really well. Stanford defeated Oregon last season 31-24 in overtime at home, which was their biggest win of the season and also their last. Stanford should take some confidence into this game knowing they beat Oregon the last time they faced, but at the same time, that’ll also make the Ducks a bit more hyped for the game as well.
This game is going to be a real test for Stanford. It’ll be October in that early/middle part of the season. How this one goes will tell us a lot about Stanford.
Week 6 will be another revenge game for Stanford as they take on Oregon State at home on Saturday, October 8th. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Stanford prides themselves on never losing to Oregon State and yet that’s what happened last season in Corvallis as the Beavers trounced the Cardinal 35-14. Ari Patu was the starting quarterback for that game as Tanner McKee was still out with his knee injury. One thing that should help Stanford in this game is that the students will be back on campus. It will be the first home game during the fall quarter as the first two home games will happen before the quarter starts.
Considering Stanford’s historical success against the Beavers and the fact that students will be back, Stanford will likely be favored in this game. If there’s one “must win” game on the schedule, it’s this one. Stanford has to win this game.
Week 7 for Stanford will be on the road in South Bend as the take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame on Saturday, October 15th. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
The Irish are currently ranked #5 in the nation and are looking to contend for a national championship. This will be another rivalry game for Stanford, so that in and of itself adds meaning to the game. On top of that, Stanford will be looking for some payback as Notre Dame crushed them like a paper cup on The Farm last season by a final score of 45-14. Stanford will be big underdogs in this game. If they find a way to win this game, it’ll be the biggest win of the season for sure.
Week 8 for Stanford will be homecoming against Arizona State on Saturday, October 22nd. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Despite head coach Herm Edwards being a bit of a controversial figure, the Sun Devils are coming off a solid season in which they went 8-5 overall. They also defeated Stanford with ease last season by a final score of 28-10. In case you aren’t picking up on this trend, this will be another revenge game for Stanford. They’ll be eager to defend their home turf after getting trounced in Tempe. This one won’t be easy, but it’s definitely winnable.
Week 9 for Stanford will be at UCLA on Saturday, October 29th. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
This one doesn’t have the same pop as the USC game, but it’s still a rivalry game by virtue of it being a game between two California teams. Nor Cal vs. So Cal. UCLA also is leaving for the Big Ten, so that dimension will be there in this game as well. UCLA isn’t ranked, but they’re receiving some votes, so there’s at least some expectations for a quality season.
Stanford lost 35-24 against UCLA at home last season, trailing by a touchdown at the start of the 4th quarter. It was a game that Stanford could have won, but they were playing from behind the whole time. UCLA is usually not the most hostile atmosphere, so if there’s a road game for Stanford to look at and feel like they can win, this is about as winnable as they’re gonna come all season long.
Week 10 for Stanford will be Saturday, November 5th at home against Washington State. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Similar to the Washington game from last season, Stanford narrowly lost at Washington State by a final score of 34-31. Stanford led 13-0 at the end of the 1st quarter before completely soling themselves in the 2nd quarter as Washington State outscored them 20-3. Washington State tacked on another 7 points in the 3rd quarter before Stanford outscored them 15-7 in the 4th quarter, coming up three points shy of forcing overtime.
Given how close last year’s game was and the fact that this one is at home, Stanford should feel confident in their abilities to get some payback. This whole season is basically the Stanford payback tour, but this one is right at the top in terms of scores that they’re looking to settle from last year.
Week 11 for Stanford will be Saturday, November 12th at Utah. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Of all the games that Stanford has on their schedule, this is the one that comes up the most when talking to everyone on the team. Stanford knows they got utterly humiliated against Utah last year as the Utes dominated them 52-7. It was an embarrassing game for Stanford. A low of lows.
Whether or not Stanford will be able to win this game is hard to say. The Utes are ranked #7 right now and are looking to play their way into the national championship game conversation. Stanford’s chances of winning this game at the moment don’t look too high, but if they come in having defeated Notre Dame or at least played them tough, their odds will certainly look better. Assuming Notre Dame is everything they’re cracked up to be.
Week 12 for Stanford will be Saturday, November 19th at Cal. The 125th Big Game. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
Bringing The Axe back to The Farm is a major priority for Stanford this season. They do not want to see Cal hang onto it for a second straight year. Conversely, Berkeley is going to be wild and hyped for this one. Cal hasn’t won a Big Game at home since November 22nd, 2008 and that’s something they’re already talking about, I’m sure.
As far as what Stanford’s chances are of bringing back The Axe, they honestly should like their chances. Cal is coming off a 5-7 season and are actually picked to finish behind Stanford in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. If Stanford can reclaim The Axe, that alone will brighten everyone’s spirits on The Farm.
Week 13 for Stanford will be Saturday, November 26th at home against BYU. This will be their final game of the regular season. Kickoff time and TV station is TBD. KNBR Radio will carry the game.
BYU is currently ranked 25th in the country and projects to be one of the tougher opponents Stanford faces in 2022. This is a game that could have big implications for both teams in terms of bowl game status. BYU is hoping to possibly play their way into a New Year’s Six Bowl while Stanford is hoping to get back to a bowl game for the first time since the 2018 Sun Bowl.
BYU fans travel pretty well, so this game should have a good atmosphere. If Stanford is coming in with a bowl game on the line or has a bowl game already clinched, this one could be a lot of fun. If Stanford is coming in broken and defeated after losing to Cal, then this could be an ugly game. Regardless of what’s on the line, this should be a game that really puts Stanford’s resolve and fortitude to the test. A lot will be on the line in this one. The question is what exactly will be on the line.
Final takeaways: Overall, this is a pretty challenging schedule for Stanford. Aside from Colgate, no freebies. At the same time, there’s also a lot of opportunities for redemption. A 6-6 season is certainly attainable and it’s totally possible they surprise everyone with a 7+ win season. Stanford is honestly a team where I could see things going in any number of directions. They could disappoint, they could be the bounce back team of the year, etc. The range of possibilities is what makes this 2022 season so interesting.
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