The Breakdown: Stanford vs. Kansas State

Stanford and Kansas State will open their 2016 season in a nationally televised showdown on Friday. The Cardinal are favored in the contest, but with an experienced defense and a healthy Jesse Ertz at quarterback, the Wildcats could present a more formidable challenge than some nationally expect.

Cardinal Sports Report publisher Andy Drukarev and GoPowercat.com publisher Tim Fitzgerald break down some of the matchup's key questions below.

Visit GoPowercat.com for more analysis and breaking news on Kansas State athletics and recruiting | Follow Tim Fitzgerald on Twitter

Visit CardinalSportsReport.com for more analysis and breaking news on Stanford athletics and recruiting | Follow Andy Drukarev on Twitter

STANFORD: For Stanford, the blueprint is simple. Own the line of scrimmage, get Christian McCaffrey in space and let first-time starter Ryan Burns work off a successful ground game. More specifically, Stanford needs its revamped offensive line - the Cardinal have three new starters (and one of the returners is playing a different position) to gel in a hurry. They'll need to protect Burns - and you know Kansas State may very well try to trick him with various alignments and blitzes - and then create space for McCaffrey to do his thing. Offensive line play is always important to Stanford, but in this game, given the first-time starter at quarterback, it's even more the case. - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats stay diverse and sound. K-State is finding its way with a group of new weapons on offense, starting with quarterback Jesse Ertz, who was injured on last season's first offensive snap. Bill Snyder offenses take what the defense gives and create one-on-one match-ups via formations and personnel. Through that, however, Snyder always seeks offensive balance and efficiency. The problem is two-pronged. Lots of new playmakers may mean turnovers from young players attempting to make the big play, and K-State will have four new starters on the offensive line, including two redshirt freshman on the left side of the line for a road game. That's a formula for penalties, something Snyder cannot stand. - Fitzgerald

STANFORD: The one-two defensive line punch of Harrison Phillips and Solomon Thomas gets in rhythm. Stanford lost two very solid defensive line starters from the 2015 team - Brennan Scarlett and Aziz Shittu are both battling for NFL roster spots right now - but in addition to Thomas, who's an All American candidate, Phillips should return from his season-ending 2015 injury better than ever. Stanford's first-team offense struggled mightily to move the ball in training camp's most extended open scrimmage when facing a Phillips and Thomas led defensive line. Their ability to generate pass rush, get push along the line of scrimmage and plug up holes in the run game can challenge opposing offenses. Stanford's back seven is very solid (and star-laden in some spots), but the vision of a possible elite defense for Stanford in 2016 all starts with Phillips and Thomas. - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: They prevent big plays and wrap up, particularly on third down. There's no doubt that bottling up Christian McCaffrey is desirable, but we all know that's nearly impossible. K-State will want to turn McCaffrey into a volume gainer instead of a big-play maker. That alone is a huge challenge, but McCaffrey poses a threat as a distraction, too. On top of that, K-State must be sound tacklers, which will be interesting considering the Wildcats will start five underclassmen on defense. Last year's defense was generous on third down, and that's a trait that will likely be improved. It helps that senior safety Dante Barnett (the quarterback of the defense) is back from his own season-ending injury suffered in the 2015 opener.

STANFORD: Ryan Burns is the prototype pro-style quarterback. He's huge (6-foot-5, 230 or so) and has a very strong arm. He'll be able to make all the throws. What Kansas State fans may not anticipate is his mobility. Burns is not going to run a 4.4 40, but he is quite athletic for the position and has the ability to do damage with his feet. The concerns are what they may be for any first-time starter: How will he handle a live pass rush? Will he avoid mistakes? Stanford puts a lot of responsibility on its quarterback as far as making reads and audibles at the line of scrimmage - will he get the Cardinal in the right play? So I think far and away the biggest concern and potential weakness is just that unknown of a first-time starter in a very complex offense against a defense that's sure to present new looks. From a physical perspective Burns has missed a throw or two from time to time in the open practices, but I think the biggest questions at this point surround decision making when bullets are flying as well as managing the offense. - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: Versatility and a lack of live-game experience. The scouting report on Jesse Ertz is that he may be one of the better true dual-threat quarterbacks to play for Snyder, which says a lot considering the man created the "Wildcat formation" for quarterback Michael Bishop in the late 1990s. Ertz is deceivingly fast and has shown arm strength and accuracy in practice. That's practice, though, and after Ertz suffered his second career knee injury on K-State's first offensive snap of 2015, he was lost for the season. He's never attempted a pass in a college game and taken no meaningful snaps. No one knows for sure how Jesse Ertz will play in the heat of the game. - Fitzgerald

STANFORD: My answer here would have been speedy sophomore running back Bryce Love - who may be Stanford's second most important offensive skill player for his versatility and explosiveness - but Love will likely miss the game due to injury. With that in mind, I'll pick defensive lineman Harrison Phillips. Phillips (who was actually recruited by Kansas State and had a great relationship with Bill Snyder) missed nearly all of the 2015 season with a knee injury, but he's returned to full health and is expected to be a force for the Cardinal. Given the running ability of quarterback Jesse Ertz and the fact that Kansas State does have to replace four starters from its 2015 offensive line, it will be important for the Cardinal to control the line of scrimmage on defense, and Phillips is a player who can help accomplish that. (A similar line of thinking would apply to defensive end Solomon Thomas, but he's a little more well known nationally, so I'll go with Phillips here.) - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: Receiver Byron Pringle. After K-State lost Tyler Lockett to the NFL in 2014, the Wildcats suffered from a lack of production at receiver in 2015. There are three new names in the top five or six receivers on this team, led by Pringle, a junior college transfer who participated in spring practice. Pringle stole the show in the spring game, showing a nice mix of size and speed. Plus, he's only a sophomore, so he will be around for a while. - Fitzgerald

STANFORD: Stanford has a few freshmen working through bumps and bruises, but there's only one expected contributor who is in danger of missing Friday's game. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, as I mentioned previously, it's one of their best players, running back Bryce Love. He's currently listed as doubtful with an unspecified lower body injury. Love is a dynamic threat as both a runner (between and outside the tackles) and a pass catcher, so he will be missed if he can't play. - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: None that we know of. Of course, we're talking about a Bill Snyder football camp, and the man locks down information better than the CIA. There could have been multiple amputations that were kept secrets. - Fitzgerald

STANFORD: A few weeks ago, before Bryce Love went down with an injury and before I really sunk my teeth into learning about Kansas State, I would have thought something along the lines of a 20-point Stanford victory. I no longer feel that way. After reading up on the Wildcats (and listening to several episodes of the GoPowercat.com podcast) I now think this game could very well be quite close into the fourth quarter. I'm thinking something along the lines of 27-17 Stanford, with the Cardinal getting a bit of breathing room late, but Kansas State should present a very legitimate challenge. - Drukarev

KANSAS STATE: I think this will be an entertaining game, and I think this K-State team is going to be dramatically better than last year's on both sides of the ball. Opening at Stanford with a depth chart that is 50 percent freshmen and sophomores, though? Winning is too much to ask, but even when overmatched, Snyder almost always has his team in striking distance in the fourth quarter. I'm saying Stanford, 31-27. - Fitzgerald