Stanford’s path to a bowl game is still there, but the margin for error is gone.
The Cardinal need to win two of their last three to become eligible, and the next chance comes Saturday night in Blacksburg, Va., where they’ll face Virginia Tech in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup. Stanford is still chasing its first bowl appearance since 2018, and coach Tavita Pritchard made clear the focus is right in front of them.
"That's a big part of some of our late-season goals as we look at what sits right in front of us,"
Stanford enters at 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, and the road has been a brutal place for the Cardinal all season. They are 0-4 away from Palo Alto, Calif., and every one of those losses has come by at least four touchdowns.
Stanford also had an extra week to get ready after falling 52-24 at Louisville on Oct. 31.
The offense continues to run through Davis Warren, who has thrown for 2,203 yards with 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions. That steadiness has been one of Stanford’s biggest assets as the season has worn on.
Virginia Tech, meanwhile, is already bowl-eligible at 6-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play, but the Hokies are coming off a rough night of their own. They were beaten 51-28 at SMU last week, a game in which they gave up a season-high 569 total yards and 350 yards through the air.
"We got to be better, specifically in our zone coverages, in consistently getting depth to give some reinforcement to our safeties and our corners, and then be able to rally for the underneath throws,"
James Franklin said the Hokies are trying to clean things up defensively and also simplify what they’re doing.
"So we can become masters in a few things rather than being solid in a number of different things,"
Franklin also had plenty of praise for Stanford’s offense, pointing to its physical style and the way it stresses defenses.
"They know how to cause conflict. They know how to attack zones. They know how to identify man and then man beaters,"
He added, "They have a sophisticated system, and they got a high-level veteran quarterback who's had a lot of different experiences in his college career, putting it all together right now."
Virginia Tech’s offense has its own firepower. Ethan Grunkemeyer has passed for 2,431 yards with 18 touchdowns and just three interceptions, while Jeffrey Overton Jr. leads the Hokies on the ground with 762 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
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