Stanford: Best-case, worst-case scenarios for 2012

Stanford's best scenario this season: It's going to a bowl.

Stanford's worst scenario this season: It's going to a bowl.

Stanford's most-likely scenario this season: It's going to a bowl.

Put it this way, there's a good chance Stanford goes to a bowl this season.

Best-case scenario: Whoever replaces Luck -- either Brett Nottingham or Josh Nunes -- manages the game and doesn't try to be Luck. Stanford has one of the best defenses and best running games in the conference -- all it needs the quarterback to do is not lose games. This means limiting turnovers and not trying to force passes into places they shouldn't go. Stanford has a very navigable schedule; its two toughest games -- USC and at Oregon -- are eight weeks apart, with a rivalry game against Cal sandwiched in there. If everything goes right for Stanford, 11-1 and a Pac-12 title game appearance are possible.

Worst-case scenario: Nottingham is named the starter; Nottingham then goes out and plays so badly in the Stanford's first seven games that the Cardinal limp to a 3-4 record with losses to USC, Washington, Notre Dame and Cal. Coach David Shaw then names Nunes the starter for the rest of the season and he doesn't do much better, going 3-2 down the stretch, with losses to Oregon and Washington State. Now, if you're a Stanford fan, the encouraging news here is that your worst case scenario is 6-6.

Most-likely scenario: Stanford has a power running game and a strong defense, which is a recipe for success at almost any level of football. The Cardinal may slip up and lose one game they're not supposed to, but this team is most likely headed for a 9-3 season and a bid to one of the Pac-12's destination bowl games (Alamo, Holiday).

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