The 2016 season is officially over for the Pac-12. We kick off our season review by handing out some grades for each team. Next up: Stanford.
OFFENSE: Stanford fielded arguably the nation's best offense in 2015 -- they scored more points per drive than any other team in the country that year -- but the Cardinal sputtered without quarterback Kevin Hogan and three of his key offensive linemen in 2016, dropping to No. 82 in points scored.
Quarterback Ryan Burns led the team to big wins against Kansas State, USC and UCLA to open the season, but Washington exposed the Cardinal's new-look offensive line in a 44-6 drubbing. Stanford's offense began to struggle mightily, failing to muster a touchdown outside of garbage time in three of four games.
When late October rolled around, coach David Shaw benched Burns in favor of Keller Chryst. The offense, buoyed by an O-line shuffle that inserted true freshman guard Nate Herbig into the lineup, regained traction by mid-November. Stanford finished the season on a six-win tear chock-full of Christian McCaffrey dominance -- he averaged nearly 200 rushing yards over his last five games.
But the renaissance came with an asterisk: The Cardinal faced only poorly ranked defenses during this home stretch, so we'll have to wait until 2017 to see just how much the offense truly improved. Grade: C-minus
DEFENSE: Stanford's defensive evaluation is much simpler. After a rebuilding year on this side of the ball, the Cardinal fielded a top-25 unit again, allowing only 20.4 points per game. Solomon Thomas was the headliner here, leading the team with 62 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and eight sacks from his defensive-line position.
Stanford also saw solid play from a maturing secondary that will continue to be one of the Pac-12's most talented units moving forward. Cornerback Quenton Meeks was particularly impressive on that front. The linebackers were shaky to start the year but improved dramatically as 2016 went along. Joey Alfieri developed into a force, reaching double-digit tackles for loss and also notching a pair of interceptions.
By the time all was said and done, Stanford boasted a complete defense that should fuel optimism for next season -- assuming the program can fortify the line after Thomas' departure to the NFL draft. Grade: A-minus
SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Conrad Ukropina was excellent, nailing 22 of 27 field goals while also converting all 34 of his extra-point opportunities. Remarkably, four of Ukropina's five misses hit the left goalpost. Jake Bailey averaged a solid 43.5 yards per punt, fourth-best in the Pac-12. Opponents were careful to not let McCaffrey rack up absurd return yardage, but Stanford still fielded and covered kicks efficiently. Grade: A-minus
OVERALL: The midseason offensive struggles were certainly dire, but the Cardinal still managed to finish 10-3 after their Sun Bowl win over North Carolina. That's six 10-win seasons in the past seven years. It's been an absolutely remarkable run for the Cardinal, and 2016 continued that success -- even if it didn't end in Pasadena.
That being said, this program needs to establish greater consistency on offense. Chryst hurt his knee in the Sun Bowl, so the 2017 quarterback situation is murky -- as Burns and K.J. Costello also can't be ruled out at this point. If Stanford can carry over its late offensive success into next season against the Pac-12's top competition, this 2016 season will be viewed as a stepping-stone.
But at this point, questions remain, and only this much is certain: 2016 was a solid 10-win season for the Cardinal, but their immense midseason offensive struggles do make it feel that some potential was left on the table. Grade: B-minus