Stanford's Three Toughest Games In Their First Year As ACC Members

Author:
Kevin Borba
Publish date:
Jan 25, 2024 12:34 PM EST

In this story:

The Stanford Cardinal are among the three new programs joining the ACC in 2024, and among the 10 Power 5 programs that left their conference for another.

On Wednesday, the 17 ACC programs learned what the entirety of their schedule looked like, and for a program like Stanford, there are likely mixed feelings. While many people not on the West Coast didn't realize, the Pac-12 was quietly becoming the strongest conference in college football and the past season was a perfect example of this. The ACC on the other hand isn't nearly as strong from top to bottom, but that doesn't mean there aren't some difficult games on the schedule.

Oct 2, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal flag waves in the air during overtime against the Oregon Ducks at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

When looking at their 2024 schedule there are three games that stand out as the most difficult on the year for the Cardinal who will be fighting for bowl eligibility. Let's take a look at their toughest tests.

Week 12 vs. Louisville

Dec 27, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Evan Conley (6) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the USC Trojans during the first half at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports — Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The battle between the Cardinal and Cardinals, Louisville had a tremendous season in 2023 led by their No. 21 ranked defense. They made it to the ACC title game and lost to an injury-plagued Florida State team thanks to a poor offensive showing. However, that tough defense is expected to be just as good in 2024, and they upgraded at just about every position on offense. The Cardinals have the No. 4 transfer portal class, and as long as their new quarterback Tyler Shough is healthy, they will have weapons galore. Not to mention he is a dynamic runner who makes plays with his legs nonstop.

Week 7 @ Notre Dame

Nov 25, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Sam Hartman (10) scrambles away from pressure by Stanford Cardinal defensive lineman Jaxson Moi (51) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports — D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

While it's not technically an ACC game and has been a long-standing rivalry, their October meeting with Notre Dame stands out as a tough game for the simple reason that Notre Dame will be a top-15 team at this point. They went transfer portal quarterback fishing and landed Riley Leonard who is an effective runner who will be looking to prove he can cause more damage with his arm. Stanford played Notre Dame quite close this past season in the first half as they were able to force turnovers all over the place, but as soon as Notre Dame got their run game dialed in things got out of hand. This will be a good test to see how physical Stanford can be, and will also be a good benchmark to see how they stack up against top teams.

Week 5 @ Clemson

Nov 16, 2019; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) celebrates with quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports — Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

While Clemson had a "down" year in 2023, the program still won nine games, and was trending in the right direction down the stretch. Cade Klubnik now has a full year as a starter under his belt, and the former five-star will certainly take another step forward. However, even with all of the additions they made in recruiting and the steps forward that key players will take, Clemson stadium is one of the loudest stadiums in college football. It will be one of the most hostile environments if not the most hostile environment that a lot of this Stanford team will have played in. Oregon's Autzen Stadium and Washington's Husky are both as loud as they come, but this core group of Stanford players were not starters the last time Stanford played at either.