Stanford (3-2, 3-2 Pac-12) will end its season at the Rose Bowl. Though this season finale is not a New Year’s Six bowl game, the Cardinal should arrive in Pasadena with the same sense of accomplishment as if they won the Pac-12.

•

With a win, Stanford would at least make itself eligible for a bowl game by Pac-12 standards, though whether they would receive an invitation, or accept one for that matter, would not be guaranteed.

•

Unlike Washington, Stanford is out of the Pac-12 race. But the Cardinal still have plenty to play for. Winning out could land Stanford in a bowl game. The Cardinal have not won in Seattle since 2014, and the all-time series between these Pac-12 North rivals, dating back to 1893, is tied at 43 wins each (with four ties). Here’s three keys to reclaiming that series lead and building off Stanford’s Big Game momentum.

•

After a nine-year run with the Axe, the Farm felt empty without the iconic trophy over the past 12 months. Here are three keys to taking it back.

•

The combination of the two worst defenses in the Pac-12 and two talented offenses might break the Stanford Stadium scoreboard on Saturday. But even if they have to win Big-12 (or SEC?) style, the Cardinal need to summon Al Davis and just win, baby. Here’s three keys to a streak-snapping #Pac12AfterDark victory for Stanford:

•

Stanford is the better team. If the Cardinal can convert in the red zone against Colorado, they can pick up their first win in over a year — and finally, erase the stain from last year’s disastrous season.

•

The Cardinal are coming off their worst season of the David Shaw era, a 4-8 debacle that left the former perennial Pac-12 favorites at the bottom of the Pac-12 North. Meanwhile, Oregon surged towards national contention with a dominant Pac-12 Championship Game victory and a close win over Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks came within a couple plays of the College Football Playoff in Mario Cristobal’s second season as head coach.

•

The product on the field is almost irrelevant this season. It is far more important that Stanford is on the field at all and that everyone in and around the program stays safe and healthy throughout this process. But King’s Keys is here to discuss the most important benchmarks for Stanford and what Nerd Nation can reasonably expect from the Cardinal this season.

•

On Friday night, the legendary senior class got the ovation it deserved with a 3-1 Senior Night win over Cal (20-10, 10-10 Pac-12) in front of 4,880 fans in Maples Pavilion. The win all but ensured that Stanford (24-4, 18-2) will receive a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and home-court advantage until the Final Four.

•

Nothing will salvage Stanford’s ugly season, not after giving away the Axe and missing a bowl game for the first time in 11 seasons. When Chase Garbers rumbled into the end zone from 16 yards out to write his Big Game legend and Evan Weaver came up with his 13th tackle on fourth-and-one, 2019 officially became a failure for the Cardinal.

•

Stanford women’s volleyball (22-4, 16-2 Pac-12) often looks like the most dominant team in the country. But the Cardinal elevated that dominance to an unprecedented level in their road sweep over Colorado (12-16, 4-14) on Sunday.

•

Stanford football entered the season with three juniors and two seniors starting on the offensive line. By the seventh game against UCLA on October 17th, the Cardinal starting line included three true freshmen beside two of the original juniors. Now, that same youthful offensive line prepares to start its fifth-straight game together on Saturday against Cal in the 122nd edition of the Big Game.

•

Trailing 17-13 in the second set after dropping the first, No. 4 Stanford women’s volleyball (21-4, 15-2 Pac-12) seemed bound for a crushing upset on the road at No. 16 Utah (19-9, 11-6). But as they have done so many times over the past four seasons, the Cardinal turned to senior outside hitter Kathryn Plummer to lead the comeback.

•

Stanford (4-6, 3-5) may be slogging through its worst season of the decade, but that does not matter this week. Because on this glorious week, you can throw the records out the window and just worry about one thing: keeping the Axe.

•

The Daily’s King Jemison, Shan Reddy and Daniel Martinez-Krams talk offensive game plan, the nation’s best pass offense and hopes for the season.

•

When Stanford last missed a bowl game, George W. Bush was the President of the United States. Instagram and Snapchat did not exist. Current Stanford head coach David Shaw was a mere offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach under Jim Harbaugh. But now, the Cardinal are rapidly approaching a sobering reality they have not faced since 2008: a losing season.

•

Stanford at Colorado might not be a college football headliner on a day when No. 1 LSU will face No. 2 Alabama. But it still means everything to both teams fighting for position in the Pac-12 pecking order. The Cardinal are looking to rebound from a nightmarish start to complete another semi-successful season under head coach David Shaw. The Buffs just want to keep their season alive. Here are three keys to a win in Stanford’s easiest remaining game that undoubtedly will not come easy.

•

The Daily’s King Jemison, Sally Egan and Shan Reddy talk Costello’s return, facing Montez and leadership.

•

Entering the third set of Sunday’s road match at USC (12-8, 6-4 Pac-12), No. 2 Stanford women’s volleyball (14-4, 8-2 Pac-12) was reeling. The Cardinal had dropped five straight sets for the first time since September 2015. They were missing two-time National Player of the Year Kathryn Plummer for the eighth straight match. But with their season seemingly on the line, Stanford pulled off the reverse sweep.

•

The Class of 2014 will return to the Farm this weekend for its five-year reunion. Many of those Stanford alums probably have not watched much Cardinal football since their graduation. If they decide to attend Saturday’s Homecoming game against Arizona (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12), they might be stunned by what they see from this Stanford team (3-4, 2-3 Pac-12).

•

Stanford lost to the conference’s worst team, at home, in convincing fashion. Now, Stanford will finish a three-game homestand with Homecoming against Arizona. The two sides have not faced off since 2016, and have never met under Wildcats second-year head coach Kevin Sumlin. With five games remaining, Stanford finds itself needing to find three wins to reach bowl eligibility. The Daily’s King Jemison, Savanna Stewart and Logan Hatch talk stopping quarterbacks, starting quarterbacks and injuries, lots of injuries.

•

Stanford football (3-3, 2-2 Pac-12) completely changed the narrative of its season in a 23-13 win over Washington (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) on October 5th. Before that monumental home triumph, the Cardinal had a losing record, and their only wins came over two teams with a combined two victories. Stanford looked to be nothing more than a Pac-12 bottom-feeder who might sneak into bowl eligibility, best-case scenario. Instead, the Cardinal proved that they can still compete with the best teams in the conference.

•

The Daily’s King Jemison, Sally Egan and Shan Reddy join Daniel Martinez-Krams for a podcast to talk offensive surprises and disappointments, the state of the defense, challenges UCLA presents, and a little bit of recruiting.

•

No. 3 Stanford women’s volleyball (9-3, 3-1 Pac-12) finally broke out the broom closet after over a month without a sweep, as the Cardinal took down Oregon State (8-7, 2-2 Pac-12) 3-0 in Corvallis.

•