The Stanford Cardinal rallied from a season-opening loss against Northwestern to finish with a 10-2 record. The Cardinal play USC in the Pac-12 Championship game and they're favored by four. The Cardinal are locked into a great bowl game, although a College Football Playoff berth is highly unlikely. With that in mind, here are Stanford's 3 Most Likely Bowl Opponents This Year:
Michigan State Spartans/Iowa Hawkeyes
It's unlikely that this happens, but it's still more likely than Stanford sneaking into the College Football Playoff. Stanford could play the loser of the Big Ten Championship game in the Rose Bowl. However, it's much more likely that the Cardinal play a different Big Ten team.
TCU Horned Frogs
This is Stanford's likely opponent in the Alamo Bowl if the Cardinal are upset by USC. If Stanford falls, the Alamo Bowl likely won't let him head to a different bowl since the Alamo Bowl gets first choice of Pac-12 teams.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Assuming there aren't any crazy upsets, this should be Stanford's opponent. It'll be a Rose Bowl matchup, pitting a Big Ten team against a Pac-12 school, like usual. If this happens, "The Granddaddy of Them All" should have strong ticket sales and ratings.