LOS ANGELES — Stanford coach David Shaw only needed a few words to epitomize why his Cardinal are the Pac-12 football favorites this fall — and also why that distinction doesn't mean much.
"I think we have a chance to be a good team, but we're a team in flux," Shaw said after learning his Cardinal had won the preseason media poll.
The West Coast's top league is wide open heading into the fall, with a half-dozen legitimate title contenders and no overwhelming favorite. Every team has major questions at key positions, but nobody seems better prepared to answer them than the ever-resourceful Cardinal.