Stanford ranked preseason No. 18 by Sports Illustrated

Published Aug. 5, 2015 2:33 p.m. ET

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The Stanford Cardinal have been ranked preseason No. 18 in the country by Sports Illustrated, which puts them second in the Pac-12 North behind Oregon.

Here is why Stanford was ranked No. 18, according to Sports Illustrated:

"The Cardinal had just eight wins last season after averaging 11.5 the previous four, and the reason for the decline was clear: the lack of a dominant tailback. Stanford coaches expect sophomore Christian McCaffrey to be the bell cow this fall, rekindling memories of grinders Tyler Gaffney and Stepfan Taylor. The 6-foot McCaffrey, son of former NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, bulked up to 205 pounds to become effective in pass protection and between the tackles. He can handle Stanford’s go-to inside power play, split out to the slot (14.8 yards per catch) and return kicks and punts."

(h/t Sports Illustrated)