| Year: | 2020 |
| Team: | Stanford Cardinal |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Pac-12 Conference |
| Division: | North Division |
| Short Conf: | Pac-12 |
| Record: | 4–2 |
| Conf Record: | 4–2 |
| Head Coach: | David Shaw |
| Hc Year: | 10th |
| Off Coach: | Tavita Pritchard |
| Oc Year: | 3rd |
| Def Coach: | Lance Anderson |
| Dc Year: | 7th |
| Off Scheme: | Multiple |
| Def Scheme: | 3–4 |
| Stadium: | Stanford Stadium |
The 2020 Stanford Cardinal football team represented Stanford University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinal were led by tenth-year head coach David Shaw. They played their home games at Stanford Stadium as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.
On August 11, the Pac-12 Conference initially canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] On September 24, the conference announced that a six-game conference-only season would begin on November 6, with the Pac-12 Championship Game to be played December 18. Teams not selected for the championship game would be seeded to play a seventh game.[2]
On December 13, with a record of 3-2 and one game left to play, the program announced that it would not participate in any bowl game.[3] The Cardinal won their final game, finishing their season with a 4-2 record.
In the Pac-12 preseason media poll, Stanford was voted to finish fourth in the Pac-12 North division.
| Media poll (North Division) | |||
| 1 | Oregon | 222 (35) | |
| 2 | California | 176 (3) | |
| 3 | Washington | 161 | |
| 4 | Stanford | 105 | |
| 5 | Oregon State | 76 | |
| 6 | Washington State | 58 | |
Stanford had games scheduled against William & Mary (September 5), Notre Dame (October 10), and BYU (November 28), but canceled these games on July 10 due to the Pac-12 Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
| Original 2020 Stanford Cardinal schedule | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Site | |
| September 5 | William & Mary | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | |
| September 12 | Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ | ||
| September 19 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA (rivalry) | ||
| September 26 | Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA | ||
| October 10 | at Notre Dame* | Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN (rivalry) | |
| October 17 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | ||
| October 24 | Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR | ||
| October 30 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | ||
| November 7 | Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA | ||
| November 14 | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | ||
| November 21 | California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA (Big Game) | ||
| November 28 | BYU | Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA | |
| Name | Position | Stanford years | Alma mater | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | 14th | Stanford (1994) | ||
| Defensive coordinator / outside linebackers coach | 14th | Idaho State (1996) | ||
| Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 8th | Stanford (2009) | ||
| Pete Alamar | Special teams coordinator | 5th | Cal Lutheran (1983) | |
| Running backs coach | 4th | Oregon (1987) | ||
| Morgan Turner | Tight ends coach | 8th | Illinois (2009) | |
| Kevin Carberry | Offensive line coach | 4th | Ohio (2005) | |
| Bobby Kennedy | Wide receivers coach | 3rd | Northern Colorado (1989) | |
| Defensive backs coach | 7th | Washington (1979) | ||
| Inside linebackers coach | 1st | UC Davis (2005) | ||
| Defensive linemen coach | 4th | Wake Forest (1994) |
See also: 2020 Oregon Ducks football team.
See also: 2020 Colorado Buffaloes football team.
See also: 2020 California Golden Bears football team and Big Game (American football).
See also: 2020 Washington Huskies football team.
See also: 2020 Oregon State Beavers football team.
See also: 2020 UCLA Bruins football team.
See also: 2021 NFL draft.
| 2 | 45 | OT | Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
| 3 | 67 | QB | Houston Texans | ||
| 3 | 76 | CB | New Orleans Saints | ||
| 4 | 114 | C | Atlanta Falcons | ||
| 5 | 179 | WR | Dallas Cowboys |