The Opening Kickoff
• Stanford begins the 2024 season at home on Friday night with its season opener against TCU. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN from Stanford Stadium.
• Friday begins the second season under Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, Troy Taylor. In his first season on The Farm, Stanford went 3-9, including 2-7 in Pac-12 games.
• 2024 marks the second time in the last five seasons that Stanford has opened the season at home. The Cardinal opened the 2022 season at home against Colgate with a 41-10 win. Stanford has won the last nine times it has opened a season at home, dating back to 2008.
• College football changed drastically with conference realignment, which wound up landing Stanford in the ACC, ending 106 years with the Cardinal in the Pac-12. Joining Stanford in the ACC is Bay Area rival California, as well as SMU. The Cardinal will face both the Golden Bears and Mustangs on a yearly basis as protected rivalries.
• A majority of the team's projected starters return in 2024, anchored by PFF Freshman All-American Elic Ayomanor. The Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada native burst onto the scene last year with 1,013 receiving yards, the eighth-most in a single season in Stanford
history. He has received plenty of recognition leading up to the season, including Preseason All-ACC honors.
• With the move to the ACC, Stanford will play eight conference games and four non-conference games in 2024. Weeks 1 and 2 will be non-conference games, in addition to Week 7 at Notre Dame and Week 14 at San Jose State.
• The Cardinal's inaugural ACC home slate features Virginia Tech on Oct. 5, SMU on Oct. 19, Wake Forest and Oct. 26, and Louisville on Nov. 16. The matchup with the Demon Deacons will highlight Stanford's Reunion Homecoming Weekend.
• Sonny Dykes is no stranger to coaching against Stanford. He was the head coach of California from 2013-16, meaning he coached against the Cardinal in four Big Games. Stanford went 4-0 in those meetings. Stanford won by at least 13 points in all four games.