The opening kickoff

• The second half of the season begins on Saturday night as Stanford football hosts SMU inside Stanford Stadium. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. PT on ACC Network.

• While these teams are both new members to the ACC in 2024, this is the beginning of an annual rivalry between Stanford and SMU. The two teams will play every season, alternating between Stanford and Dallas, where the Cardinal will go next year.

• Despite playing in the Eastern time zone in three of the last four weeks, Stanford will be in the Bay Area for five of its final six games. The only remaining game outside of Northern California will come on Nov. 2 when the Cardinal travels to NC State.

• At the halfway point through 2024, there are several areas the Cardinal has improved in compared to 2023. Notably, the defense is allowing nearly 85 yards per game, fewer than it did last year, with its biggest improvement coming on the ground (over 50 yards per game better than 2023). Red zone defense and third down defense have also improved. Offensively, Stanford is averaging over 30 yards per game more on the ground and ranks inside the top 20 in the NCAA in time of possession.

• A theme of Stanford in wins under Coach Taylor has been the Card's ability to stop the run. Stanford is allowing an average of just 36.4 rushing yards per game to opponents in wins since the start of the 2023 season, or 182 yards in five games.

• Young players have been making an impact for the Cardinal all season long. Freshman running back Chris Davis Jr. has the most rushing yards among running backs with 233 yards in his first five collegiate games. The top two receivers for Stanford are underclassmen, with Elic Ayomanor (R-So.) and Ismael Cisse (R-Fr.) combining for 51 receptions, 548 yards, and five touchdowns.

• Continuing on the theme of youth, 11 different Cardinal have made their first collegiate starts in 2024. That is tied for the 11th most in FBS and leads the ACC.

• It is a jam-packed weekend on the Farm, with festivities spanning the entire weekend. On Friday night, Stanford Athletics will welcome in its 2024 Hall of Fame Class, including former Cardinal football great Stepfán Taylor. The ACC Huddle crew also makes its first appearance at Stanford.