For this series, we're reaching back to the year 2000. Our goal is to find the best lineup combination for each program using only players from this century.
Stanford's history over the past 15 years has been a mercurial one -- from the thrill of a Rose Bowl run under Tyrone Willingham to open the century to the depths of the Buddy Teevens and Walt Harris eras to the meteoric rise spurred by Jim Harbaugh's arrival and, finally, to the current golden age under David Shaw. This exercise aims to find the best combination of players from that remarkably different array of teams:
OFFENSE
QB Andrew Luck: The Indianapolis Colts announced Wednesday that the 26-year-old signed the biggest contract in NFL history, with Luck guaranteed a record $87 million with his extension through the 2021 season. So, yeah, he is the best quarterback to come through Stanford since 2000.
RB Christian McCaffrey/Toby Gerhart: This would be a 1-2 running back punch unlike any other. McCaffrey brings the lightning -- and the NCAA single-season all-purpose yardage record -- while Gerhart supplies the thunder.
FB Owen Marecic: It wouldn't be right to construct a Stanford team without a fullback, so here's the guy Harbaugh called "the perfect football player."
OL Andrus Peat: A 6-foot-7, 320-pound behemoth who anchored left tackle for the Cardinal, Peat lived up to massive recruiting hype to become a first-rounder in the 2015 NFL draft.
OL David DeCastro: This is the road-grading guard who cemented the Cardinal's reputation as a "mean" offensive line in the Harbaugh era. DeCastro became a model for Joshua Garnett, another dominant Stanford guard.
OL David Yankey: Perhaps Stanford's most versatile offensive lineman ever, Yankey was able to shift seamlessly between guard and tackle according to the Cardinal's need.
OL Jonathan Martin: Martin was an integral part of Luck's success in college because he protected the quarterback's blind side from left tackle, and he did it nearly flawlessly.
OL Chase Beeler: It's important to include a center on this list -- this position directs communication among offensive linemen -- and Beeler was excellent for Stanford after transferring from Oklahoma.
TE Zach Ertz/Coby Fleener: The Cardinal established a devastating comparative advantage earlier this decade by developing a squadron of tight ends -- players too big to be covered by defensive backs and too fast to be covered by linebackers. It's only right to list two.
WR Doug Baldwin: He didn't get a chance to fully blossom until his senior season at Stanford, but Baldwin just signed a $46 million extension with the Seattle Seahawks.
WR Troy Walters: He only played one game this century for Stanford -- the 2000 Rose Bowl -- but that means that the Cardinal's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards qualifies for this team.
K Nate Whitaker: In 2010, he nailed 90 percent of his field goals during Stanford's first run to the BCS during the Harbaugh era.
DEFENSE
DT David Parry: He came to Stanford as a walk-on offensive lineman, but Parry left as the block-gobbling plug of what was -- statistically speaking -- the best defense in program history.
DE Ben Gardner: The heart and soul of the Cardinal's monstrous Rose Bowl defenses, Gardner -- originally a two-star recruit -- persevered through multiple injuries in 2013.
DE Henry Anderson: At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Anderson was a terror coming off the edge and another example of the excellent player development that propelled Stanford to new heights.
OLB Trent Murphy: This rangy 6-foot-6 linebacker grew up wrestling steers in Arizona, and he later combined that country strength with remarkable football savvy to become one of the Pac-12's premiere defenders.
OLB Chase Thomas: One of the crucial components of Stanford's pass rush, Thomas delivered 14.5 tackles for loss in 2012, the season in which the Cardinal led the nation in that category.
ILB Shayne Skov: He committed on the same day as Harbaugh's first game at Stanford and helped the new coach recruit the players who would fuel the Cardinal's surge from doormat to dominator.
ILB Blake Martinez: He led the Pac-12 with 141 tackles in 2015 and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
FS Tank Williams: Ed Reynolds also received consideration here, but Williams gets the nod as the first defensive back in Stanford history to win national first-team honors.
SS Jordan Richards: The Cardinal had long struggled to recruit and develop elite talent in the secondary, but Richards marked a change in that trend.
CB Richard Sherman: He exploded once he reached the NFL, but Sherman's development as a cornerback after a move from receiver was apparent at Stanford, especially during the 2010 stretch run.
CB Alex Carter: This spot can also go to Oshiomogho Atogwe (2001-2004). But Carter played on three dominant defenses, so he gets the nod.
P Daniel Zychlinski: He averaged 43.1 yards per punt during a stellar 2012 season in which Stanford needed a perfect punting performance to upset Oregon on the road.