We continue our look at each Pac-12 team's nonconference opponents in 2015.

STANFORD

At Northwestern Wildcats, Saturday, September 5

• Coach: Pat Fitzgerald (60-53), 10th year

• 2014 record: 5-7, 3-5 Big Ten

• Returning starters: Six offense, seven defense



• Offensive headliners: The Wildcats' attack runs through 5-foot-11, 185-pound back Justin Jackson, who racked up 1,187 yards on 4.8 per carry in 2014. Northwestern figures to rely even more heavily on him this season since the quarterback situation is completely unsettled at this point. Cameron Dickerson, the top returner at receiver, had 24 catches last season.

• Defensive headliners: Linebacker Anthony Walker led the Wildcats with nine tackles for loss in his first season, and he’s coming back along with interceptions leader Ibraheim Campbell. The problem: Northwestern’s pass rush was the Big Ten’s worst last season. The Wildcats finished with only 17 sacks, so defensive linemen must emerge in 2015.

• The skinny: For Stanford fans, this is the first leg of a fun home-and-home matchup with another “academic” program. The Cardinal program, though, is clearly ahead of Northwestern in the football department, and quarterback Kevin Hogan should find his rhythm to open the season against a Wildcats pass rush that was nonexistent last season. Northwestern will also be breaking in a new quarterback, so the Stanford defense -- no matter how untested it is -- should be licking its chops already.

UCF Knights, Saturday, September 12

• Coach: George O’Leary (81-60), 12th year

• 2014 record: 9-4, 7-1 AAC

• Returning starters: Five offense, four defense

• Offensive headliners: Quarterback Justin Holman is a junior now, and he’s expected to surge to the next level of consistency as a result. Last season saw Holman throw for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He obviously wasn’t perfect, but UCF is thankful to be returning experience under center, especially since five receivers are gone. Leading rushers Will Stanback and Dontravious Wilson are back after fighting through injury issues last season.

• Defensive headliners: Defensive lineman Thomas Niles led the Knights with 7.5 sacks and 13 TFL. His pass rush presence along the defensive line will be vital to allow the rest of a relatively untested UCF defense to find its bearings.

• The skinny: The Knights have been surging as a program, but they face a significant retooling challenge in 2015. Since so many other components of their passing game are gone, there will be a lot of pressure on Holman. The defense is also in a transitionary state, and that’s where Stanford’s veteran offense -- typically solid at home -- will look to pounce.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Saturday, November 28

• Coach: Brian Kelly (45-20), sixth year

• 2014 record: 8-5

• Returning starters: Seven offense, 10 defense

• Offensive headliners: After Everett Golson's transfer, this is Malik Zaire's offense now. The new starting quarterback will have the benefit of throwing to Notre Dame’s top four 2014 receivers, all of whom are returning this season. The headliner there is Will Fuller, who delivered an 1,100-yard, 15-touchdown campaign. Leading rusher Tarean Folston is also back. There is a solid amount of explosive talent on this roster.

• Defensive headliners: Linebacker Jaylon Smith (112 tackles, 9 TFL) is the leader of a very experienced unit. He operates behind sturdy lineman Sheldon Day, who anchors a veteran Irish front. Linebacker Joe Schmidt, who missed the home stretch of 2014, also comes back for more -- he’s considered one of the defense’s vital cogs.

• The skinny: The Irish are gunning for a return to prominence in 2015, and a strong cast of returning experience indicates that they can turn around the disappointing slide that ended last season. Stanford lost in devastating fashion to Notre Dame on the road in 2014, so this regular season finale will carry an opportunity for vengeance. Since the game is being played so late in the year, the Irish should be fully transitioned to their new starting quarterback. This has the potential to be good, just like so many previous games in this series.

Thoughts: There are no patsies here -- Stanford has challenged itself with this nonconference schedule. That being said, the Cardinal should be more than capable of navigating it to the tune of a perfect 3-0 record. The Cardinal are stronger and faster than Northwestern. They’re more experienced than UCF. Those two games should allow the team to sail smoothly into the treacherous conference season. The Irish will await at the end of the grind, but -- barring injury trouble late in the season -- Stanford will be on good footing at home.