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A few weeks back, several Pac-12 head football coaches seemed to agree: Teams need to score at least 30 points to win games in the league.

That sentiment hasn't held for Stanford this year. Unfortunately for the Cardinal, the best evidence to support the premise that you don't need to score 30 to win has been provided by its opponents.

This past weekend, Arizona State only had 26 in a win. But the line has typically been lower: Notre Dame needed 17, while USC needed only 13.

Stanford has been playing the kind of football it likes: defensive-focused and low-scoring. But in un-Stanford-like fashion, that hasn't paid off in the way the 4-3 Cardinal had hoped. Having a modest, ball-control offense is one thing, but having no offense is a killer.

Talking about it on Tuesday morning, coach David Shaw didn't have much to offer, except to shoulder the blame.

"I think the thing for me is I've done a poor job of structuring our offense so our guys can be successful," he said. "We have to utilize our personnel better. We've got to get guys to comfortable and be successful in our offense."

Whoever's fault it is, things aren't good on that side of the ball for Stanford. In a high-scoring conference, they're almost always dragging at the rear in Pac-12 rankings in offensive categories: last in scoring offense, second-to-last in total offense, 10th in passing offense, 10th in first downs, second-to-last in third-down conversions.

There are issues on the offensive line, but returning starting quarterback Kevin Hogan has hardly impressed, as the 10th-most efficient quarterback in the league behind Travis Wilson. Biletnikoff candidate Ty Montgomery has been good in several facets of the game, but only has three touchdowns, and there aren't any stunning options outside of him. Stanford's running back-by-committee system has remained a mostly unspectacular committee, with no single back above 325 yards.

It's hard for the Cardinal because their defense is so unquestionably great: They lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense by nine points per game, lead in total defense, lead in pass and run defense.

A great offense a great team does not make — see Washington State for details — but great teams have at least good offenses. Of the top 10 teams in the AP poll this week, eight are among the nation's top 25 scoring offenses. Five are in the top 10. Only Notre Dame falls outside the top 30.

"OK," you might be thinking at this point, "So a team that can't score can't compete with the big boys, that's not something I didn't know."

Well what does this say for the Utes?

Utah is at 5-1 playing Stanford-inspired ball right now: efficiency and execution on defense and special teams lead to opportunities on offense. The final scores don't have to be sky-high to win.

The system works, as the Cardinal have shown in past seasons. But there's a thin line between good and great, and Utah's troublesome passing offense is its biggest weakness. It actually has fewer passing yards than Stanford, fewer first downs, and just as much trouble converting on third-down situations.

The fact is even though Utah hasn't looked all that special at times, it's in a special position. Everything is still on the table: a division title, a Pac-12 championship, and even a College Football Playoff berth as long as we're shooting for the moon. But it won't happen if the Utes can't get some control of their offense.

The proof lies with Stanford, which has been forced to pare down its goals this year.

"I think if you look at us, we haven't allowed 30 in two years," Shaw said. "I think we should score much more, and that's kind of part and parcel to the way everyone else is playing. But if you play great defense, you can keep the score down and score a little bit, you can give yourself a chance to win."