Stoking up the ground game again is Stanford’s main...

Nobody, it seems, is picking Stanford to win the Pac-12 North this fall. Considering what Washington and Oregon have coming back, that’s not surprising.

And last season, the Cardinal finished unranked for just the second time in a decade.

It’s not as if Stanford will be sneaking up on anybody. The Cardinal have an experienced quarterback in All-Pac-12 second-teamer K.J. Costello and other standouts like tight end Colby Parkinson, tackle Walker Little, kicker Jet Toner and cornerback Paulson Adebo, whom head coach David Shaw calls “a college football superstar.”

On Thursday, the Cardinal were ranked No. 23 in the country in the preseason USA Today coaches’ poll, with No. 12 Washington, No. 13 Oregon and No. 15 Utah ahead of them.

They also have a schedule that only the Marquis de Sade would enjoy. The nonconference opponents are Big Ten heavyweight Northwestern, Central Florida (25-1 the past two seasons and hosting in the heat and humidity of Orlando) and Notre Dame, in addition to the usual Pac-12 gauntlet.

Going into training camp Friday, the issues on the Farm start with the running game, namely:

Training camp When: Friday-Aug. 24 Where: Football practice field (behind Maples Pavilion) Open practices: Aug. 11, 3:15-5:30 p.m.; Aug. 18, 3-5:20 p.m.

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• Can Stanford get back to Stanford football, that is to say, can it pound the rock down people’s throats and control the clock?

Bryce Love is gone. Even with him last year, the ground game went nowhere. Often it was all he could do to get back to the line of scrimmage. Primarily because of injuries, the offensive line was a patchwork of players who couldn’t open holes although they fared better in the passing game.

Stanford averaged 3.8 yards per rush, second worst in the Pac-12.

Shaw is confident things will improve in the second year of O-line coach and running-game coordinator Kevin Carberry. “This year, we’re starting the season healthy and deeper than we were a year ago,” Shaw said.

Cameron Scarlett (6-foot-1, 216 pounds) is likely to be the featured back. Shaw likens him to Tyler Gaffney, a 6-1, 226-pounder who in 2013 came back from a year in minor-league baseball to rush for 1,709 yards and 21 touchdowns and help lead Stanford to the Rose Bowl.

“The biggest thing is having that second year with Coach Carberry,” Scarlett said. “Being around the playbook and the schemes another year is going to give us that confidence in the O-line to really take the next step in the run game.”

• Without JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Trent Irwin, who will be Costello’s chief targets?

Shaw says Parkinson “may be the top tight end in America.” Wide receivers Michael Wilson, Connor Wedington, Osiris St. Brown and Simi Fehoko provide speed and depth. A man to keep an eye on is highly regarded 6-3 freshman Elijah Higgins.

• Who will start at inside linebacker in place of Bobby Okereke and Sean Barton?

Probably Curtis Robinson and Andrew Pryts, converted from outside backer and safety, respectively, at least at the start of the season. But Shaw thinks both redshirt freshmen Ricky Miezan and Jacob Mangum-Farrar have “Shayne Skov potential.”

• Who will start at safety next to Malik Antoine?

Probably Kendall Williamson, who missed spring practice with an injury. But three incoming freshmen figure to be in the secondary mix right away, Kyu Blu Kelly, Jonathan McGill and Salim Turner-Muhamad.

• Where will Foster Sarell and Devery Hamilton line up in the offensive line?

Sarell will be a right tackle. Hamilton probably will start at right guard, but Shaw said the versatile redshirt junior “has to be prepared to play every place.”

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald