We’ll call that a hump win for Stanford, which can now see clearly into the second half of the schedule.

A loss in Salt Lake City would have cast the Cardinal into the middle of the North. But the victory means November could carry postseason significance.

Next up is quarterback-less Oregon, followed by winless (against FBS competition) Oregon State.

Win both, and the Cardinal will enter November 6-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play, with the Washington schools in back-to-back fashion.

And both the Cougars and Huskies should be undefeated.

Result: Won at Utah 23-20

Grade: B+

Comment: It was a conference road win in a rowdy stadium against a well-coached team, but I stopped short of an A-level grade for two reasons:

Utah cannot, at this point, be considered an elite team (nationally or within the conference). It doesn’t have the quality wins to warrant that categorization.

Also, Stanford wasn’t sharp offensively.

The quarterbacks were good enough (i.e., no turnovers) but only because of the defense and Bryce Love.

(We’ll assume Keller Chryst starts this week and is firmly the No. 1, despite the protestations in some corners of Stanford fandom. Just a year ago, fans were clamoring for Chryst to replace Ryan Burns.)

*** Love was mostly contained by the first-rate Utah defense, save for one long run: The 68-yarder early in the fourth quarter that gave Stanford a 23-13 lead.

Then again, that’s often what great player do: Change the game in a flash.

Updated pace: If Love maintains his current average of 206 yards per game for the final six games of the regular season and a bowl game, he’ll break Barry Sanders’ single-season record. Get Pac-12 Conference news in your inbox. Sign up for the Pac-12 Hotline newsletter.

Love would finish with 2,682 at that clip. Sanders rushed for 2,628 yards in 1988. (Sanders did it in 12 games, which must be mentioned because it’s simply ridiculous.)

*** Perhaps of note: Davis Shaw has now beaten every team in the conference.

The Cardinal was 0-2 against Utah (2013-14).

*** Stanford’s defense was effective in disrupting Utah quarterback Troy Williams’ rhythm and limiting long plays (Utah had just two of more than 30 yards).

Then again, the Utes contributed to their own demise by not leaning more heavily on the running game.

Their tailbacks averaged 6.1 yards per carry but only had 22 rushes, while the erratic Williams threw 39 passes.

Better balance might have changed the flow.

Next up: vs. Oregon

The matchup: Far more interesting than what we might have expected prior to the season.

New Ducks coach Willie Taggart is a former Stanford assistant and Jim Harbaugh protege, and he favors the physical approach the Cardinal has deployed under Harbaugh and Shaw.

Oregon has the offensive line and running backs to make it work. But because of injuries, the Ducks are light on receivers and have a major issue under center:

Justin Herbert, one of the top quarterbacks in the conference, is out for October (and perhaps longer) with a broken collarbone.

Washington State’s defense contained the Herbert-less Ducks, who turned to a true freshman, Braxton Burmeister. he was predictably overwhelmed for much of the game.

For the Cardinal to have similar success — WSU’s defense is a notch better than Stanford’s, particularly the front — it must limit Royce Freeman and the Oregon running game.

That should be a challenge: The Cardinal is No. 94 nationally in yards per rush allowed against Power Five opponents (5.5 ypr).

If the Ducks commit to the ground game early and stick with it (unlike Utah), they should move the ball across the middle of the field. What happens in the red zone — always a difficult assignment for rookie quarterbacks — is another matter.

(Easy to see the Ducks kicking four or five field goals.)

*** Oregon is vastly improved on defense under new coordinator Jim Leavitt, who was Colorado’s defensive playcaller last year (Stanford scored five points … FIVE … against CU).

I’m skeptical that Love can win the game by himself, with 200+ and multiple touchdowns: Stanford will need to make plays in the passing game (hello, tight ends), whether it’s Chryst or K.J. Costello.

The Cardinal is a 10.5-point favorite, which feels a tad high.

Something like …

Stanford 24, Oregon 16 For more Pac-12 coverage

follow Pac-12 Hotline on Flipboard.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.