Technically, Stanford plays its first game of the season Saturday when it hosts UC Davis.

The Cardinal would like people to believe it means just as much as any other game. After all, Davis did win on its last trip to the Farm -- a 20-17 upset in 2005.

In reality, that’s not the case.

With USC coming to town the following week for one of college football’s marquee early-season games, Stanford’s season-opener is all about preparing for the Trojans. Much like it did in games against San Jose State and Army a year ago, Stanford figures to roll out a vanilla offense aimed at doing enough to secure a victory, but not enough to tip its hand before the more important game the following week.

That doesn't mean Stanford isn't planning for Davis, however.

"We’ve been sneaking in some Davis prep all week," coach David Shaw said on Friday. "For the most part just a period at a time."

For Stanford, that prep wasn't solely about getting ready for the Aggies.

"We’ve been trying to get ourselves familiar with [Davis] and it helps break up the last week of camp," Shaw said. "By the last week, everybody is tired of each other so it’s nice to break it up and start thinking about somebody else.

David Shaw and Stanford have turned their focus to their Week 1 opponent, UC Davis. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

"I’ve learned a lesson the last couple years that the last day of training camp should be as short as possible. Get our business done and get off the field."

In addition to winning, here are some objectives for the Cardinal in Week 1:

A Stanford win would would make Shaw the first Stanford coach to win four season openers since Glenn "Pop" Warner did it from 1929-32. Coincidently, Warner's final win in 1932 came against Davis and doubles as Warner's last Stanford win and the school's last win against Davis.