After Stanford didn”t look good in a 16-6 loss at Northwestern to start the season, an email was sent in a form of a barb to my preseason column on Cardinal football, which addressed how Stanford could win a national title.

“Stanford National Championship? Thanks for the laugh!” the email read.

Nearly four weeks later since that undistinguished defeat, it is amazing how things have changed. Northwestern is 4-0, ranked No. 16 in the nation by The Associated Press. Stanford is 3-1, ranked No. 18.

Talk about an LOL.

Stanford faces another Wildcats team when Arizona visits Saturday night. As it was to start the season, the Cardinal still mostly controls its own destiny. Run the table and they probably will be invited to the final four.

Run is the key word.

Stanford”s success hinges on its ability to run the football. That, in turn, keeps the heat off quarterback Kevin Hogan, allowing him to find his talented receivers downfield. Stanford could not run the ball against Northwestern, which possessed two athletic defensive ends who made life miserable for Cardinal running backs.

Stanford”s offensive line started clicking in the second half against Central Florida and hasn”t looked back. One can include the tight ends and the blocking of fullback Daniel Marx, a beast out of Southern California prep power Mission Viejo High.

Fans would be wise to keep binocs focused on No. 35, Marx, as he lays hat, clearing lanes for the likes of Christian McCaffrey, Remound Wright, Barry Sanders and Bryce Love.

Keep it up and we could see a reincarnation of the Marx Bros. LOL

Stanford coach David Shaw”s plan of running back by committee seems to be working. The Cardinal has rushed for 650 yards the past three games. Since his deer-in-headlights performance against Northwestern, Hogan has passed for 803 yards in three games. During that span, the Cardinal has amassed 114 points, a 38.0 points per game average.

Hogan”s Heroes? Now, there was one funny sitcom. LOL

Students return to Stanford Stadium on Saturday, which will add decibels to what should be a beautiful evening.

Can Stanford lose to Arizona? The Cardinal can lose to anyone and beat anyone on its schedule.

What would help matters for Stanford would be to force some turnovers. While Stanford has done a good job of minimizing turnovers, committing just four in four games, it has only one interception and has recovered two fumbles. The lack of takeaways probably won”t be good enough for Stanford to beat the upper echelon of teams left on its docket — UCLA, Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame.

Stanford”s kind schedule remains vital to winning the Pac-12 North. After Arizona, the Cardinal has a 12-day break before it hosts UCLA on Oct. 15, giving Shaw and company time to prepare for the explosive Bruins, as well as time to heal any wounds. Stanford”s final three games are all at home — vs. Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame. Stanford will need its A-plus games to beat all three foes.

The way Utah shellacked the Ducks on Saturday, Stanford caught a huge break in not having to face the Utes, unless two teams play in the Pac-12 title game.

Stanford was dealt a blow before the year started when down lineman Harrison Phillips was lost for the year because of an injury. Two others in the defensive front — Aziz Shittu and Brennan Scarlett — were down for the count in Saturday”s win at Oregon State. Outside linebacker Kevin Anderson is sitting out his second game in a row. Injuries are contagious sometimes, and no team is immune.

Stanford is getting hurt where it can”t afford it, on the defensive side of the ball. All more reason for Hogan and the Cardinal offense to get the ball over the goal line whenever possible and not settle for field goals.

Then again, that was mentioned in my initial column to start the season. You are welcome for the laugh.

Email John Reid at jreid@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/dailynewsjohn.