QB duel is among Stanford question marks as camp opens

Stanford backup quarterback Keller Chryst, #10, is seen at practice on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 in Stanford, Calif. Stanford backup quarterback Keller Chryst, #10, is seen at practice on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015 in Stanford, Calif. Photo: Nathaniel Y. Downes, The Chronicle Photo: Nathaniel Y. Downes, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close QB duel is among Stanford question marks as camp opens 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

Even while Stanford was winning the Pac-12 title in three of the past four years, it was doing so as a preseason underdog. That’s not the case this year: The Cardinal are the hunted, not the hunters.

They’re the favorites, for the first time in the 56-year history of the preseason poll, to win the conference championship.

Training camp begins Monday, 25 days before the season opener against Kansas State. The conference schedule is top-loaded, starting with games against USC, UCLA, Washington and Washington State, all of whom are expected to make considerable noise in the Pac-12 division races.

If Stanford is going to figure in the national playoff picture, it probably needs to win all of them. Last year, it loused up its plans in that regard by losing to Northwestern in the opener.

“Honestly, I’m not looking past K-State,” 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey said last month in Los Angeles. “Last year, we kind of got bit looking past Northwestern, who was a heck of a football team. We underestimated them.”

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He might have flown under the radar much of last season, but the nation’s eyes will be on McCaffrey this year. In a sensational sophomore season, he set a national record with 3,864 all-purpose yards and was the only FBS player to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yardage.

He’s about 10 pounds heavier this year, at 205, and both he and head coach David Shaw say he’s even faster, posting a 4.37-second time in the 40-yard dash. Barring an injury, there seems little question he’s headed for another huge season.

However, there are many questions involving the latest edition of the Cardinal. Here are the top ones:

•Who will start at quarterback, and what does having a rookie at the helm mean for an offense with a massive playbook?

Both redshirt sophomore Keller Chryst and redshirt junior Ryan Burns know the playbook cold by this time, but their competition is extremely tight going into camp. Shaw has said it could extend into the season.

“These aren’t young kids,” he said. “They’ve been in our program for years now. We expect them to play at a high level.”

•How will the offensive line perform after losing Outland Trophy winner Joshua Garnett, starting tackle Kyle Murphy and center Graham Shuler (who retired from football)?

Not only will the man receiving the snaps be new, so will the man making them. Redshirt sophomore Jesse Burkett is likely to be the new center, undoubtedly one of the few key players, if not the only one, in big-time college football who is majoring in Japanese. He’ll be calling the blocking schemes, presumably in English.

David Bright, A.T. Hall, Casey Tucker, Johnny Caspers and Brandon Fanaika are all in the mix to start, Bright at either guard or tackle. Whoever doesn’t start certainly will play in Stanford’s signature jumbo packages.

•How much will Kaden Smith contribute as a freshman?

The nation’s most heralded incoming tight end is still rehabbing from a knee injury, but Shaw said, “It looks like he’s going to be ready toward the beginning of the season.”

Starter Dalton Shultz could be the No. 1 target of the new quarterback. The 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore should be the latest in a long line of stellar Stanford tight ends.

•Is this the deepest secondary Stanford has had in the Harbaugh/Shaw era?

At this point, the answer is: probably. With safeties Dallas Lloyd, Justin Reid and Zach Hoffpauir (back from baseball) and corners Alijah Holder, Alameen Murphy, Quenton Meeks, Terrence Alexander and Frank Buncom, the Cardinal have an exceptional group for secondary coach Duane Akina to polish.

•Who will be the best pass rushers?

Probably Solomon Thomas or 6-6 Dylan Jackson, a redshirt freshman in the rangy mold of Chase Thomas or Trent Murphy, or outside backers Peter Kalambayi, Mike Tyler and Joey Alfieri.

•Who will start at inside linebacker beside Kevin Palma?

Best bets are Bobby Okereke, Jordan Perez, Sean Barton or Noor Davis — in what will be one of the best competitions of camp.

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

Stanford training camp

When: Monday through Aug. 25

Open practices: 8:50-11 a.m. Saturday; 5:30-7:15 p.m. Aug. 19. (All other practices are closed to the public.)