PALO ALTO, Calif. – In the gloaming at the end of a perfect fall day, halfway through a thus far perfect season, everything comes into perfect focus. Andrew Luck’s jaw-dropping decision to eschew the NFL’s mercenary millions to linger for another year as the big man on campus seems a no-brainer. Luck likes his teammates and coaches. He likes his classes. He likes his surroundings. And he likes winning. Heaven can wait? No, heaven is now. Money can’t buy this kind of happiness. “It’s a special place,” Luck said of Stanford, a long-standing oasis of academia that also hasn’t suffered a football defeat in more than a year. “I’m having fun because we’re winning. If we weren’t … maybe not. (But) we weren’t supposed to win when I got here so it’s gratifying to prove people wrong. “Just finishing up academically, that was important to me. I always thought in the back of my mind I’d go to college for four years and that was sort of how it was going to be, no matter what. Also, we had a great group of guys in (our) recruiting class, guys from all over (the country). I wanted to spend another year with them to see how far we could take the program.” Pretty far, so far. The Cardinal, 6-0 and ranked seventh, have won 14 in a row, a school record and the longest FBS streak in the country. They seek No. 15 on Saturday against 22nd-ranked Washington (5-1), the first significant test for Luck and his teammates this season. To date, the odds-on Heisman Trophy favorite has largely operated as if on cruise control, making all the right decisions as he picks apart overmatched defenses. Stanford has won its last nine games by more than 25 points and some swear Luck hadn’t thrown a “legitimate” interception in 2011 until he went long to Jamal-Rashad Patterson on the second play from scrimmage last weekend against Washington State. It resulted in only his third pick, the previous two had first ricocheted off his receivers’ hands. And, regarding the pass to Patterson, Stanford coach David Shaw said, “The defensive back wanted it more than we did.” But Luck, who has routinely set standards for self-effacement going back to his days of being a man among boys at Stratford High School, countered: “It was underthrown. … They’re all legitimate interceptions if they end up in the wrong guy’s hands. They’re all on me.” Still getting better Stanford struggled for the first 30 minutes against Washington State, and Luck later blamed “all the little mistakes, on my part especially” for a skimpy three-point lead. But the Cardinal owned the second half 38-7 and Luck ultimately threw for four touchdowns, giving him 18 on the season. Then there are his red-zone numbers. Thirty-one penetrations have produced 13 rushing touchdowns, 12 passing touchdowns and six field goals. Do the math and that’s 31-for-31. So much for his letting the pressure of his marked-man high profile get to him. So much for assuming he couldn’t play any better than he did last season, when the only team to get the best of him was national runner-up Oregon. “The day you stop improving or trying to improve is the day to hang it up,” Luck said. “I think I understand our offense a lot better. I understand why the plays are called for certain coverages and how to better manage a play to put the defense in a bad spot.” And so much for the conjecture he couldn’t help but be distracted by the NFL standings, lapsing into daydreams about what’s next. If he’s churning inside or in any way distracted, he won’t admit it, and it doesn’t show. “I think it would be a disservice to the team, to the university and to my teammates,” Luck said, “to put my mind anywhere else.” NFL can wait Asked about the burgeoning “Suck for Luck” fan campaigns in cities such as Miami, Indianapolis and St. Louis, where the local NFL teams remain winless, he laughed. “I think it’s a little stupid, to be honest,” he said. “When I heard about it, I was hoping it was just a joke.” He’s heard about it a lot in the Cardinal’s locker room. “When you’re surrounded by a bunch of guys who you’re close with,” he said, “any time you get on a high horse they bring you down pretty quickly.” Up close, he’s easily recognized as Oliver Luck’s boy. But this is no like-father-like-son story. The onetime Oilers quarterback, Houston Sports Authority boss, Dynamo president and current University of West Virginia athletic director was talented enough to be drafted in the second round and play at the NFL level. But Andrew is on a whole different level as a prospect. As a person, though, the proverbial acorn didn’t fall far from the oak. “He’s very much a reflection of his parents, and that’s the highest possible compliment,” said Stanford sports information director Jim Young, who runs interference for Luck on a daily basis. “As high in demand as he has been, I’ve tried to balance his schedule, reflecting his wishes to be a student-athlete. He’s tremendous to work with, just a delightful young man.” twitter.com/sportywineguy