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Pac 12 Week 5: UCLA vs. Stanford Preview & Prediction

Bruins vs Cardinal NCAA Football Odds

The Stanford Cardinal welcome in the UCLA Bruins after beating them handily, 35-0 at the Rose Bowl just one year ago.

Bruins vs Cardinal
Venue/Stadium: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
Time/Date: 10:30 PM ET, Saturday, October 1, 2011
NFL Odds From: Bet Online
Spread (ATS): Stanford -20.5
Over/Under: 55.5

At 2-2 the Bruins are in the running for bowl eligibility, and with their recent performance at Oregon State, one might start to think that this team could upset Stanford on the road. I mean stranger things have happened.

UCLA quarterback Richard Brehaut passed for one touchdown and rushed for another as the Bruins opened conference play with a 27-19 victory over host Oregon State.

Brehaut’s passing TD came with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter to senior wide receiver Taylor Embree, followed by a 5-yard run in the second to give UCLA a 14-3 advantage.

Then Jordan James and Anthony Barr added rushing touchdowns on their only carries of the game, as seven different ball carriers helped the Bruins notch only their third conference road victory in 14 games during Rick Neuheisel’s four-year coaching tenure.

And coupled with a win at Stanford, could very well save Neuheisel’s job for another season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Meanwhile, the No. 4 Cardinal has dominated every team they’ve faced, and extended their longest active winning streak in the nation at 11, after drubbing Arizona 37-10 on Saturday.

Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck won the duel in the desert, completing 20-of-31 passing for 325 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and got a great deal of help from his ground game, as Stepfan Taylor stampeded for a career-high 153 yards on 22 carries in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams.

The Cardinal defense didn’t do too bad either, limiting the Wildcats to 4-of-12 on third downs, while surrendering 333 yards, including just 51 on the ground.

Stanford did lose three key starters to injury in the first half, but the teams depth should be able to overcome the hit.

Matt’s Prediction: Prediction: Stanford 36, UCLA 14 —

I think the Bruins get on the scoreboard this time around, but whether it’s enough to cover the nearly 21 point spread, that’s a difficult question to answer. I don’t think it will happen if the Bruins are relegated to beating the Cardinal solely on Brehaut’s arm. The Bruins will have to get their running game going again if they want to have any chance of toppling Stanford, especially in Palo Alto. With a 3-0 ATS record, there’s no reason to think that the Cardinal won’t cover the spread by the third quarter, and then pour it on at the end.

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