Cougars vs Cardinal NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The Stanford Cardinal are currently ranked 17th in the BCS, and they are looking to stay in the hunt for a Pac-12 title this week against the Washington State Cougars. The team from Pullman, Wash. has just one road victory this season, and it won’t be easy to get No. 2 against a Cardinal team that has yet to lose at home.
Washington State Cougars (2-5) vs No. 17 Stanford Cardinal (5-2)
Saturday October 27, 2012
Stanford Stadium, STANFORD, CALIF.
6:15 PM ET
Moneyline: Stanford -2400, Stanford +1400 from Bookmaker
Spread: Stanford -23.5
O/U: 51
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Washington State Cougars
The Washington State Cougars began the season 2-1 under new head coach Mike Leach, but as soon as the level of competition ramped up, their record sunk, as they’re now just 2-5 seven games into the year.
This team struggles on both sides of the ball, as they’ve allowed 30.4 points per game and scored just 21.1.
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The good news is that, while they’ve had difficulties winning on the road, they’ve allowed just 110.7 yards per game on the ground when they’re the visiting team. Stanford’s per-game average on the ground is 167.6 yards on the year.
Offensively, they’ve yet to get one of their quarterbacks to truly take over coach Leach’s patented air raid attack. Jeff Tuel regained control last week with a 30-of-53 performance, going for two touchdowns and no interceptions, but a decent percentage did not result in a win, as the team has virtually no balance in their offensive approach.
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal entered last week’s contest against Cal having lost two of their last three games, and winning the other by just six points in overtime. A lesser-quality team helped the Cardinal bounce back with a 21-3 win, and the team should keep the momentum going this week against the Cougars.
The Cardinal haven’t established themselves as a dominant team in either the ground or air attacks, but they have created for a much more balanced offense than the Washington State Cougars. Running back Stephan Taylor is coming off a 189-yard performance; a performance that also saw quarterback Josh Nunez go for 214 yards and a touchdown. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Stanford is a physically imposing team—especially on the offensive and defensive lines—and they’ll use their big players up front to put pressure on the pass-first offense of Washington State. The cardinal are 10th in the nation in sacks this season, and they’re also a top-25 program in interceptions per game. Stopping the pass is key this week, and it’s the approach head coach David Shaw should be preaching heading into their matchup.
Whichever defense stops the pass should get the win on Saturday. The Cardinal are going to score their points against the 85th ranked defense, so this game is going to come down to whether or not Washington State can beat the Stanford secondary. If they can’t, they stand virtually no chance of challenging the home team; but if they can get a decent performance out of one of their quarterbacks, they could push the score a little bit closer than some are anticipating heading into the weekend.
Trends
Cougars are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a double-digit loss at home.
Cougars are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in Cougars last 4 games on grass.
Under is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 road games.
Under is 4-1 in Cardinal last 5 games overall.
O/U Pick: Under 51
Score Prediction: Stanford 30 – Washington St. 17
