Stanford vs WSU NCAA Football Odds
Washington State (3-2, 1-1) takes on its first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they host the #7 Stanford Cardinal (5-0, 3-0).
While the Cougars would seem to have little chance against the high flying Cardinal, this may be the best shot they’ve had at knocking off a ranked opponent in a long time.
In fact, even conference wins have been few and far between for the hard luck Cougars. Since 2008, they’ve only racked up victories over two PAC 12 opponents. But Washington State is no longer the PAC 12’s resident doormat (that honor may go to Colorado).
Cardinal v Cougars
Venue/Stadium: Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington
Time/Date: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, October 15, 2011
NFL Odds From: Betonline.com
Spread (ATS): Stanford -21
Over/Under: 62
Still, it’s hard to overstate how well Stanford is playing with superstar Andrew Luck under center.
Luck is currently 106-145 for 1383 yards and 14 touchdowns. And if that isn’t enough, he’s only been sacked twice this year and thrown two interceptions. During Stanford’s dismantling of the Colorado Buffaloes (1-4, 0-2) on Saturday, Luck was calling his own plays for a good chunk of the game.
While the Cougars may be having their best season in years, Luck and the Cardinal seem to be getting better with every game. So what can Washington State do to contain the Luck juggernaut? Frankly, there isn’t much that can be done.
WSU’s defense has played very well this season so far. Saturday’s 28-25 loss to UCLA represented the most points they’ve given up all season, but they haven’t faced anybody like Stanford yet.
Their best hope for staying in the game may be trying match the Cardinal point for point, and that won’t be easy either. Stanford’s defensive line is just about as impressive as their offense. Last week they held Colorado to just 60 rushing yards. They’re only giving up an average of ten points a game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
UCLA, who squeaked by WSU last week 28-25, put up more points on the Cardinal than anybody this season with 19 points scored. The Trojans lost that bout 45-19.
Cougar quarterback Martin Lobbestael doesn’t play at Luck’s level, but he’s no slouch. He’s shown a lot of leadership ability and clock management skills this season. Lobbestael helped lead WSU to a come-from-behind win over the Colorado Buffaloes and nearly did the same thing again last week against UCLA. So far this season he’s 118-182 with 15 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Stanford is heading into Martin Stadium with a 13-game winning streak, the longest current streak going in college football. They’re a smart, sophisticated program that doesn’t look past anyone and they’ll definitely be taking the Cougars seriously.
It’s hard to picture a scenario where the Cardinal lose this one, but if they did, it would likely be the result of a fourth comeback by the plucky Cougars. It’s a testament to their tenacity that Stanford is favored by only 21 on Saturday.
Stanford is 5-1 ATS, WSU is 4-1 ATS.
Matt’s Prediction: Stanford 45-21
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3 replies on “Pac 12 Week 7: Cardinal vs. Cougars Preview & Prediction”
If you are going to mention a team by name, please get their mascot correct. UCLA – the Trojans??? And we are supposed to take your advise on gambling??? Wow.
The next time you own a blog, and you write 25-30 game previews a week, and DON’T make 1 typo get back to me. We’re sports handicappers here NOT english professors!
Actually as a professional paid sportswriter for numerous mags and newspapers, I will admit my “single typo” in the article. It happens.
Nice catch professor. LOL!