Stanford Cardinal vs. Oregon Ducks Free Week 5 College Football Pick + Betting Preview
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Cardinal at Ducks Matchup Tips
The 2010 College Football season is officially underway. Veteran sportswriter Matt Martz will preview all of the weekly PAC-10 match ups throughout the season, providing some insight to help make your college football wagers winners. Check back every week for your complete source for NCAA football gambling right here on CappersPicks.com.
Date/Time: Saturday, October 2, 8 PM EST
Venue: Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon
Broadcast: ABC
Stanford Cardinal vs. Oregon Ducks College Betting Lines from Bookmaker
Money Line: Not available yet
Spread: Oregon -27
Over/Under: 65 ½
Bet Now At Bookmaker.com —>
The No. 9 Stanford Cardinal have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are just as good a team and a solid contender for the PAC-10 title as any, even without standout running back Toby Gerhart. Now they will get a chance to punctuate that statement with a win over the No. 4 Oregon Ducks on Saturday.
Both teams are undefeated and are coming off big wins in Week 4 as they head into a game that could decide who will take the early lead in the PAC-10 by the conclusion of this weekend.
The Ducks have beaten the Cardinal by an average of 26.8 points over the past four meetings in Eugene, dating to 2002. However, Stanford did hand Oregon (4-0) their first defeat of the year, at Stanford, 51-42, in 2009.
On paper the Ducks would appear to have the advantage, outscoring their opponents 231-44, scoring nearly 59 points a game – first overall in the PAC-10. But Ducks fans shouldn’t get to excited as Oregon has only been challenged by only one “real” adversary in its first four weeks of play, and have yet to really live up to all the preseason hype. Especially in its 42-31 win against Arizona State last weekend, where the Ducks gave up 597 offensive yards – the most for the Sun Devils since 2000.
The Ducks continued to struggle against the run surrendering 210 yards to ASU, but also allowed 387 passing yards, an area that they have been holding opponents to just over 230 yards per game. Could this be a foretaste of how the defense really stacks up against quality foes?
If so, this could bode well for Stanford (4-0), whose solid rushing attack is averaging 223.3 yards per game ranking 19th overall. It’s possible the Cardinal could give the Ducks defensive line a serious beating all day. 
But it’s the Ducks offense that Stanford will have to worry about most.
They lead the FBS with an average of 57.8 points and are third in both rushing yards (321.8) and total yards (560.0) per game. However, Oregon showed signs of weakness against ASU struggling to gain just 145 yards on the ground.
This could also tilt in Stanford’s favor, as they will bring a defense to Autzen that has been limiting its opponents to just 13 points per game, good enough to rank 12th overall.
Now they will face the dauntless task of containing running back LaMichael James, who is second in the nation with 475 rushing yards. James ran for 125 yards and a TD while catching four passes for 89 yards in last season’s meeting.
Nevertheless, this contest will likely be won with the passing game, and this is where Stanford truly has the advantage with QB Andrew Luck. The Heisman hopeful has played phenomenal and led his team it firs 4-0 start since 1986, despite throwing his first two interceptions of the season in a 37-14 victory at Notre Dame last Saturday.
Mind you, Oregon is also no slouch defensively, ranking third in the nation with 11.0 points allowed per contest, but they have yet to face a quarterback like Luck. Mix in a solid receiving core with Doug Baldwin, Chris Owusu, and Ryan Whalen, and the Ducks’ secondary is likely to be stretched all day long.
Oregon will definitely have the advantage of playing at home, but with Luck leading the Cardinal’s fourth-ranked scoring offense into Autzen Stadium this weekend, I like their chances for the upset.
Free Pick: Stanford
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Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.
