Week 13 – Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Stanford Cardinal
Date: Saturday November 28, 8:00 PM EST
Site: Palo Alto, California
BetUS LINE: Stanford –10.5
Preview:
Three weeks ago Notre Dame was 6-2 and if they won out, were looking at a possible BCS at-large berth. Now, after three consecutive losses, it looks as if Charlie Weis is going to be fired at the end of this season, and possibly after this game if the Irish don’t win.
CLICK HERE FOR THE BEST CFB WEEK 13 GAMBLING PICKS FROM OUR TOP CAPPERS! —>
Stanford on the other hand, were media darlings after a shootout win against Oregon and blowing out USC at home. But after a six-point loss to Cal, the Cardinal is out of the Pac-10 championship race, and is looking to position themselves for a good January 1st bowl game with a win.
Stanford’s running back Toby Gerhart has been flat out amazing this year, ranking at or near the top of all major rushing categories. He is third in the nation in rushing yards with 1,530 and has 23 TD’s. If some how the Irish can slow Gerhart, Andrew Luck has been one of the best young QB’s this season. It’s not that his numbers are amazing (2,377 yards, 14 TDs), but it’s the fact he has only thrown four picks. The combination of an amazing running back and a quarterback that doesn’t turn the ball over makes for a long day for any defense.
Things in South Bend seem to be going from bad to worse – especially for QB Jimmy Clausen. He was in the midst of a Heisman trophy campaign, but after three losses and an apparent altercation with a fan outside a bar, that is a distant memory. His numbers have not dropped the last three games, and is still on pace for a great season (3,382 yards, 23 TD’s, 4 INT’s). Another Heisman trophy hopeful three weeks ago was Golden Tate, the Irish receiver has already broken the single season reception and yard marks at Notre Dame with 83 receptions for 1,295 yards and 12 TD’s.
Again this week the Irish will have to fight the injury bug. This week’s casualty is RB Armando Allen, who has a broken a bone in his hand. But their receiving corps gets a big boost as TE Kyle Rudolph returns from an injured shoulder.
This game looks to have all the ingredients of a shootout featuring two amazing offenses and two bad defenses. The only edge I would give is the fact Notre Dame cannot stop the run at all (80th in the country). The Irish defense is flat out terrible, not only are they bad against the run but they have made several average QB’s look like All-Americans this year. So, look for Andrew Luck to have a big day because the defense will be so focused on stopping Gerhart.
Clausen will be his usual self but unfortunately so will the defense, and Notre Dame loses another close one.
2009 Team Stats
Total Offense: ND- 11th
Stanford- 19th
Total Defense: ND- 80th
Stanford- 81st
Spread/Trends
Trends:
Notre Dame is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Stanford
Notre Dame is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Stanford
Notre Dame is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Stanford
The total has gone UNDER in 12 of Notre Dame’s last 16 games on the road
Stanford is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
Stanford is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
Stanford is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Notre Dame
Stanford is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Notre Dame
2009: ND: 3-8 ATS
Stanford: 7-4 ATS
O/U: 2009: ND: 5-6
Stanford: 6-5
Pick: Stanford -10.5
We stand behind one of our top NFL Sportsbooks – MYSportsbook.com – Sign Up For A Free Account Today, and know that they have ONE OF THE Best CREDIT CARD ACCEPTANCE rates in the industry.
Adam Slozar is a CFB Junkie and regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He also hails from the Great White North but don’t hold that against him. Adam wants to hear from you so please comment below.
