Cardinal vs Buffaloes NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The No. 17 Stanford Cardinal have been up and down throughout the 2012 college football season, but luckily for them, their week 10 opponent is the Colorado Buffaloes who have been all down and no up this year. At just 1-7, the team from Boulder is arguably one of the worst teams in the country, and the Cardinal are looking for a good solid victory.
No. 17 Stanford Cardinal (6-2) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (1-7)
Saturday November 3, 2012
Folsom Field, BOULDER, CO.
2:00 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Stanford -28 from GTBets.eu
O/U: 51
Stanford Cardinal
If there’s ever a team to look past in anticipation of next week’s matchup, it’s the Colorado Buffaloes; but if the Stanford Cardinal are smart, they won’t take any team for granted while they try and make a statement in the Pac-12 this week.
This team has played both up and down to their competition this season. Three weeks back they lost to now-No. 3 Notre Dame in a gritty overtime battle, yet last weekend they barely took down 2-6 Washington State by a single touchdown. Luckily for this team, even if they play down this week, there’s virtually no way the Buffaloes stop them from putting points on the board.
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The Cardinal haven’t been spectacular on offense this season, as they’ve averaged just 27 points per game (70th in that nation), but going up against a team that gives up 46 points per contest (124th in the nation), they’ll find opportunities to score from beginning to finish.
Defensively is where Stanford has found the most success this year. They’re giving up just 18.6 points per game so far, which is good enough to rank them 20th in the country. As long as their defense shows up Saturday, it won’t matter if their offense takes a couple of possessions off.
Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes have just a single victory this year, and if you weren’t questioning their move to the Pac-12 before, you have to be wondering just what they were thinking following their 70-14 loss to Oregon last week. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Heading into their matchup with the Cardinal, the Buffaloes will have home-field advantage, which is crucial considering they won’t have the advantage in virtually any other area. Their offense is 117th in the nation averaging 18.1 points per game, their defense is as bad as it gets in college football and their running game has only been good enough for 114.1 yards per contest.
In the passing game, junior quarterback Jordan Webb hasn’t been all bad, but his seven interceptions nearly negate the eight touchdowns he has on the year. As good of a defense as Stanford has put on the field this season, their passing defense has been downright awful at times. They’ve allowed 286.9 yards through the air per game (114th in the nation), so if the Buffaloes are going to take advantage anywhere, they must attack the secondary.
Unfortunately for Colorado, they’re going to have to have a near-perfect game throwing the ball, and they must stop Stanford from doing the same. The edge goes to Stanford all game long in this one, and the Cardinal should be able to use this as a tune-up game before hosting the Oregon State Beavers next weekend.
Trends
Cardinal are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
Cardinal are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games after allowing more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Cardinal are 5-1-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Under is 4-0 in Cardinal last 4 games following a S.U. win.
Under is 4-1 in Cardinal last 5 conference games.
Under is 4-1 in Buffaloes last 5 games after allowing more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
O/U Pick: Under 51
Score Prediction: Stanford 38 – Colorado 10
