Cardinal vs Bruins NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The Stanford Cardinal and the UCLA Bruins are both coming off statement wins heading into their week 13 contest. The No. 8 Cardinal took down the then-No. 2 Oregon Ducks, while the No. 17 Bruins defeated the then-No. 18 USC Trojans. UCLA has already locked up a spot in the Pac-12 championship, but Stanford’s place in the game is up for grabs depending on the outcome of this matchup.
No. 8 Stanford Cardinal (9-2) vs No. 17 UCLA Bruins (9-2)
Saturday November 24, 2012
Rose Bowl, PASADENA, CALIF.
6:30 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Stanford -2 from GTBets.eu
O/U: 52.5
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Stanford Cardinal
Stanford took down one of the best offenses in college football last week, and they held them to just 14 points—about 40 points below their average. Stanford’s defense is top 2 in the country in run defense, and they’re 18th in total yards allowed. They’re also 10th in points allowed, as they give up just 16.9 per contest.
Offensively, this team has been inconsistent throughout the year, but they’ve had running back Stephan Taylor to rely on. He has 1,222 yards and nine touchdowns this year, and he is a physical runner who takes full advantage of the Cardinal’s big men up front.
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Freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan has shown that he may have a bright future for Stanford. Just three starts into his career he was three wins. While some might want to point out that two of them went down to the wire, it shows that he—and the rest of the Stanford offense—has the composure to win a tough game late.
Stanford’s offense must click throughout the contest if they want to outscore UCLA, but this matchup will ultimately come down to the Cardinal’s run defense versus UCLA’s run offense. One-time Heisman-hopeful Johnathan Franklin could prove to be the biggest test for Stanford this season, and shutting him down means shutting down a key component of the Bruins’ offense.
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins played a masterful game against the rival USC Trojans last weekend, and as a result, they are headed back to the Pac-12 championship to represent the South division of the conference. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Offensively, the two-headed monster of Brett Hundley at quarterback and Johnathan Franklin at tailback can be as dynamic as anybody in the Pac-12. The team averages 281.2 passing yards per game, 207.4 rushing yards per game and they put up 37.7 points per game, which is good enough for 20th in the country.
Unlike the old-school style of Stanford, the Bruins use speed and shiftiness to their advantage. If they can get out create plays in space, they’re going to cause matchup problems all over the field against Stanford. However, if they get caught early in the plays by the Cards’ bigger defenders, it could spell trouble for UCLA.
Both of these teams bring five-game winning streaks into this contest, but the Cardinal are the ones that need this game more when it comes to championship prospects. Their defense has won them more than a handful of games this year, and if they can shut down the Bruins for any lengthy stretch come Saturday, they’ll have the edge in what should be a close, hard-fought contest.
Trends
Cardinal are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Cardinal are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
Cardinal are 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 games following a ATS win.
Under is 6-1 in Cardinal last 7 games following a S.U. win.
Under is 5-1 in Cardinal last 6 games overall.
Under is 5-0 in the last 5 head-to-head meetings in UCLA.
O/U Pick: Under 52.5
Score Prediction: Stanford 27 – UCLA 23
