Stanford vs Utah NCAA Football Odds
The Stanford Cardinal may be the No. 5 team in the country, but they’re coming off a big-time scare against the University of Washington last weekend. The Huskies played them until the very end, and the Cardinal were barely able to escape with a three-point win.
Stanford (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12) @ Utah (3-2, 0-2 Pac-12)
Saturday, Oct. 12 6:00 PM ET @ Rice-Eccles Stadium
Moneyline: N/A
Spread: Stanford -8.5
O/U: 55
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
ATS Matchup Stats | Betting Insight!
Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s COLLEGE FOOTBALL Picks!
Utah, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. The Utes fell 34-27 at home against the UCLA Bruins, and now they have an even tougher challenge ahead in Week 7.
Stanford
The Stanford Cardinal may be coming off of their closest call of the season, but they’re the No. 5 team in the country for a reason.
*CLICK HERE* GRAB OUR BEST Expert College FOOTBALL Picks for 2013 GAMBLING season!
Defensively, the team is giving up just 21.2 points per game. The Utah Utes will look to challenge that number with their balanced attack, as they’re posting 39 points per contest entering Week 7.
Stanford enters this contest with the second-longest winning streak in the nation behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. It has won 13 straight games, and a big reason for that is because its offense complements its defense so nicely. Up to this point, the Cardinal are averaging 39.2 points per game, and while Utah’s defense has been solid, it hasn’t been overwhelming against its top competition.
Aside from a 13-game winning streak, this team has been miraculous on the road against the spread. In its last 15 road contests, Stanford has gone 13-2 ATS. Home-field advantage will certainly help the Utes this time around, but the question is whether or not it is enough to swing the game in their favor. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Utah
As good as Utah’s offense has been this season—including at quarterback—the Utes must protect the football better against Stanford than they did last week against UCLA. Travis Wilson threw six interceptions in the contest—the most by any player in one game this season—and in case it’s not clear, that’s a huge number in a seven-point loss.
On the opposite side of the ball, Utah has been excellent at putting pressure on the opposing quarterback. The team leads the conference in sacks, and if it can keep that trend alive against the Cardinal, it will have a big advantage.
But while defending the Stanford passing attack will be important, Utah needs to take a page out of Washington’s book, meaning defending the run must become a priority. Stanford recorded a season-low 191 yards in Week 6 against the Huskies, and as a result, nearly it lost its first game in 13 outings.
If Utah can defend the run, it is going to put Stanford in a similar situation it was last weekend. The problem is that head coach David Shaw (Stanford) has proven to be excellent at adjusting early in his career. The Cardinal have found ways to bounce back from close performances, and that’s what we’ll likely see this time around. The spread may seem high for two teams averaging almost identical points, but the Cardinal are a different kind of machine, and the Utes are about to figure that out come Saturday.
Score Prediction: Stanford 34 – Utah 21
