Pac-10 Showdown – UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinals
UCLA Bruins (3-0 SU, 3-0 ATS) at Stanford Cardinal (3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS)
Saturday, October 3: 3:30 p.m.
BetUS.com Football Betting Odds: Stanford -5, Total Points: 45
Here are some of the NCAAF betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
UCLA: 5-1 ATS in their last 6 gamesUCLA: 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
UCLA: Total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 7 games
Stanford: 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games
Stanford: 7-1 SU in their last 8 home games
Stanford: 5-0 ATS in their last five home games
CLICK HERE FOR THE TOP ONLINE NCAA-F Handicappers Plays For This Week —–>
On Saturday, UCLA will visit Stanford for an important Pac-10 showdown for both teams.
Stanford is coached by former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and in his third year with the program, he’s got them thinking about their first bowl appearance since 2001.
Last week, the Cardinals had their biggest win of the season to date, beating No. 24 ranked Washington at home 34-14. Stanford likes to get most of its offense on the ground, behind bruising running back Toby Gerhart. He is currently ranked third in the nation, averaging 129 yards on the ground per game. He is a big reason why the Cardinals are ranked 11 th in college football in total offense. 
As for UCLA, they prefer to flex their muscles on the other side of the ball, as they give up just 251 yards per game, good for 15 th best in college football. They’ve got an experienced defensive front seven, led by linebacker Akeem Ayers and linemen David Carter and Brian Price. UCLA is 12 th in the country averaging three sacks per game.
Offensively though, expect much more of a struggle for the Bruins. They are without their starting quarterback, Kevin Prince, who suffered a broken jaw a few weeks back at Tennessee. In his place will be Kevin Craft, who led the Bruins in Prince’s absence against Kansas State tallying 186 yards and a touchdown pass.
In this one, look for a grind it out low scoring game, which shouldn’t be surprising since both of these coaches have NFL backgrounds. Both teams strengths will go against each other, as Stanford’s rushing attack goes against one of the best rushing defenses in college football.
We know UCLA wants it to keep this low scoring, so the key will likely be freshman quarterback Andrew Luck of Stanford. He has been a good game manager so far, throwing six touchdowns and two interceptions, but more often than not choosing to hand off to his running backs. If UCLA forces him to make plays with his arm, how will he respond?
This is an important game for each team, as both have considerable bowl aspirations. For Stanford, who will spend its next two Pac-10 games on the road, they can’t afford to lose this one at home. For UCLA, they have Oregon and Cal in the next two weeks at home, how sweet would a 4-0 start be for them?
While I think Stanford ultimately wins this game, Rick Neuheisel’s group will keep this low scoring, and will cover the five points they are getting on the road.
Pick: UCLA +5
