College Football Week 5 Preview: Stanford Cardinal vs. Washington Huskies

[Jeff Grant]

Stanford Cardinal v. Washington Huskies

-Won 11 straight games in the month of September
-First road game
-RB Stepfan Taylor amassed a career-high 213 offensive yards against the USC Trojans
-Senior QB Josh Nunes really came on in the second half (9 of 15, 137 yards)
-Held USC scoreless for the final 41 minutes
-Ranked in the AP poll for the 36th straight week, fifth longest in the nation
-Defense ranked No. 1 nationally in rush defense (41.3 ypg)
-Haven’t allowed a fourth-quarter point

-Washington is 40-9-1 when rushing for 200 yards since 1995
-Playing entire home schedule at CenturyLink Field

-Cardinal have won four straight, six of last seven in the series
-Last two years, biggest margins of victory
-Stanford gained 615 total yards, scored in its first eight possessions (6 TDs, 2 FGs), school-record 446 rushing yards

-The Huskies are 0-4 ATS in their last four home underdog losses under head coach Steve Sarkisian, failing to cover those games by an average of 20.3 points
-Out-gained on the ground by a 1,134-405 margin

[Urbanwildlife]

I have taken the Cardinals in a big way, for all the reasons you pointed out. Nice work on your part. I also bought it down to 6 from 6.5 at -116.

[falcon42]

Agreed Stanford is the play here, I got it at -6

Washington got blown out at LSU. Not just because of the intimidation factor of being in death valley, but because they have two below average offensive tackles and LSU had edge pressure on Price all night. Stanford accomplished the same thing against USC (pressure off the edge). Washington also has given up a 174 yards per game on the ground. Stefan Taylor I believe is the best running back in the nation. These two glaring mismatches makes me put a lot of weight in this play. Stanford is playing its first true road game, but they have a(nother) good head coach in David Shaw and coming off the bye week I see them winning this by at least two scores. I would have taken Stanford all the way to 13.5, seeing it down to 6, I see a lot of value.

[Jeff Grant]

Agreed Stanford is the play here, I got it at -6

Washington got blown out at LSU. Not just because of the intimidation factor of being in death valley, but because they have two below average offensive tackles and LSU had edge pressure on Price all night. Stanford accomplished the same thing against USC (pressure off the edge). Washington also has given up a 174 yards per game on the ground. Stefan Taylor I believe is the best running back in the nation. These two glaring mismatches makes me put a lot of weight in this play. Stanford is playing its first true road game, but they have a(nother) good head coach in David Shaw and coming off the bye week I see them winning this by at least two scores. I would have taken Stanford all the way to 13.5, seeing it down to 6, I see a lot of value.

Thanks for pointing out the pressure on the edge - definitely will need to contain a bit more with Price vs. Barkley

[utmoody10]

Price isnt a tuck and run QB though, would much rather get the ball out of his hands. Washington gave up a ton of sacks last year ranking 101st in sacks allowed (34 on the season). In result Price only rushed for a net gain of 10 yards last year, since in college, sacks are counted against the QBs rushing total. In comparison Barkley rushed for 14 yards but kept his jersey much cleaner. If they can replicate the pressure put on Barkley, it should prove to be a long night for Price.

[freewinners4u]

im on wash

[Jeff Grant]

im on wash

Good luck - line has moved since you posted

[Jeff Grant]

I got this quote from William Hill's leading Bookmaker in Las Vegas:

Stanford @ Washington – William Hill line: Stanford -6.5 (Opened Stanford -7)
"This is a terrible spot for Stanford. With a week off after pulling off yet another upset of USC, they now are entering the classic letdown spot behind a quarterback making the first road start of his career. The line opened at Stanford -7, and is now down to -6.5 for a reason. I've got to go with Washington."