Miami vs. Stanford Prediction: Tonight's Week 1 Odds & Expert Picks

The No. 7 Miami Hurricanes begin the endless pursuit of their first ACC championship at Stanford in an ACC matchup tonight. My Miami vs. Stanford predictions expect the Hurricanes’ talent edge to shine early before Mario Cristobal perhaps stubs his toe.

Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif., airing on ESPN.

🏈 Miami vs. Stanford picks & predictions

See all of our experts' college football picks for Week 1 based on the latest college football odds.

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💰 Miami vs. Stanford prediction & best bet

Check out all of our college football predictions for more analysis across this week's slate.

Miami 1H -13.5 (-110 via bet365)

Trusting Miami with a hefty spread will be an uncomfortable choice as long as Cristobal remains its head coach, even after the run to the national championship game in January.

But Miami’s talent edge here remains massive, so much so that Cristobal’s questionable understanding of linear time should be rendered largely moot. If Hurricanes transfer quarterback Darian Mensah - formerly of Duke and Tulane before that - can find star receiver Malachi Toney a couple of times before halftime, that alone could be enough to cover this first-half spread.

And the Stanford Cardinal have no defenders capable of covering Toney on their own, assuring at least double coverage and thus openings elsewhere on the field for Mensah to enjoy.

Score prediction: Miami 45, Stanford 10

📊 Miami vs. Stanford odds 

See the latest college football odds for every Week 1 matchup.

📺 How to watch Miami vs. Stanford: Week 1

• Date: Friday, Sept. 4
• Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
• Location: Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, Calif.)
• TV: ESPN