Notre Dame at Stanford College Football Odds

Written November 25, 2009 by Kyle Hunter

The hot seat couldn’t possibly get much hotter than it is right now for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, and this could be the team’s last big chance to save his job. The task won’t be easy as they have to travel to Stanford to take on the Cardinal, who are coming off a disappointing loss at home to their rival the California Golden Bears. Stanford has recently beaten Oregon and USC so they have proven they can beat top teams, but now can Notre Dame do the same? Get an extra $100 to bet on football when you sign up at Bodog and fund your account with $100 or more.

The Stanford Cardinal are 7-4 on the year, but they have made huge strides in putting their program back on the map in college football. The football predictionsin the preseason certainly weren’t this high on Stanford, but the team has come together very quickly under coach Harbaugh. The number one reason the offense has been so successful is running back Toby Gerhart. Gerhart has rushed for over 1,500 yards and averages more than 5 yards per carry. Gerhart is now being mentioned in the discussion for the Heisman. Also key is the play of freshman Andrew Luck. Luck has thrown 13 touchdowns and just 4 picks the entire season and has proven to be mature beyond his years. The combination of Luck throwing it and Gerhart running it makes Stanford extremely balanced on offense. The defense of Stanford has been alright, but not terrific. They are allowing 25 points per game and 392 yards per game.

Notre Dame is just 6-5 after having very high hopes for this season and Irish fans are really down on this program. Jimmy Clausen has been excellent this year, and the overall offense has done a pretty good job as well, but the defense has let them down in some key situations. Clausen has a 67% completion percentage and a touchdown to interception ratio of 23 to 4. Clausen has thrown for an amazing 3,382 yards on the season already. The running game has been hampered by injuries, but Robert Hughes has done a solid job when called upon for the Fighting Irish. Golden Tate may be the best wide receiver in the country and he is an absolute force that the defense must game plan against in a big way. Tate has 83 receptions and 12 touchdowns on the season. The Notre Dame defense is allowing 24 points per game and has been even worse of late, allowing 28 points per game and 402 yards per game in their last 3 games.

The NCAA football betting lines for this weekend show Stanford as a 10 point favorite over Notre Dame. The posted total is set at 64.5 points. If you are making college football picksand need a couple trends to help you out, consider these two: Stanford is 11-1 against the spread in their last 12 home games, but Notre Dame is 6-2 against the spread in their last 8 meetings.

The Cardinal will almost certainly be able to move the ball and score on this Notre Dame defense, but Notre Dame should be able to throw the ball effectively as well. This one could definitely be a shootout. If either team’s defense steps up and forces field goals or turnovers they will probably come out ahead in this one.

My college football plays have been on fire the last two weeks. I am 12-3 in the last two weeks and I have another nice card set up for this weekend. Check out the premium packages, which include a Black Friday trio of games and Saturday’s slate as well!