UCLA at Stanford Odds


Written by

The 6th-ranked Stanford Cardinal are set to host the UCLA Bruins Saturday in a Pac-12 showdown. This is one of the final games of the night, scheduled to kick off at 10:30 EST. Both teams will be looking to remain unbeaten in conference play after winning their Pac-12 openers. UCLA had won five straight over Stanford before falling 16-24 on the road in 2009, and 35-0 at home last year.

Looking at the Week 5 college football spreads, I find a line of Stanford -19.5 over UCLA.

Stanford

The Cardinal come into this game on a bye week, so they’ll have an extra seven days to prepare for the Bruins. Stanford (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) has made easy work of their first three opponents, winning 57-3 over San Jose State, 44-14 at Duke and 37-10 at Arizona. Stanford outgained Arizona 567-333 for the game, and Andrew Luck improved his case for a Heisman Trophy. He completed 20-of-31 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Stanford ranks near the top of the country in both important offensive and defensive categories. The Cardinal are 18th in total offense (481.3 yards/game) and 9th in scoring offense (46.0 points/game). Stanford is 24th in total defense (301.7 yards/game) and 4th in scoring defense (9.0 points/game). From what we’ve seen so far, this team hasn’t missed a beat with the departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Luck is completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 786 yards and eight touchdowns to one interception. He has also rushed for 47 yards and a score. Junior Stefan Taylor has picked up right where he left off last season, rushing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Owusu has remained Luck’s favorite target, catching 16 balls for 227 yards and a touchdown. Five different receivers have caught touchdowns passes for the Cardinal.

UCLA

The Bruins have been dealt a very tough schedule to open their 2011 campaign, and it doesn‘t get any easier this weekend. UCLA (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12) opened the season with a 38-34 loss at Houston, who is unbeaten thus far. They beat San Jose State 27-17 before falling to then-No. 23 Texas 49-20 in Week 3. UCLA picked up a big road win last week to open Pac-12 play, topping Oregon State 27-19. They would hold the Beavers scoreless in the fourth quarter to earn a much-needed victory.

UCLA ranks near the bottom in key offensive and defensive categories this season. The Bruins are 57th in total offense (411.3 yards/game) and 94th in total defense (412.3 yards/game). They also rank 74th in scoring offense (27.0 points/game) and 91st in scoring defense (30.8 points/game). If the Bruins do not improve on both side of the ball this week, they are going to be in for a long day against Stanford.

Richard Brehaut is not hurting his team this season with turnovers, but he’s also not making many big play, either. Brehaut has completed 55.7 percent of his passes for 705 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Jonathan Franklin (303 yards, 5.7/carry, two TD) and Derrick Coleman (299 yards, 6.2/carry, four TD) combine to form one of the best backfield duos in the country. Nelson Rosario has been a bright spot in the receiving game, catching 15 balls for 277 yards, but he has yet to find the end zone.

Betting Trends

Stanford is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 meetings with UCLA, including 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home meetings. The home team is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings. The Under is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings.

The Cardinal are 8-0-1 ATS in their last 9 games overall. Stanford is 16-5 ATS in their last 21 home games. The Bruins are 2-9 ATS in their last 11 conference games. UCLA is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall.

If you are looking to cash in on the college gridiron this season, then sign up for a premium package from the world-renown Jack Jones.

Other Resources:

Subscribe to the BetFirms RSS Feed
Comments

Got something to say?