Todd Graham picked up a huge win last week. The Arizona State Sun Devils were able to outlast Oregon in a wild game and that will take the heat off of him for a little bit. Graham can’t rest on the laurels of one game for long though. The Sun Devils are taking on the Stanford Cardinal in the Bay Area this week and that will be an even tougher test. Stanford hammered UCLA last week and look set to go on one of their traditional runs.
Watch this regular season Week 5 matchup live on Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 4 p.m. ET at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. This game will be broadcast on PAC 12 Network.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona State +16.5
Stanford -16.5
Over/Under 63.5
Odds Analysis
Stanford is typically one of the more consistent teams in the nation, but it has been all over the place this year. The Cardinal crushed Rice and hammered UCLA in two big victories, scoring a combined 120 points in those two games alone en route to easy covers. However, they couldn’t stop either San Diego State or USC on the ground in their two true road games and lost both games and failed to cover either.
Arizona State has not been able to stop anyone this season. The Sun Devils have given up at least 30 points to every opponent they have faced and that led to them failing to cover in each of their first three games. The offense had performed well though and the tables finally turned in a 37-35 win over Oregon last week.
Key Stats
Arizona State can’t do two important things you need to do in order to hold a lead. First, the Sun Devils can’t stop the pass to save their lives. They are one of the bottom five pass defenses in the country, allowing 323.8 passing yards per game. Sure, they have played some offenses that like to chuck it all over the place like Texas Tech and New Mexico State, but that’s the job of a defense.
The other thing that this Sun Devils squad can’t do too well is run the ball. Just a year after having a player set the record for rushing touchdowns in a game, Arizona State is averaging just 108.2 yards per game on the ground and that leaves this team unable to run out the clock.
Key Injury
Keller Chryst left the game in the first quarter of Stanford’s win over UCLA last weekend and didn’t return. He was replaced by K.J. Costello, who looked efficient in managing the game and handing to Bryce Love.
The loss of Chryst is an important one. He was considered a dark horse by some to win the Heisman Trophy this season and had played decently through the first three games. Although the Cardinal keep the ball on the ground a lot these days, it’s nice to have an established passer. Head coach David Shaw has not indicated a timetable for his return.
Free ATS Pick
Love has been amazing so far for the Cardinal. He is quickly making people say his name in hushed tones and the similarities to Christian McCaffrey are striking. He bowled over UCLA by his lonesome, rushing for 263 yards on 30 carries and kept the Bruins defense off-balanced.
Whereas Stanford has typically played a grind it out style in the past, this team has played in some high scoring affairs this season. The defense is uncharacteristically porous and that could be a problem.
This feels like a stay away game. However, if you have to pick a side, go with the Arizona State Sun Devils. This feels like too many points against a defense that hasn’t found its footing yet.
College Football Odds: Stanford 34, Arizona State 21
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