If enough upsets happen over the course of the last two Saturdays of the year, the Stanford Cardinal could still find their way into the College Football Playoff, even with two losses. It's going to take a lot though, not the least of which is an impressive showing against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Notre Dame Fighting Irish +3.5
Stanford Cardinal -3.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Notre Dame is the team which really has all to play for on Saturday. It doesn't have the benefit of a game to be played next week, so this is the last chance it has to impress the selection committee. Many believe a win will clinch the Irish a spot in the final four. Others think that the Golden Domers still need some help to go with a win, and even that might not ultimately be good enough either.
Still, the one thing that has to be recognized here is that Stanford has ended up as the favored team in this game. Notre Dame is a dog at +3.5, but with a line like this, there's basically a bit more than a 50/50 chance it ends up in a New Year's Six game with a loss instead of in the discussion for the CFP with a win.
WHEN THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH HAVE THE BALL
The warning signs are there that maybe it's starting to come apart just a bit for the Fighting Irish. They turned the ball over five times last week against Boston College and were involved in much more of a war than they bargained for. Sure, they've managed to move the ball a bit, but it must be remembered that DeShone Kizer was a third string quarterback coming into the Spring for a reason.
Live bettors have to be frustrated watching this offense. There are times when guys like Chris Brown and Will Fuller can make huge plays happen through the air, while C.J. Prosise has turned into a bit of a home run hitter at tailback, too.
But then there are just so many drives in which this offense looks lost. Stanford's defense has had a history of making good offenses look mediocre, and this isn't something that can be forgotten about. Sure, the Cardinal just allowed Oregon to put up 38 against this defense on this field two weeks ago, but for the most part, they're stellar on this side of the ball. This Notre Dame offense is worse than most Stanford has seen in the Pac-12.
WHEN THE STANFORD CARDINAL HAVE THE BALL
Is Stanford's offense the best in America? Not nearly. However, this unit might be tougher to prepare for than any other in the land, because you just can't simulate size and strength. We don't mention offensive linemen often, but these Cardinal road graders up front are massive and really open up a ton of holes for Christian McCaffrey, who already has 1,546 yards on 260 carries in just 11 games this year.
In fact, McCaffrey by himself has more rushes than Kevin Hogan has passes, and that's the way David Shaw wants to keep it.
The challenge is going to be figuring out how to get past this Notre Dame front seven. If McCaffrey is consistently hitting holes and turning positive gains of four or five yards, know that, as a live bettor, there is success to be had here. The Cardinal are only going to keep pounding against that Irish defensive line, and McCaffrey won't stop the whole game. If the Fighting Irish are forcing Hogan to throw, they'll win this one. If Hogan doesn't have to use his arm more than 20 or 25 times in this NCAAF game, Notre Dame has no chance.
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