An impressive run at the end of last season saved an otherwise lost season for Stanford. The Cardinal won its final three games to go 8-5, ending a run of four consecutive double-digit win seasons. The 21st-ranked Cardinal begins its march back to prominence Saturday at Northwestern in the first meeting between the schools in 21 years.
ODDS
Stanford hasn’t lost its national respect, coming in ranked 21st, and opened as 12-point chalk. That’s a lot of points for a road team in a battle of Power-5 conference teams. Bettors liked the over when the total opened at 45 and that number now rests at 47.5.
KEY MISMATCH
Stanford Defense against Northwestern Offense
The names of the Cardinal defenders change, but the mindset and results largely stay the same. Just because Stanford will be using several new starters doesn’t mean this D is going to be soft. With linebackers Blake Martinez and Kevin Anderson setting the tone, the Cardinal will continue to press the action with their size, strength and smarts. The defensive line lost all its starters from a season ago and has few proven options. But coach David Shaw is fine with the low expectations. “I like when people doubt us as opposed to getting pats on the back. I have no problem with that because I’m one of those guys that believes we have to prove ourselves every year.” It’ll also help that they’re going against an inexperienced quarterback in Clayton Thorson, who has not attempted a pass at the collegiate level.
KEY STAT
Under Jim Harbaugh and now Shaw, the Cardinal has always been a meat and potatoes kind of team. They’ve built one of the most successful programs over the past few years with a simple formula: the Cardinal dominated the trenches with physical lines and a powerful running game so well that they made it to four straight BCS games. The Cardinal had a 1,000 yard rusher for six straight seasons until that ended last season. Christian McCaffrey could help Stanford get back to its old formula. He ran for 140 yards on 21 carries over his final three games and averaged 7.1 yards per carry during the his first season.
BETTING ANGLE
Northwestern is coming off back to back losing seasons, a first under coach Pat Fitzgerald. And for a program with a suspect football history, it’s imperative to turn things around before the situation worsens and the fan base further thins. Fitzgerald is a defensive guy who played linebacker for the Wildcats 20 years ago and could be coaching his best defensive talent in his time at the school. Fitz wants to get the edge back in Evanston, and an upset of visiting Stanford could get his squad moving in the right direction.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Stanford is in line for another strong season after a dropoff last year. You know you’ve reached elite status when an 8-5 record is considered unsuccessful. Kevin Hogan directs the offense for a fourth season and McCaffrey is the breakout running back the Cardinal missed in its offense last season. Stanford will grind it out with the run game behind a group of studs up front and dominate the trenches when they have the football. The Wildcats are likely to keep the ball on the ground as well to limit the amount of work Thorson, who’s making his first start, has to do. Both teams are more traditional and not flashy on offense and this one should play the under.
Stanford 24, Northwestern 13
The college football odds for this game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Cardinal was pegged as 12-point chalk while the total opened at 45. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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