After a midseason lull, the Stanford Cardinal has found its groove, and while the Pac-12 title is out of reach, a strong finish is the new goal. Stanford will aim for a fourth consecutive victory in a matchup against the California Bears in Week 12 of the college football season.
Stanford is a heavy road favorite based on its stout defense and newly-found offense. Cal can be an unpredictable team and gives some challenges with its high-flying passing style, but losing the battle upfront could make life miserable for quarterback Davis Webb. Stanford may not be where it wanted but has a chance to pick up another win in this road game.
This contest in Week 12 of the regular season will go down Saturday, November 19, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. ET at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Stanford -11
California +11
Over/Under 63.5
Odds Analysis
The bettors are buying into Stanford’s turnaround, as the Cardinal are currently getting 63 percent of the betting action to cover this spread.
The scoring total is higher than most Stanford games and lower than most Cal games because of the other team being in the mix. The gamblers are hitting the “over” hard as they believe Cal can either score a lot of points or turn the ball over enough to put the Cardinal in advantageous positions.
Stanford is 7-3 overall and 4-6 against the spread this year. The Cardinal are 3-4 against the spread as the favorite and have covered in three of five home games.
California is 4-6 straight up and 3-6-1 against the spread. The Bears have covered in two of six tries as the underdog.
Key Stat
1-4. That’s Cal’s record over the last five games. The Golden Bears only win in that span was a double overtime victory against a 3-7 Oregon team.
The 4-6 Golden Bears had some inspiring wins earlier this season, pulling off upsets over No. 11 Texas and No. 18 Utah but things have really gone downhill lately.
It will be interesting to see how Cal responds this week against Stanford, especially considering the back-to-back blowout losses to Washington and Washington State. The Cardinal haven’t been as consistent as those two teams this year, so it’s possible the Bears keep this competitive at home.
Player to Watch
Christian McCaffrey - The Stanford running back is a huge part of this offense. He ran for three touchdowns last week in the 52-27 win over Oregon. He carried the ball 17 times for 135 yards.
McCaffrey has 1,115 yards on the round this season and nine touchdowns. He is averaging 5.8 yards a carry and presents a big test for the Cal defense this week. The Bears are awful at stopping the run, giving up a ridiculous 283 yards per game on the ground.
Free ATS Pick
This is a matchup of polar opposite strengths, and Cal may be able to hang by scoring in bunches through the air. However, the Bears seem bound to turn it over too much throwing it that much.
Stanford, meanwhile, has a great defense and a running game which has found its groove. Since Cal can’t stop the run, this is a tough matchup for the Bears. Stanford is playing much better than it did earlier in the season and that should continue.
This one may not be close as McCaffrey is in line for a big day and the Stanford defense should come up big. Take the Cardinal in a rout, with the “under” the right call as the Bears will be frustrated. Stanford is unhappy that it’s not in line for the Pac-12 North crown but is nonetheless turning it on and should get into a good bowl game by getting another win in this one.
College Football Odds: Stanford 37, California 20
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