Stanford UCLA Betting – Cardinal Roll Over Porous UCLA Defense
Stanford’s sports betting odds have made them one of the top darkhorses in the Pac-10, and they opened up their season with an impressive performance, albeit against a smaller school. The Cardinal will now go on the road to begin their conference schedule with a meeting against UCLA, whose defense was god-awful in their first game. Don’t expect much to change this week as the Cardinal will pick apart the UCLA defense.
- What: NCAA football betting
- When: Saturday, September 11th, 10:30 PM ET
- Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
- Pick: Stanford -6
What’s On The Line
The No.25 Cardinal romped to a 52-17 win over Sacramento State in their opener, and it was never in doubt as Stanford was up 38-7 by halftime. The Bruins fell 31-22 at Kansas State, and they were let down by turnovers and a sloppy rush defense. The Cardinals broke a five-game losing skid to the Bruins with a 24-16 win at home last year, and UCLA would love to get the upper hand back.
Offensive Matchups: Stanford UCLA Betting
The Cardinal racked up 529 yards, and Andrew Luck got his campaign off to a good start by going 17-of-23 for 316 yards and four scores, with no picks. Luck will be counted on heavily this year now that running back Toby Gerhart is gone, but the Cardinal got 213 yards on the ground from a number of different backs. Backup quarterback Alex Loukas adds a different threat as he averaged 28.5 yards on two carries. Of course, you have to take it with a grain of salt because it was Sacramento State, but it was a very efficient performance for the Cardinal.
Kevin Prince had a miserable day in Manhattan, going 9-of-26 for 120 yards, a touchdown and two picks for the Bruins, who had the ball for just over 24 minutes. Johnathan Franklin led a deep ground game that put up 193 yards, and Prince contributed with a touchdown, but he needs to be better through the air if the Bruins are going to survive in the pass-happy Pac-10.
Betting Edge: Stanford
Defensive Matchups: Stanford UCLA Betting
Stanford laid the smack down to Sacramento State on this side of the ball as well, allowing just 167 yards, including 54 on the ground. That was even without standout linebacker Shayne Skov, who sat out this game. The Cardinal would love to have him back to deal with the UCLA ground game, because the Bruins will likely run as much as they can to try and limit Prince’s mistakes. Skov will be a game-time decision for Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Bruins were carved up to the tune of 313 rushing yards, and if the Cardinal still had Gerhart, they’d be licking their chops right now. The Wildcats barely threw down the field because they didn’t have to; they tested UCLA over and over to see if they could stop the run, and the Bruins failed in a terrible, terrible fashion.
Betting Edge: Stanford
Notable Injuries: Stanford UCLA Betting
Skov (undisclosed), receiver Chris Owusu (undisclosed), tight end Levin Toilolo (knee) and running back Jeremy Stewart (ankle) are all questionable for this Pac-10 showdown.
Defensive end Datone Jones (foot) and center Kai Maiava (ankle) are both definitely out in this contest.
Betting Edge: Draw
Outlook and Pick: Stanford UCLA Betting
The Cardinal are a 6-point NCAA football betting favorite on the road, and they’ve lost six in a row at the Rose Bowl, but this is probably their best chance to do so. The Bruins looked awful on offense, and even worse on defense, and the Cardinal will aim to take advantage of a front seven that couldn’t do anything against the run. Defensively, if Skov is back, the Bruins won’t have much more luck running against Stanford, and if the game is on Prince’s arm, it’s pretty much a wrap for UCLA. Go with Stanford to cover on the road in your online betting book.
Blake’s Pick: Stanford
