The Stanford Cardinal take on the UCLA Bruins. Check out our college football odds series for our Stanford UCLA prediction and pick.
Stanford appeared to be adrift and lost in early October. The Cardinal blew a late lead to Oregon State with atrocious pass defense, a disaster in their secondary. They could have allowed that home-field loss to destroy any remaining confidence they might have had in their season. Instead, Stanford battled back and showed itself and head coach David Shaw that it is still capable of achieving something.
Stanford has won back-to-back games against Notre Dame and Arizona State. The crazy thing about these consecutive wins is that Stanford has scored a grand total of one touchdown in those two games combined. Stanford beat Notre Dame 16-14 and then used five field goals to beat Arizona State 15-14. Stanford's defense was shredded in the first several games of the season. Stanford was blitzed by USC and was buried by Washington and Oregon. This team seemed to be hopelessly outmatched on the field, but in the past three weeks, we have definitely seen a different and much tougher Stanford team. It is not reminiscent of David Shaw's best teams, but the fighting spirit is certainly a Stanford trademark under Shaw, who has to love the way his players have not quit on their season. Stanford enters this game with a realistic chance of making a bowl game. Moreover, as anyone who studies Pac-12 football knows well, Stanford football has been a nemesis for UCLA over the years, winning the 2012 Pac-12 Championship Game and dealing UCLA a devastating defeat late in the 2014 season.
The UCLA football program has in many ways not recovered from that 2014 loss to Stanford. The Bruins haven't been back to the Pac-12 Championship Game since 2012. The 2014 loss prevented them from facing Oregon in the 2014 Pac-12 title game. This year's Bruins are the first really strong team since 2014. They have a chance to play for the Pac-12 title. If they win the rest of their games, they will very likely be in the big game in Las Vegas this December.
Here are the Stanford-UCLA NCAA Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Stanford-UCLA Odds
Stanford Cardinal: +16.5 (-112)
UCLA Bruins: -16.5 (-108)
Over: 66.5 (-110)
Under: 66.5 (-110)
Why Stanford Could Cover the Spread
The Cardinal were having a miserable season, but they improved their level of play against Oregon State. and then carried those improvements through the Notre Dame and Arizona State victories. With the defense playing at a much higher level than in previous weeks, and with the team gaining confidence in late-game situations, Stanford could create a competitive game in which UCLA's offense has a much tougher time than most pundits will expect.
Why UCLA Could Cover the Spread
UCLA was torn apart by Oregon, but the Ducks have a high-octane offense which is flying. That was exactly the kind of team which could give UCLA problems, since the Bruins do not have an especially robust defense. However, Stanford does not have nearly the same firepower of Oregon. That should really help out the Bruins here.
Final Stanford-UCLA Prediction & Pick
UCLA's worst matchups are against teams with elite offenses. Stanford does not have a very good offense, having scored just one touchdown in its last two games. Stanford has won its last two games by scoring fewer than 17 points. If Stanford scores 17 points in this game, UCLA should clearly cover the spread.
Final Stanford-UCLA Prediction & Pick: UCLA -16.5
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