The No. 24 Cardinal of Stanford (-3) are preparing to welcome their conference foe Washington State Cougars to Stanford Stadium. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch it live by tuning in to Pac-12 Networks.
Betting Preview: Washington State Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal
Washington State is the road underdog in this Pac-12 game and is currently getting 3 points. The Cougars are also receiving +135 moneyline odds while the Cardinal are -155. There should be some good in-game betting opportunities for this contest, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 55 points.
Both of these teams have been profitable this season as the Cougars have gained 3.0 units and the Cardinal are up 1.1 units.
The Cougars are 6-1 straight up (SU), including 3-1 SU against conference opponents. The Cardinal are 5-2 SU overall and 3-1 SU in conference play.
The Cougars hope to keep things rolling after a 34-20 victory over Oregon last week. The passing game left much to be desired as Gardner Minshew II completed 39-of-51 passes for 323 yards, four scores and two interceptions. Max Borghi (40 yards on 10 rush attempts) and James Williams (53 yards on nine carries, one TD) provided the ground attack while Borghi (seven receptions, 51 yards, one TD) and Williams (seven catches, 42 yards) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Stanford is coming off of a 20-13 win over Arizona State. The defensive secondary allowed the Sun Devils to air it out for 353 yards. N’Keal Harry was a bright spot in the loss, recording 91 yards on eight catches for Arizona State. For Stanford, K.J. Costello completed 22-of-29 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown. Trevor Speights (34 yards on 19 rush attempts) and Bryce Love (21 yards on 11 carries) spearheaded the running game while Trenton Irwin (seven receptions, 79 yards) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (seven catches, 91 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the win.
Washington State has run the ball on 28.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Stanford has a rush percentage of 49.2 percent. The Cougars have rushed for 72.6 yards per game (including 67.0 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have 13 scores on the ground this year. The Cardinal are putting up 91.6 rushing yards per game (99.8 in conference) and have seven total rush TDs.
The Cougars offense has averaged a stout 400.7 yards in the air overall (385.5 per game versus conference opposition) and has 24 passing TDs so far. The Cardinal have produced 263.1 pass yards per game (281 in the Pac-12) and have 13 total pass scores.
Defensively, Washington State seems to have the upper hand in both phases. The team has allowed 135.3 rush yards and 178.3 pass yards per game. The Stanford defense has allowed 252.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 152.9 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cougars are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.52 to opposing QBs, while the Cardinal have allowed a 5.67 ANY/A.
Costello has connected on 110-of-170 passes for 1,461 yards, 12 TDs and four INTs. Costello’s adjusted net yards per pass attempt stands at 8.09 for the year and 6.97 over his last two outings. In the other locker room, Minshew II is already up to 2,315 passing yards this year, and has completed 224-of-324 attempts with 18 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. Minshew II has a 7.21 ANY/A for the year, though that number is 9.26 over the last two outings.
When these two programs faced each other last year, Washington State knocked Stanford off by a field goal 24-21.
Washington State Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Stanford, ATS Winner: Stanford, O/U: Over
