The Stanford Cardinal (-2) aren’t traveling far to face the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. Pac-12 Networks is scheduled to broadcast the action and this key conference game kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Stanford Cardinal at California Golden Bears Betting Preview
In this Saturday Pac-12 game, Stanford is labeled as the favorite and is currently giving up 2 points. The Cardinal are also receiving -130 moneyline odds while the Golden Bears are +110. Oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 48.5 points. If the underdog gets out in front early, it’ll likely produce a decent live betting scenario.
The Cardinal have lost 0.3 units so far in 2018 and are 6-4-1 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 7-3. The Golden Bears are up 2.9 units this season. The team is 6-4-1 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-8.
The Cardinal are 7-4 straight up (SU), including 5-3 SU against Pac-12 opponents. The Golden Bears are 7-4 SU overall and are also 4-4 SU in conference play.
These two schools met a year ago with the final outcome being a 17-14 win for Stanford.
Each team enters this matchup on a two-game winning streak. The Cardinal are coming off a 49-42 win over UCLA last week. K.J. Costello completed 23 passes for 344 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Bryce Love (85 rushing yards on 22 attempts, one TD) spearheaded the running attack while Trenton Irwin (seven receptions, 103 yards, one TD) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (seven catches, 106 yards, three TDs) shared the receiving duties in the win.
California is coming off of a 33-21 win over Colorado. The defense allowed the Buffaloes to run for 148 yards on 43 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Laviska Shenault Jr. had a good outing in the loss for Colorado, posting 65 yards on seven catches. For California, Chase Garbers completed 14-of-26 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Patrick Laird (45 rushing yards on 18 attempts) and the signal-caller Garbers (47 yards on 12 carries) led the running game as Vic Wharton III (six receptions, 61 yards) and Moe Ways (three catches, 43 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Stanford has run the ball on 45.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while California has a rush percentage of 54.6 percent. The Cardinal have rushed for 110 yards/game (including 121 per game versus Pac-12 opponents) and have 13 scores on the ground this year. The Golden Bears are averaging 163 rush yards per game (156 in conference) and have 12 total rushing TDs.
If the results so far this season can translate to this game, then it seems like the Golden Bears could hold an advantage in terms of effectiveness in the ground game. Their running backs has generated 4.2 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 3.6 to opponents. The Cardinal have rushed for 3.8 yards per carry while allowing 3.8 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Cardinal offensive scheme has averaged 292 yards through the air overall (311 per game versus conference opposition) and has 28 passing TDs so far. The Golden Bears have recorded 187 pass yards per contest (181.6 in the Pac-12) and have 15 total pass scores.
Stanford has let opponents rush for an average of 140 yards and pass for 282 yards per game. The California D has allowed 182.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 136.0 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Bears are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.62 to opposing QBs, while the Cardinal have allowed a 6.37 ANY/A.
Offensively, Costello is up to 2,856 passing yards this season. The signal-caller has completed 66 percent of his 334 attempts with 24 scores through the air and 10 interceptions. He has a sparkling 7.94 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 11.09 over the past two outings.
Chase Garbers has connected on 111-of-176 passes for 1,123 yards, 12 TDs and five INTs for California. His ANY/A stands at 5.55 for the season and 4.46 over his last two games.
RELATED: Week 14 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Prediction: Stanford Cardinal vs. California Golden Bears
SU Winner – Stanford, ATS Winner – Stanford, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Stanford defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks 31 times this year. California has produced 26 sacks.
California has lost 10 fumbles in 2018 while Stanford has lost three.
The Cardinal offense has produced seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Golden Bears have accounted for four such plays.
The Stanford defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while California has given up five such plays.
The Stanford offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while California has created nine such runs.
The Cardinal defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Golden Bears have given up eight such runs.
The O/U for California’s last matchup was set at 44.5. The over cashed in the team’s 33-21 win over Colorado.
In its last three matchups, California is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three games, Stanford is 2-0-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
California has won five of its last six games SU, with a -6-point loss to Washington State on November 3rd representing its one slip-up over that span.
The Over/Under for Stanford’s last game was set at 60.5. The over cashed in the team’s 49-42 victory over UCLA.
As a team, Stanford has averaged 5.4 yards per carry across its last three games and 6.2 over its last two.
California has averaged 3.0 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.0 over its last two.
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