Stanford vs Oregon Football Betting Tip, 11-12-2016 – PrecisionPicks.com
Stanford Cardinals (6-3, 5-4 ATS) vs Oregon Ducks (3-6, 1-7-1 ATS)
Pick & Prediction by Jeff Hodges
Kick Off: 4pm EST
The Line: Oregon Ducks +3, 57
Handicapper: Jeff Hodges of PrecisionsPicks.com
Stanford opened the season ranked No. 8 in the AP’s preseason poll and Oregon began at No. 24. Both teams have been bounced from the Top 25 rankings entering this Pac 12 matchup but Jeff Hodges has issued a free weekend football prediction and analysis below.
Stanford has three losses on the season, and all three came against teams in the Top 25 of college football according to the College Football Playoff rankings (No. 5 Washington, No. 15 Colorado, No. 25 Washington State). Despite those quality losses no one seems to be talking about the Cardinal and its success this season. Perhaps that is because of the hype placed on this team entering the season. Well, the Cardinal have a chance at a 9-3 season and a quality bowl game to help quiet the doubters.
Stanford has an uphill battle considering they have one of the worst offenses in the country averaging just 20 PPG. Christian McCaffrey has been injured which has hindered this offense. Good news for the Cardinals was that McCaffrey ran for a season-high 199 yards in Stanford’s 26-15 home win last Saturday over Oregon State. He ranks fourth nationally in all-purpose yards at 190.1 per game but with 973 rushing yards and 287 yards on KO returns, he’ll fall well short of the 2,019 rushing and 1,070 KO return yards he produced in the 2015 season.
It’s about the defense for Stanford who concedes just 18 PPG and leads the Pac 12 in sacks.
When you think of Oregon football you think of a high flying, offensive powerhouse that scores at will. This season, the Ducks have averaged 38 PPG and rank 22nd averaging 494 YPG. If the Ducks had a defense they would be in much better shape.
The Oregon defense allows 535 yards per game which ranks them 127th in the country while allowing 42 PPG which also ranks them near the bottom at 125th. This defense has really struggled to stay off the field and it has been their achilles heal in 2016.
This matchup comes down to the Stanford defense. The Cardinals offense will not need to match score for score with the Ducks as their defense will be able to make key stops and limit the offensive production from the home Ducks.
Despite just a -3 point spread, Stanford will dominate this game. The Ducks are the superior offensive team, but this one will come down to defense, and the Cardinal have the edge. Christian McCaffrey will find plenty of running room against the Ducks and help pace this Cardinals team to another road victory.
