Stanford will try to build on their massive upset victory of then #3 ranked Oregon last week when they travel to Tempe, Arizona, to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Stanford (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) went on an improbable drive that culminated in an untimed-down touchdown to force overtime, where they were able to score a touchdown and prevent Oregon from scoring on their following possession.
Coach David Shaw stated this last week after their iconic win, “There’s no trophy for beating Oregon,” Shaw said. “Great effort, big game, great. … They accomplished something that’s really cool, but it was also in the process of our season. It’s not the season.”
However, with a win this week against an explosive Arizona State, there is a chance that they could get things rolling in the Pac-12 North.
Arizona State now finds themselves at #22 in the AP College Football Rankings after their 42-23 win in convincing fashion over UCLA.
They will look to improve on their 4-1 record this season with another strong victory against the Cardinal.
Stanford Overview
Tanner McKee has been as efficient and productive as it gets for Stanford, joining Ole Miss QB Matt Corral as the only other QB who has thrown ten touchdowns while not throwing any interceptions. He has also thrown for over 1,000 yards already through four games.
Brycen Tremayne and Elijah Higgins have been on the receiving end of the majority of his touchdown passes, with Tremayne snagging five and Higgins grabbing 3, including the game-winner in overtime last weekend.
While the passing game is the focal point of the offense, the key to them moving the ball and winning football games is establishing the run. And it makes sense that their best rushing performances have been in their big wins against Oregon and USC.
Stanford has some issues with their secondary that has been depleted by injuries, and they will have some tough tests this week against this high-flying opponent.
Arizona State Overview
QB Jayden Daniels tallied 286 yards last week on just 13 completions, proving how explosive this Arizona State offense can be, and UCLA is a fairly decent opponent.
Ricky Pearsall was on the receiving end of 136 of those yards and has been a consistent thorn in the side of all of the defenses that he has played this season.
Multi-talented running back Rachaad White remains a dangerous player and talent in the passing game, and offensive coordinator Zak Hill will have plenty of options for how to use him and powerful ball carrier Chip Trayanum who is returning.
On defense, Arizona State showed up big last week against UCLA, and throughout the season, they have been big for the SunDevils.
They have held opponents to only 3.6 yards per carry, and UCLA reached the highest total of passing yards on the SunDevils all season, and it was only 235 yards through the air. If they can keep that up, Stanford will run into issues.
Prediction
Arizona State heads into this matchup as a 12-point favorite against their Pac-12 opponent, and if their win against UCLA last week was evident of anything, it is that the Sun Devils are here to play for the rest of the season.
I expect Arizona State to come out fast in this one, and it will require Stanford to play catchup, something that may not play in their favor.
I like Arizona State to barely squeak this one out at -12.
Betting Pick: Arizona State -12 (-110)
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