College Football Betting: Spotlight Matchup of the Week
by Bodog Sportsbook | Nov 9 2011
The undefeated Stanford Cardinal put their No. 3 national ranking on the line against the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks in a
college football betting collision of Pac-12 powerhouses at Stanford Stadium this Saturday night (8:00 pm Eastern, ABC).
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Top Heisman hopefulsYou'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't consider Andrew Luck to be the best quarterback in
college football betting action. The talented Stanford quarterback is the clear frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy, and is sucking all the drama out of the race to be selected first overall in next year's NFL Draft.
With 2,424 yards passing, a 26-to-5 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio, and a 174.1 QB rating, Luck has the required statistics and he also picked up that quintessential ‘Heisman moment' in tying up the game on the road against USC with an impressive touchdown drive, before the Cardinal went on to win in triple-overtime.
Yet while Luck may be the brightest star on the field Saturday night, LaMichael James isn't too far behind. Before leaving an Oregon victory over California with an elbow injury and subsequently missing the next two games, James rushed for more than 200 yards in three straight games - highlighted by a 289-yard outburst against Arizona. Last week against Washington, James rushed for 156 yards on 25 carries in his return to full-time action.
Luck finished second behind Cam Newton in the Heisman voting last season, while James finished in third place. These two players are arguably the best at their respective positions in all of college football, and certainly among the cream of the crop at any position.
Cardinal woundedStanford has been without their best player on defense - linebacker Shayne Skov - since early in the season, and although the Cardinal has managed just fine without him while allowing just 16.6 points per game in
college football betting results, he'll likely be missed against the dangerous Ducks.
More recently, Stanford has suffered some serious blows on the offensive side of the ball. In that memorable victory win over USC they lost tight end Zach Ertz indefinitely with a knee injury. Ertz ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards (308) and has contributed three touchdowns to the Cardinal attack.
The news got worse last week in Stanford's blowout win over Oregon State. Both wide receiver Chris Owusu (concussion) and tight end Levine Toilolo (shoulder) were knocked out of the game with injuries and did not return. Owusu ranks second on the team in catches with 35 and third in receiving yards with 376, and has already been ruled out for the Oregon game. Toilolo, who has chipped in with 216 receiving yards and four touchdowns, is currently listed as questionable.
One of Stanford's most successful and frequently-used formations this year has been their three-tight-end set with Coby Fleener, Ertz, and Toilolo; with Ertz out and Toilolo banged up, that Cardinal scheme is obviously in disarray.
Scoring at willFans of offensive production (and bettors that took the OVER) probably didn't enjoy the lack of scoring in top-ranked LSU's 9-6 win over SEC rival Alabama last week, but they shouldn't have similar complaints after this
college football betting matchup. Stanford comes into the game with the nation's third-highest scoring offense at 48.2 points per game, with Oregon close behind at 46 points per game to rank fifth overall.
Historically, the fireworks fly when these two teams meet. The total has gone OVER in each of the last six meetings between Oregon and Stanford with an average total of 74.5 points over those six games. Each of the last two games between these Pac-12 combatants went over 80 points.
Stanford is currently listed as a 3.5-point favorite but the Ducks have dominated the Cardinal over their past nine matchups, posting a record of 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS since 2002. However, the Cardinal earned that single SU victory the last time these two teams met at Stanford, winning 51-42 in 2009. Stanford's only loss in 2010 came at the hands of the Ducks by a 52-31 margin at Oregon.
Stanford ranks third in the nation in rushing defense at a stingy 78.9 yards allowed per game, and if they can shut James down they'll have a strong chance of remaining undefeated. If not, whichever team has the final possession could be the team that comes out on top.
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