Stanford
vs.
Oregon State
Friday Night
Football Pick
9/25/15
Stanford put a dent into USC’s season with a huge upset win last weekend and the Cardinal will look to continue that run through the Pac-12. This Friday, they get another road Game, although against a less-talented Oregon State squad. The Cardinal are still a heavy -15.5 point favorite (5 Dimes Sportsbook) in Corvalis.
Stanford’s offense finally clicked against the Trojans as quarterback Kevin Hogan finished 18-of-23 for 279 yards after building off of a semi-successful running Game. Sophomore Christian McCaffrey put in the best Game of his young career by going for 115 yards on the ground and another 37 in the air. Surprisingly for the Cardinal, it was the offense that led the way as they still gave up 31 points to a tough USC offense. If they can figure out things on the defensive side, while keeping the offense consistent, this may be a Top 25 team after all.
Oregon State got a bad 35-7 loss to Michigan out of its mouths by taking down San Jose State 35-21. The Beavers will still likely have loads of problems against the better teams in the Pac-12, which is why the line is so big in this Game even at home.
The Cardinal have covered five straight meetings in this matchup with two of those being on the road. Stanford dominated both sides of the ball last year in a 38-14 home win. The Beavers couldn’t really do anything, rushing for just 0.4 yards per carry as Sean Mannion was just 14-of-30 throwing the ball. Even though Hogan threw two interceptions, the Stanford offense was still pretty successful.
There will be similar issues for Oregon State this year, even at home. Freshman quarterback Seth Collins hasn’t been too bad in his first season, but then again, he hasn’t been great. He was average in two Games against mediocre teams and then struggled mightily at Michigan, going only 9-of-16 for 79 yards and 28 yards on the ground. He could have the same problems in this Game against the Cardinal. Their running Game has been non-existent for a number of years, but with Collins and his mobility, that has changed a bit, against the weaker teams at least. If Collins can find room to run, that will help the Beavers a bunch in this Game.
But if Stanford can put in another Game similar to last weekend’s win at USC, this should be a breeze for them. The Beavers were susceptible to the run against Michigan and if the Cardinal can take that route with McCaffrey and Remound Wright, there should be no problems here.
The test for Stanford will be keeping the Oregon State offense in check. The Cardinal have been solid for the most part on the defensive end so far, but they’ll want a good Game under their belts before hosting the potent offenses of Arizona and UCLA.
If the Wolverines dominated this Oregon State team, then there’s no reason Stanford won’t be able to, especially if Hogan can mirror what he did against the Trojans.
Our Pick – This Game circled as of Wednesday due to the questionable status of Cardinel QB Kevin Hogan. Let’s assume he plays. Stanford has been the better team in this series and looks to be the better team once again this year. However, still not willing to lay over 2 TD’s in this spot. A weak call, but Oregon State +15.5