USC-Utah and Arizona State-Washington Highlight Vegas Pac 12 Predictions Week 9
Saturday Blitz Vegas Pac 12 Predictions Week 9
Oregon State at Stanford
Line: Stanford by 13
Oregon State is very close to being 5-1 after a heartbreaking loss to Utah last week, but now they have another chance to prove themselves again against Stanford. The Cardinal are not the same team they once were, so as Arizona State showed last week, the Beavers mostly need Sean Mannion and the offense to not make mistakes. That means protecting Mannion and letting him make just enough plays. Then, the defense has to come through against that balanced Stanford offense that hasn’t looked good this year so far. This could turn into a very exciting Pac-12 North game, so don’t ignore it.
The Cardinal, meanwhile, need to play Cardinal football but actually have to score in the process. If their offense can’t be efficient, then they have no hope. Arizona State is not good defensively, but this team still had less then 300 yards of total offense. How do you lose a defensive game to the Sun Devils if you’re Stanford. They can’t do that this week. Kevin Hogan needs to complete more than 65 percent of his passes, and maybe this time Stanford could get the running game going. If they don’t then this will be another long night for the Cardinal, and they’ll fall to 4-4.
Prediction
Stanford will regroup and get the running game back on track against Oregon State. The problem with David Shaw’s team has been an inability to take care of the football and have efficient offensive play, but that will happen on Saturday. Oregon State’s defense isn’t great, and when they show they can’t get off the field, the offense won’t get into a rhythm. This will be a typical Stanford victory.
Stanford: 24 Oregon State: 16