Pac-12 Predictions: Week 2 picks against the spread
Sep 5, 2015; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats running back Warren Long (13) runs with the ball against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
UCF Knights At Stanford Cardinal
Palo Alto, California
The Line: Stanford -16
UCF is a terrible program. In the opening week of 2015 they promptly lost to just as terrible Florida International. The Blake Bortles era is over at Central Florida, and this program is probing depths that few programs have ever seen. Then again, the Cardinal just walked into Northwestern and got pummeled by the Wildcats, failing to score even a single touchdown.
So who knows how this one goes, but one thing is for sure, I am not betting on the Cardinal or head coach David Shaw. If you have truly nothing going on in your life, you can catch this action packed contest on Fox Sports 1 at 6:30PM, pt.
Keys To The Game:
For Stanford the key is simple. Get the ball into the end zone. The Cardinal have shown, both last year and against Northwestern, that they can move the ball. However, they are horrible at finishing drives. Some of that is due to the extremely conservative game plans of Shaw, and some of that is just ineffectiveness by senior quarterback Kevin Hogan who was terrible against Northwestern, averaging just 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
The running game was equally bad, as the team combined to average just 3.1 yards per carry. For UCF, they need to get their running game going. In the loss to Florida International, the team averaged an unthinkable 1.5 yards per carry on 30 attempts. This game will be ugly and unwatchable.
Prediction:
16 points seems like an awful lot for a team that is as putrid on offense as Stanford. Then again, the UCF running game had 45 yards on 30 carries against Florida International. Points will be at a premium in this one, but look for David Shaw to open up the playbook, motivated by the fire warming up his coaching seat. Still, I do not trust the Cardinal and would rather have the points. Final Score? Stanford 16, UCF 3
Next: Washington State At Rutgers