Stanford Football: Game preview, prediction, live stream vs. Utah

Stanford football has lost three straight to the Utes. Can the Cardinal take down Utah on the road in Salt Lake City on Saturday evening?

Utah enters their showdown with Stanford ranked in the top 20 of the most recent AP Top 25. The Utes are one of just three teams that still hold unbeaten records in the Pac-12. They also have a three-game winning streak against the Cardinal. By all right, Utah looks like the clear favorite to take down David Shaw’s team on Saturday.

Vegas doesn’t seem to think so, though. It is Utah and not Stanford that will take the field as the underdog in Salt Lake City. The Cardinal have won two straight in Pac-12 play after falling to 1-2 during their non-conference schedule. Still fully alive in the race for the Pac-12 North crown, Stanford has been installed as a 5.5-point favorite by the oddsmakers.

Which team will keep its undefeated league record intact when they square off late into the evening on Saturday? Keep reading for our preview and prediction for the interdivisional #Pac12AfterDark showdown between the Utes and Cardinal.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s game between Stanford and Utah:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 7
Time: 10:15 p.m. ET
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

Bryce Love is bound to get big yardage once again. The Stanford tailback leads the nation with 1088 rushing yards after five games, and he has reached the endzone in every game so far this season. Love and the rest of the backfield need only to keep doing what they have been doing to opponents for the Cardinal to run up the score on the road. They will have to do so, though, against a Utes team giving up just 87 rushing yards per game.

Even a strong running game won’t be enough to ensure victory, though. The Cardinal have struggled to find a consistent passing attack, cycling through three quarterbacks on the depth chart. After veterans Keller Chryst and Ryan Burns have both faltered, it looks like K.J. Costello will get the start against the Utes. He will need to have a consistent and efficient performance throwing the ball to keep Utah’s defense honest.

For Utah, stopping Love is the first priority. As they have all year long, the Utes will also need to win the turnover battle on Saturday. If they can end Stanford drives prematurely with a few key interceptions or fumbles, the oddsmakers will be left looking silly for positioning the Cardinal as the favorite.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Sportsbook Review

Point Spread: Stanford -5.5
Over/Under: 52

Prediction

Though Tyler Huntley was injured last week in the win over Arizona and will likely be sidelined this weekend, the Utes have peace of mind at the quarterback position. That is because Kyle Whittingham’s staff can turn to last year’s starter, Troy Williams, and get him back under center without any real learning curve at the position.

Williams will outduel Costello and/or the other Cardinal quarterbacks, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon transfer Darren Carrington II will haul in two of those scoring passes, racking up over 150 receiving yards to bolster his claim to the Biletnikoff Award given annually to the best receiver in the country. And Zack Moss and the Utes backfield will combined to roll up at least 200 rushing yards against a Cardinal team that gives up 272 yards of offense per game on the ground.

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In the end, Stanford will fall further from the Pac-12 race and out of the nation’s focus as they get blown out by the Utes. Love will run for another 175 or more yards, and he will reach the endzone a couple of times. But the rest of the Cardinal offense will fail to pick up the slack, and Stanford is staring at a losing proposition.

Final Score: Utah 45, Stanford 34