Stanford Football: Preview, prediction, live stream for Alamo Bowl vs. TCU
By Zach Bigalke
Stanford and TCU meet up in San Antonio for their first encounter on a football field since 2008. How will the Alamo Bowl play out on Thursday?
The Alamo Bowl celebrates a quarter-century of existence with one of the more intriguing matchups of this 2017-2018 bowl season. A pair of losing finalists in Power Five conference championship games will get one last chance to finish the season on a high note in San Antonio.
For Stanford, it is their first time ever playing at the Alamodome. The Cardinal have a shot to finish with 10 wins for a third straight season and the seventh time in the past eight years. Stanford’s successful return to the top of the Pac-12 North was fueled by the campaign of Heisman runner-up Bryce Love, who will suit up in his final game for the Cardinal before heading to the NFL.
TCU fell flat in its rematch against Oklahoma for the Big 12 championship, but it was still a solid season for the Horned Frogs. Yet their only losses came against the Sooners and at Iowa State as Gary Patterson’s crew rattled off a 10-3 regular season. It is the first time since back-to-back games in 2007 and 2008 that the Cardinal meet up against the Horned Frogs.
Here’s how to watch Thursday’s Alamo Bowl between Stanford and TCU:
Date: Thursday, Dec. 28
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Venue: Alamodome
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
For Stanford to win against a stout TCU defense, they will need Bryce Love to be fully healthy. He continued to be hampered by ankle injuries in the defeat to USC in the Pac-12 championship game. Hopefully for the Cardinal, several weeks of rest will be enough to get Love back to his defense-breaking best.
Stanford, however, cannot rely on Love alone. Starting quarterback K.J. Costello will need to have a big game through the air to keep TCU honest on defense. The passer doesn’t need to put up ridiculous stats, but he will need to be efficient with his opportunities and maintain possession.
TCU will need Kenny Hill to have a big game both passing and running the football to soften up the Stanford defense. He could also use support from Kyle Hicks, especially since Darius Anderson probably won’t be back to play in this game.
For the Horned Frogs, though, everything comes down to its defense. The unit has been the calling card for much of TCU’s success both as a mid-major and since realigning with the Big 12. This year’s group ranked 12th nationally in points allowed, holding opponents to 17.6 points per game. Only the Sooners really managed to crack the riddle of how to score on the Horned Frogs. SMU and Oklahoma State were the only other teams that managed to score 30 or more on TCU.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Sportsbook Review
Point Spread: TCU -2.5
Over/Under: 49
Prediction
Bryce Love is going to come out and show why he was one of the best running backs in the country in 2017. The Heisman finalist is going to put up 200 yards and three touchdowns in an MVP performance at the Alamodome to cap a stellar college career. After emerging from Christian McCaffrey’s shadow, Love will leave a long one cast across the Stanford program for Cameron Scarlett and those to follow.
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Things will be close in the first half, and turnovers will keep TCU in the contest as Costello throws a costly pick or two. But Stanford will settle down in the second half and methodically chip away. Unlike TCU’s previous appearance, when Oregon jumped out to a big lead only to lose in overtime, there will be no big shift of gears for the Horned Frogs in the second half.
Final Score: Stanford 38, TCU 28