Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College Football Predictions 2018: Picks for the biggest games of Week 9

By John Mitchell

JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 28: Elijah Holyfield #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs dives into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Florida Gators at EverBank Field on October 28, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia defeated Florida 42-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 28: Elijah Holyfield #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs dives into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter of a game against the Florida Gators at EverBank Field on October 28, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia defeated Florida 42-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
9 of 11
Next
(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
(Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

No. 14 Washington State at No. 24 Stanford (7:00 p.m. ET, PAC-12 Network)

Spread: Stanford -3

Washington State’s win over Oregon last week positions the Cougars for a potential Rose Bowl run, but there’s no rest for the weary this week as they travel to Palo Alto to take on Stanford in a second consecutive key Pac-12 North showdown.

This isn’t necessarily a must-win for Washington State with the Cardinal still having to travel to Washington next week, but a win here would put them one-step closer to a winner-take-all Apple Cup against Washington at the end of the regular season.

Regardless, at 6-1 overall and No. 14 in the AP Poll, Washington State has been one of the country’s biggest surprises this season with most pundits pegging them near the bottom of the PAC-12 standings in the preseason. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year in Pullman, but Mike Leach has the Cougars contending.

This isn’t a typical Stanford team, with the Cardinal struggling in a couple of areas that are usually strengths: running the football and defense.

Stanford has been uncharacteristically shaky defensively, allowing three teams to surpass 30 points in a game already, and ranking 80th in the country in yards allowed.

They’ve also struggled to run the football, despite the return of Heisman runner-up Bryce Love. The Cardinal average just 91.6 yards-per-game on the ground, good for 126th nationally. The lack of a ground game coinciding with their defensive struggles has Stanford not really looking like Stanford this season.

And yet, David Shaw still has his team at 5-2 and right in the thick of the PAC-12 North race.

It’ll be a tall order for Stanford’s defense to come up with enough stops against the high-powered Washington State offense in order to pull this one out. If this is the week the Stanford rushing attack comes alive, then they have a shot. If not, look for the Cougars to get the win.

Pick: Washington State 37, Stanford 27

Home/College Football News