NCAAF Picks: The resurgent Stanford Cardinal earned a tough and much needed 20-13 win at Washington as their powerful defense had to cover for an offense that has been sluggish so far this season. The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are undefeated and also sporting a strong defense and an offense that has been somewhat inconsistent after one month of play.
The Fighting Irish will host the Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday with coverage on NBC starting at 3:30 PM ET. This game opened as a pick’em and now Stanford is favored by 1.5 points.
Irish Eyes are smiling
Notre Dame is 4-0 straight up, 3-1 against the spread, and 1-3 under the total after a 31-15 payout over Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford last week. The Notre Dame bend but don’t break defense ranks fourth in the nation for points allowed. Signal-caller Everett Golson has been effective with a 164.6 QB rating and an 11-2 TD-INT ratio.
Half a Team?
Stanford is 3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS, and 0-3 under the total. The Cardinal boasts the nation’s top ranked defense both overall and for points allowed. The offense however ranks 70th overall in the nation and 81st for points scored. Quarterback Kevin Hogan has a 167.6 QB rating with an 8-2 TD-INT ratio. So far the offense has done just enough to get by as the defense has carried the team.
Matchup and Pick
Stanford has been one of the top values on the board in any sport as a road team with 15 payouts in their last 19 away games as just five out of their last 18 away games have gone over the total. Notre Dame has been a weak home value with just six payouts in their last 16 home games as 14 out of their last 20 home games have gone under the total. Stanford has come away with the cash in three out of their last four meetings with Notre Dame as all four of those matchups went under the total.
The Cardinal has covered their last two visits to Notre Dame Stadium with six out of the last seven meetings between Stanford and Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium going under the total. We’ll call for Stanford (-1.5) and under the total.
