California Golden Bears (7-3) 4-5 ATS, 4-5 O/U at Stanford Cardinal (7-3) 5-3 ATS, 6-4 O/U Saturday November 21, 2009 Stanford Stadium 7:30 p.m. EST
By Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: California +7.5/Stanford -7.5
Over/Under: 65
California and Stanford will go head to head this weekend in Palo Alto in another key Pac-10 matchup. The Golden Bears are fresh off of a 24-16 win over the Arizona Wildcats last week. The Stanford Cardinal may be the toughest team in the Pac-10 at the moment as they have played fantastic football lately. The Cardinals crushed the USC Trojans last weekend 55-21.
The Pac-10 race is usually unbalanced this year as most of the country is used to the Trojans rolling over every team. Ah, but not this season you Men of Troy! Stanford is one game behind the Oregon Ducks for the Pac-10s top spot. The Ducks are 6-1 in conference play while the Cardinal are 6-2. Oregon State and Arizona each have 2 losses in conference play while the Golden Bears have 3 losses. No matter what happens in the Pac-10 race the best team will face the Ohio State Buckeyes on New Years Day in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl.
California looked like the team to beat early on in the season but they have struggled and now they are trying to finish strong. The Bears earned the win over the Wildcats last week without their star running back Jahvid Best. But no worries as running back Shane Vereen carried the ball 30 times for 159 yards and the game clinching touchdown on a 61-yard sprint with 1:41 remaining in the game.
California is averaging 30.7 points per game and allowing 22.4 to their opponents. The Bears have averaged just over 400 yards of total offense per outing with 178 yards on the ground and 223 passing yards.
Stanford comes into this battle averaging 36.1 points per effort, and they give up 24 points to the opposition. The Cardinal produce 445 yards of total offense per game, and they are a bit more balanced as they average nearly the same amount of yardage on the ground as they do through the air with 223 yards in each category.
The Golden Bears are 3-1 SU, 2-2 ATS, and 2-2 O/U on the road this season. Cal is also 0-1 SU, 0-1 ATS, and 0-1 O/U as the underdog this year. Stanford is 5-0 SU, 3-0 ATS, and 2-3 O/U at home this season, and they are 3-1 SU, 3-1 ATS, and 2-2 O/U as the favorite this season.
The line on this matchup opened at Stanford -6.5 with a total of 63.5. Most online casino sportsbooks are showing between -7 and -7.5 with a total of 65. The Las Vegas Hilton, the Hard Rock, and Planet Hollywood all have Stanford -7 with a total of 65 as well.
The under is 9-1 in Californias last 10 games as the dog. Stanford is 11-0 ATS in their last 11 home games. The Cards are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 conference games. The Golden Bears are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with Stanford.
The QB matchup for this game should be a good one as both Andrew Luck and Kevin Riley have good numbers on the year and both are similar in yards per pass, total yards (2000 plus). Riley has 15 TDs and 5 interceptions on the season while Luck has 13 TDs and 3 picks.
Jahvid Best may return for this weekends game but the Bears managed ok with the play of running back Shane Vereen. I like how Stanford has turned up the heat in the Pac-10 but the Bears will give them a tough fight especially if Best comes back on the field.
Wilsons Pick: Stanford 44, California 35. Luck to ya.