Utah Utes vs. Stanford Cardinal Prediction ATS 11/5/21
College Football Week 10
Date and Time: Friday, November 5. 2021 at 10:30PM EDT
Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California
TV: Fox Sports One
Point Spread: UTAH -6.5/STAN +6.5 (BetNow – Deposit $100 to $1000 and get a dollar for dollar matching REAL CASH bonus!)
Over/Under Total: 52
The Utah Utes face the Stanford Cardinal in Pac-12 action on Friday night. For the home Cardinal, things haven’t been going well as of late. On Saturday, coming off an extra week break, the Cardinal didn’t thrive in a home spot against Washington, losing 20-13 and going long stretches with nothing moving on offense. It was their third straight loss. Utah, meanwhile, won their fourth out of five on Saturday with a very nice 44-24 win at home against UCLA. With some big things that could lie ahead with continued positive conference results, Utah will be looking for a big win, while the Cardinal are looking to turn the tide.
Utah on a Roll?
The loss a few weeks ago to Oregon State notwithstanding, the Utes have been doing pretty well, with that being their only setback in conference play heading into week ten. They’re a team that can do different things well on a given week without really being great consistently in any one area. Against the compromised Bruins last week that was playing with their backup freshman quarterback, they were able to get some big plays on defense to keep the Bruins’ weaponry in check. But on offense, they really shined. While QB Cam Rising was good in running in and throwing for scores, it was Tavion Thomas who was the hero with four rushing touchdowns on a big day running. He has had six TDs in the last two games.
But as far as being a conference contender, Utah is pretty dicey, and in this conference, no one is safe. So while it seems, there is a stark contrast here with the nosediving Cardinal pitted against the relatively-hot Utes, that only counts for so much in these spots. At the end of the day, the Utes are still a team that relies on the run a lot, without being able to rely much on the pass. And their defense can be exploited in spots. The question is whether the Cardinal offense is up to the task.
Issues with Stanford
In a way, Stanford is a typical lower-end Pac-12 team. On a given day, they can hit some pretty low depths. And we’ve been seeing more of that than not lately, with the Cardinal scoring 13 or fewer points in two of their last three games. And it doesn’t paint a flattering picture seeing Stanford getting slapped around by middling conference thrift. But their high ceiling has been illustrated multiple times this season, first in smashing what was then a 14th- ranked Trojans team before USC’s wheels came off. Then they defeated the unbeaten and third-ranked Oregon Ducks in overtime. Sure, things look rough right now. But with good coaching and starting jobs perhaps being on the line, you can never rule out a home push for the Cardinal. It’s just hard to play the urgency angle following a game where they were coming off a bye with a chance to regroup, and they muster a measly 13 points at home.
Some issues stand out as major liabilities for the Cardinal other than their negative momentum. Unable to stop the run all season, this would seem to be a bad matchup against a Utah offense that applies that part of their game with some consistency. Utah’s defense is hardly special. In fact, they’re somewhat average across most areas, and their big-play ability this season seems muted. Still, they don’t often break. Stanford QB Tanner McKee works with a few good pass-catchers in WR Elijah Higgins and tight end Benjamin Yurosek. But that do-everything Stanford back we sometimes see on this sideline isn’t there. That O-line sometimes can’t repel the better defenses they face. It’s a one-dimensional offense whose one dimension hasn’t been delivering lately.
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X-Factors
Stanford is nice and dug in at home, coming off a two-week break leading to last week’s home game and now through this week. There’s something to be said for that. Utah is used to coming out of state for conference games, naturally, but there has been a detectable home/away effectiveness metric at play with the Utes this season. It’s been a grind away from home, while everything has been easy-breezy at home for Utah. With both of Stanford’s last two losses being of the one-score variety, is their demise being overstated? Has Utah been fortuitous in some favorable spots where their overall results suggest a team that they’re not? You have to cover all the bases heading into a matchup like this in the frequently-wacky Pac-12.
Lay the Points on the Road Dog
It’s hard not always to think you smell a rat whenever you bet on a favored Pac-12 team. Stanford keeping this tight or even beating the Utes in this spot, by conference standards, would hardly be a shocker. I just don’t see Stanford both being able to stop the run while trying to surpass what Utah is doing with almost zero run-game of their own. I see some stoutness on the Utah “D” coming into play against a struggling Stanford offense, with Utah getting out of town with the win and cover in this Pac-12 Friday night special.
Loot’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Utah Utes minus 6.5 points. Hey! Have you seen our awesome “College Kid Bonus?” Here’s how it works: Register for a betting account at Intertops through this special link. Deposit $25 (or more). After you’ve deposited, go to their “Special Offers” page and enter bonus code ROOKIE200. An extra FIFTY BUCKS will show up in your wagering account! Intertops Sportsbook is the OLDEST and most trusted bookie on the web! Online since the 1990’s!
