Saturday Night ABC College Football Oregon @ Stanford Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Week 11 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 11 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Oregon Ducks @ Stanford Cardinal 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ABC Saturday 11/12/11: The top spot in the PAC-12 North will be on the line Saturday night when the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks (8-1) go on the road to face the fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal (9-0). The game has potential national title implications for both teams as well, and a victory for Stanford could push them into the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Meanwhile, an Oregon victory could make the Ducks the highest-ranked one-loss team. Depending how the rest of the season unfolds, the winner of this game has a serious shot at playing for the BCS Championship. Playing at home, the Cardinal is a 3 ½-point favorite.

Both teams bring plenty of star power to the table in this matchup. Stanford is led by Heisman frontrunner Andrew Luck. The standout quarterback has tossed 26 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions, and he is completing more than 70 percent of his passes. Oregon counters with running back LaMichael James, who has topped 1,000 yards already despite missing almost three full games with an elbow injury. James led the nation in rush yards per game last season, and he is averaging more than eight yards per carry this season.

Needless to say, both programs boast high-scoring offenses. Stanford is third in the country, averaging 48.2 points per game. Oregon is fifth in country, putting up 46.0 points per game. The Cardinal uses a more conventional, balanced offense that ranks in the top 25 in both rushing and passing yards. Meanwhile, the Ducks counter with a spread option attack that ranks fifth in the nation in rushing yards per game. Stanford has the decided edge in size and power, but Oregon has the advantage when it comes to speed and explosiveness.

With two powerful offenses going head to head, the winner could be the team that has its defense rise to the occasion. Both units have been stout, with Stanford ranking 11th in points allowed (16.6) and Oregon ranking 26th (20.8). However, both defenses struggled in their biggest test of the year. The Ducks gave up 40 points in a season-opening loss to LSU, and the Cardinal gave up 48 points in a triple overtime win against USC. Not to mention the fact that the Oregon has yet to face a QB as polished and deadly as Luck and Stanford has yet to face an offense as unique as Chip Kelly’s system.

The X-factor in the game could be Oregon backup running back Kenjon Barner. He was incredible while filling in for James, and on the year, he has more than 600 yards and eight scores. With James returning as the lead back, Barner has stayed more involved in the offense, creating two home run threats for the Ducks. On any given snap from anywhere on the field, the Ducks can end up in the end zone.

Last season, the speed of Oregon was too much for the Cardinal defense. Stanford fell by a final score of 52-31. Granted, that game was at Oregon, but speed travels. Luck is a year more experienced and should be able to dissect the Ducks’ secondary, but he isn’t going to help the defense slow down James and company. This game has all the makings of a back-and-forth shootout, and a high tempo favors the Ducks. In the end, the powerful Stanford defense will likely struggle once again to keep up with Oregon’s spread attack, and as good as Luck is, he won’t be able to put enough points on the board to save Stanford.

Prediction: Oregon Ducks (+3 ½) Cover the Spread

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