Saturday Night ABC College Football Picks – Washington @ Stanford Odds and Predictions – Week 8 NCAA Football Spreads and Odds

Week 8 Free College Football Picks and Spreads: Washington Huskies @ Stanford Cardinal 2011 NCAA Football Vegas Odds, Free Picks, and Expert Predictions on ABC Saturday 10/22/11: For a team that boasts the likely top pick in the NFL draft, the seventh-ranked Stanford Cardinal (6-0) has been flying under the radar and beating up mediocre competition. That will change Saturday night when the 22nd-ranked Washington Huskies (5-1) come to town. While Stanford still has its eyes on a national title, both programs are alive and well as far as the Pac-12 title is concerned. The Huskies would love nothing more than to snap the Cardinal’s 14-game winning streak while improving their own standing within the conference. That being said, Stanford is a 20-point favorite in this matchup.

When the two teams met last season, the Cardinal rolled to a 41-0 victory. Star quarterback Andrew Luck picked apart the Huskies’ secondary, and the one-dimensional Washington offense was a complete mess. The end result was ugly, but a lot has changed in a year. Granted, Luck is still under center for Stanford, but the Huskies have evolved into a formidable scoring team as well.

The key to Washington’s turnaround has been quarterback Keith Price. He has more than helped fans forget about former starter Jake Locker, and while he may not have the power and speed outside the pocket that Locker did, Price has been picking apart teams through the air with the help of his arsenal of tight ends. In fact, his 21 touchdown passes have him tied for the second most in the country. The improved passing attack has opened things up for running back Chris Polk. He is averaging more than 120 yards a game on the ground. Add it all up, and the Huskies have one of the more diverse offensive attacks in the nation.

Of course, the Cardinal has a balanced offense as well led by arguably the top field general in the country. Luck has everything pro scouts look for when evaluating a quarterback’s chances at the NFL level. He has a powerful arm and is one of the most accurate and efficient passers in the country. He also has good mobility, and he isn’t afraid to use it to run over tacklers in the open field. Luck is currently the frontrunner to win the Heisman Trophy, and the scary thing is, he hasn’t even been challenged yet. Saturday’s game is his first chance to show his true potential, and the Huskies could be on the receiving end.

As good as Luck is, the strength of this Cardinal team could be its defense. Stanford has been excellent at shutting down opposing teams, particularly on the ground. Granted, they haven’t played great competition, but the unit did hold Nick Foles and the high-powered Arizona passing attack in check. Meanwhile, the Huskies’ defense has been exposed at times, especially by the versatile quarterbacks of Hawaii and Nebraska. Washington went 1-1 in those two games, but Taylor Martinez and the Cornhuskers lit up the Huskies for 51 points in Washington’s lone loss on the year.

While Washington is much improved form a year ago, they still aren’t at the same level as Luck and Stanford. If the Huskies’ defense couldn’t stop Martinez, the chances of the same unit shutting down Luck and company are slim. Not to mention the fact that the Cardinal defense is probably the toughest unit Price and the Washington offense will have faced. There is a reason that Stanford has won its last nine games by at least 25 points, and it isn’t because of bad competition. The Cardinal has the weapons on both sides of the ball to make a major statement to a national audience in this one.

Prediction: Stanford Cardinal (-20) Covers the Spread

Free College Football Picks and NCAAF Predictions: Stanford -20 to cover the spread

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