California and Stanford Trying to Save Seasons
Two teams will be taking the field this Saturday afternoon against each other, as the California Golden Bears will head into Stanford Stadium to take on the Cardinal.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Stanford -2; O/U: 40
Even with the season winding to its dramatic conclusion, there is still plenty of college football to be played to finish it out.
The Pac-12 has been able to make some noise in the national rankings, as Oregon and Utah are both one-loss teams with incredibly strong resumes in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings. The conference has been stronger than ever this season and really seems to be making a turnaround in its level of play.
Underwhelming Results For California & Stanford
Both of these teams have experienced middling seasons in 2019, and experts projected the Cardinal to finish the season as one of the best teams in the country when they drew a preseason national ranking.
Well, it’s a good thing that the season still gets a chance to play out, as Stanford has lost a number of big games at home and on the road.
California has not been much better, and its program has struggled to remain relevant in college football rankings during the decade.
Both teams are coming off losses in which they were stomped by well over 20 points. Cal had a home matchup against the USC Trojans, where it never stood a chance and lost 41-17. On the other side, Stanford was on the road against a tough Washington State team, which has one of the best offenses in the country. WSU showed out, beating down the Cardinal 49-22.
The good news is that both of these teams get a chance to right the ship against each other this week. Both offenses have struggled to put points on the board, but this week will likely prove different with how average their defenses are.
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This, That, and a College Football Dart Throw
Looking at some of the statistics for both of these teams, their running back play stands out above everything else. California and Stanford both have strong rushing attacks, and have feature backs that lead their offense above their quarterbacks.
Christopher Brown Jr. is who to watch out for on the Golden Bears, as he is their leading rusher and has eight total touchdowns on the season. He is a strong dual-threat running back and can easily catch passes out of the backfield.
For Stanford, look for Cameron Scarlett. Scarlett has a different style of game to Brown, as Scarlett is more of a power back that doesn’t catch much out of the backfield. Scarlett has over 700 rushing yards on the season and is a threat any time he gets a touch.
I think the most relevant number in this game is the number of points Stanford has been giving up. Twenty-eight points per game is not typical for them, and the Cardinal struggle to get stops.
That is a big reason why I think Stanford might struggle more in this game than California. The Golden Bears should find a number of opportunities to score.
Don’t get it twisted, both of these teams are extremely similar in stature, and that’s why Stanford gets the usual home-field nod from our friends at VietBet. VietBet had the Cardinal favored at -3, but it has dropped to -2 at the moment. That line seems fair for a game that appears to be more of a coin toss than anything else.
This is the kind of game that feels like it will come down to who can get out ahead first. There is going to be a lot of running, and both teams will look to control the clock. The first team to score a touchdown will likely be the winner.
The Dart Throw: California at +2
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