Oregon Ducks vs. No. 7 Stanford Cardinal
Starting the season as the No. 7 team in the country, the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal have since switched roles. Stanford started the season with a tough loss to a surprisingly solid Northwestern Wildcats squad and effectively dropped out of the rankings, but the Cardinal have bounced back in a big way.
Kevin Hogan is playing like the quarterback everyone expected three years ago and Vernon Adams Jr. has had a tough time staying healthy for the Ducks.
This is going to be a much bigger game than people truly believe and the winner is one step closer to contending for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. Will the Ducks upset the No. 7 Cardinal and steal a huge road win in which no one gives them a chance in? Let’s find out.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14
Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Stanford, CA
Stadium: Stanford Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: WatchESPN app
Radio: For Oregon radio affiliates, click here. For Stanford radio affiliates, click here.
Ticket information: For ticket info, click here.
Keys to Victory
Oregon Ducks
Defense. We all know the Ducks have a solid, potent offense with Adams Jr. under center. Also, Royce Freeman will gain his yards on the ground, but the Ducks definitely need defense to win this one.
Oregon has struggled to stop basically any Pac-12 opponent it has faced this season, allowing an average of 37.2 points per game. The secondary has struggled all season long and the run defense will have its hands full with Christian McCaffrey.
Stanford Cardinal
Just like the Ducks, the Cardinal will need to step up their defensive presence — and they have been known to do such over the past few years under David Shaw. Stop Adams Jr. and Freeman and the Cardinal will be in very good shape. However, that’s just not very likely to stop both.
Stanford will be relying heavily on Kevin Hogan through the air and McCaffrey in the run game. If McCaffrey can rush for over 100 yards and reach the end zone a couple of times and Hogan can play as well as he has all year, the Cardinal will be just fine.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Stanford -10
Moneyline: Oregon +330, Stanford -400
O/U: 69
Prediction
Hogan might have a breakout game against one of the worst defenses in the country. Don’t be shocked if he approaches the 300 yard mark through the air while adding 50 yards on the ground. Vernon Adams will keep Oregon in it for three-plus quarters, but the Ducks will tire out in the fourth and fall to Stanford. It seems as if the Cardinal have had the Ducks’ number over the past few seasons.