The Kansas State Wildcats and Stanford Cardinal will meet in a non-conference battle to open the season on Friday night.
College football is officially back and there is a great battle on Friday night, between the Stanford Cardinals and Kansas State Wildcats. Everyone wants to see what Christian McCaffrey can do next and whether or not the Cardinal can make the playoffs this season. They’ll also have a new quarterback lined up under center.
For those that want to watch the Wildcats and Cardinal, the game can be seen on TV on Fox Sports 1. It can also be seen online via a live stream via the Fox Sports Go app. Here’s everything you need to know about watching the Wildcats and Cardinal online. Details for Friday are below.
Date: Friday, September 2, 2016
Start Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Stanford, CA
Venue: Stanford Stadium
TV Info: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
Keys to Victory
For Stanford, it’s about proving they can pass the ball. With Ryan Burns the new quarterback, Kansas State is going to stack the box and sell out on McCaffrey. Therefore, Burns is going to have to bust some big plays down the field to open up the running game for the Heisman hopeful. If they can get some semblance of a passing game going, McCaffrey will be able to roll up some yards.
For Kansas State, they have a defense that suits them well against Stanford. They have linebackers with speed to match McCaffrey and an interior defense that is great at stuffing the run. They need to force Burns to beat them and send everything they have at McCaffrey on every play.
Offensively, the Wildcats need to try and jump out to an early lead. If they can get some points on the board on the road, it could be a great momentum boost. Stanford is a team that is prone to mistakes early in the season and they need to catch them off guard.
Betting Odds
The Stanford Cardinal are -15 favorites at home. While the odds are heavily in their favor, it’s important to note that the team has had some struggles in September before. Last year, they lost to Northwestern and it ultimately cost them a playoff spot at the end of the year. While they are at home, they might not necessarily just roll in and blow Kansas State out of the building.
Prediction
The Cardinal are the team to watch in the Pac-12 this season. They are the conference’s best shot at making it into the College Football Playoff. They also have a player in McCaffrey that has a real shot at winning the Heisman. He’s the most dynamic player in the conference since Reggie Bush.
However, it might be a bit of a feeling out process to begin the game against Kansas State. Kevin Hogan is gone and Burns is now under center. Expect Kansas State to load the box to test the new quarterback and sell out on McCaffrey. While they will ultimately break some big plays open, this game should be close for a while.
McCaffrey will finally get rolling in the second half and Stanford will put the game on ice. They may or may not cover the spread, but it’s going to be close. Stanford gets a solid win to begin the season at home.
Pick: Stanford 37, Kansas State 20