The No. 14 Stanford Cardinal will face off against the Rice Owls in Australia Saturday. Here’s how to watch one of the first games of the college football season online.
One of the most lopsided games of the early college football schedule is set to take place Saturday. The Stanford Cardinal hope to start their season strong with a victory over the Rice Owls. Kickoff from Allianz Stadium in Syndey, Australia on Saturday will be at 10:00 p.m. ET. ESPN will have the telecast. The available live stream will be on WatchESPN.
Rice is coming off a disappointing season that began with six consecutive losses. They finished the season with a 3-9 record and a 2-6 run in C-USA play. The Owls hope to turn it around in 2017 with the help of a solid running back duo. Freshman quarterback Sam Galesmann will likely rely on Samuel Stewart and Austin Walter to create a lot of the offense. Stewart and Walter should be successful with a veteran offensive line to create holes. Rice was troubled by injuries on the defensive side of the ball, but they promise. They are returning eight defensive starters, including standout linebacker Emmanuel Ellerbe.
On the other hand, Stanford hopes to compete for a top bowl appearance this season. After starting 2016 with just a 4-3 record, the Cardinal excelled in Pac-12 play, winning their final six games. However, they lost two of their top players from last season in Christian McCaffrey and Solomon Thomas to the NFL. Quarterback Keller Chryst is a question mark as he is recovering from an injury suffered in the Sun Bowl that kept him sidelined in spring practice. Meanwhile, they are returning eight starters on offense. Defensively, Stanford hopes to recapture the success of 2016 with Quenton Meeks and Justin Reid leading the secondary once again.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 26
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Sydney, Australia
Venue: Allianz Stadium
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN, fuboTV
According to Sportsbook Review, Stanford is favored to win their opening game by 33 1/2 points. The game’s over/under is 51 points.
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Despite showing some upside, Rice is likely to get destroyed by the 14th best team in the country. While the Owls might be able to cover this spread, it is unlikely they can win this match-up against Stanford, one of the country’s top teams. A loss shouldn’t discourage the Owls, who could still make a run at a bowl game.