San Diego State vs. Stanford Total Pick
One of the matchups on Friday night in college football will pit non-conference foes San Diego State against Stanford. Will the game turn into a defensive slugfest, one that will result in bettors being able to cash the under?
Game Snapshot
149 San Diego State vs. 150 Stanford
9:00 p.m. ET, Friday, August 31, 2018
Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Cardinal is 14-point favorites to beat the Aztecs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 49 points. As of this writing, 60% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Cardinal.
San Diego State Aztecs
San Diego State OC Jeff Horton said that he’s looking for a more consistent game out of senior WR Fred Trevillion this season. “I’d certainly like to see Fred really step up and be the leader of the receiver group, be much more consistent with his play,” Horton said, noting that so long as the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Trevillion actually holds onto the ball, he can be a game-breaker. This past season, the senior racked up 327 yards on just 12 grabs, good for a fantastical 26.2 yards per catch. Horton described Trevillion as a “dynamite player” and said that the team would like to “quadruple” his production. On a run-heavy outfit like the ones consistently fielded by HC Rocky Long, such a statistical jump probably isn’t realistic. We could certainly see more robust work from the wideout if he can take his mental game up a notch, though.
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford senior RB Bryce Love ranks first on ESPN’s first Heisman Watch to begin the 2018 season. In a panel of 10 ESPN college football experts, Love received eight first-place Votes. The other two votes, if you were curious, went to Houston junior defensive tackle Ed Oliver. It makes sense to put Love at the top of the list; after all, he was second in voting last year and there’s no reason to think he won’t be among the best players again in 2018. Also of note, Wisconsin sophomore tailback Jonathan Taylor finished second in the poll, having received the most second-place (4) and third-place votes in the poll.
Betting Trends
San Diego State
The Aztecs are 5-1 against the spread in their last six road games.
Stanford
The Cardinal is 4-1 against the spread in their last five games overall.
Prediction
The Aztecs are physical on offense and fast and deceptive on defense. That’s not unlike Stanford, which also wants to pound the football on the ground and beat up teams defensively. This game is all about Bryce Love and Juwan Washington, as both teams attempt to establish the run and play good defense. If both teams keep the ball on the ground like I expect, possessions should be limited on both sides and the combined score should fall under the total.
College Football Prediction: San Diego State/Stanford under 49