Stanford Gets a Freebie Straight Up, but Bettors Have to Battle Tough NCAA Football Line

The #14 Stanford Cardinals get a freebie straight up this Saturday when they host the horrible Washington State Cougars but football handicappers have to battle a tough NCAA football line on the game.

It’s always difficult to back a -34 ½ point NCAA football line favorite like Stanford is in their game against WASU on Oct. 23rd, because most teams don’t always like to run up the score. Of course, if the Cardinal has any hope of getting back into the BCS National Championship discussion, it’s going to have to beat Washington State by around 50 points, not just 34 ½.

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Still, can Stanford possibly cover an almost five touchdown NCAA football line?

Washington State Cougars at #14 Stanford Cardinal

Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California

When: Oct. 23rd, 2010 at 5:00 pm EST

TV: TBD

NCAAF Betting Lines

Washington State Cougars +34 ½ -110 O 63 ½ -110

Stanford Cardinal -34 ½ -110 U 63 ½ -110

It’s easy to argue against the NCAA football line based on the following trends.

• The Washington State Cougars are 4 and 1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
• The Washington State Cougars are 6 and 0 ATS in their last 6 games in October.
• The Stanford Cardinal is 4 and 1 ATS versus a team with a losing record.
• The Stanford Cardinal is 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games as a favorite of 10 ½ points or greater.

Some of my peers might call me a Stanford homer. I love Andrew Luck. I love coach Jim Harbaugh, but I can’t find myself justifying the 34 ½ point NCAA football line odds for this game. The Cardinal is only 3 and 3 ATS on the season. More alarmingly, they are 1 and 2 ATS at home.

They’ve also failed to cover ATS in their last 2 games including, shockingly, almost losing straight up to the hapless USC Trojans, 37 to 35, as 10-point NCAA football line favorites.

What’s the deal with this team? I was all over their nuts when they beat UCLA 35 to 0 as 5 ½ point faves in Pasadena. Then, after trouncing Notre Dame ( I was on their nuts for that game too!) the Cardinal failed miserably after rushing out to a 21 to 3 lead against Oregon when losing 31 to 52.

Now, they face a team that they will definitely beat straight up but that they have to give close 5 touchdowns to on the NCAA football line. Stanford hasn’t played since Oct. 9th and perhaps that’s why the odds makers believe they dominate the Cougars by 35 points in this game, but I’m not buying it.

Washington State is awful. They’ve lost 6 out of 7 this season. Their lone victory occurred against a sub-division team in Week 2. The Cougars aren’t going to beat Stanford straight up, but they should, not could, but should cover the betting spread in the sportsbook.

The Cougars have covered the spread in 3 straight games. They lost to UCLA 28 to 42 as 23 ½ point dogs, Oregon 23 to 43 as 36 ½ point dogs, and 7 to 24 versus Arizona as 22 ½ point dogs.

If UCLA, Oregon and AZ couldn’t cover a huge spread versus these guys, why do the NCAA football line odds makers believe that the Stanford Cardinal can?

I know I don’t believe that they can. I have to take the points in this game. After watching Stanford’s dismal performance versus USC in their last game, and understanding that they are coming off of a lay off and might not be as sharp as they should be, I’m going with the “hot” covering team. That’s the Washington State Cougars.

WASU is the team to back ATS on the NCAA football line.

NCAAF Betting Pick: Washington State Cougars -34 ½ -110

Log onto the NCAA football line sportsbook, click here!