The No. 8 Stanford Cardinal host the No. 25 Washington Huskies on Saturday. Both Pac-12 North teams have played well over the past few weeks and both will look to continue their streak this weekend. According to Odds Shark, the opening line places Stanford as 19.5-point favorites.
Based on the team's statistical performances through the first half of the season, the line makes sense. Led by quarterback Andrew Luck, Stanford is averaging 50.0 points at home in three games while the Huskies are averaging 34.5 points per road game. The 16.5 point differential between those two numbers is just a field goal under the opening line.
Stanford's defense has also been tenacious this season. The Cardinal have not allowed more than 19 points to any opponent this season, and if this trend holds up, Stanford is in very good position to cover the spread.
Washington, though, has been on an offensive tear as of late. The Huskies posted 52 points in last week's win over Colorado and have scored 73 points over the team's final six quarters. Quarterback Keith Price has put together three straight games of 225-plus passing yards, 70%-plus completion rating and three-plus touchdowns.
Covering the spread comes down to how well Stanford's defense can contain Price. If the Cardinal can keep Price's completion percentage at or below 50% with only one or two touchdowns, Luck will have no trouble keeping the Cardinal ahead by a good margin. If Washington allows Price to reach his current three-game averages, though, the Stanford players could find themselves in a tight offensive shootout.