Stanford Football

Stanford star running back Christian McCaffrey has not played since he left his team's 42-16 loss to Washington State on Oct. 8 with an undisclosed injury. However, he's ready to make his return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

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McCaffrey Active vs. Colorado

Saturday, Oct. 22 

Stanford announced McCaffrey will play Saturday against Colorado. 

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Latest on McCaffrey's Practice Status

Wednesday, Oct. 19

McCaffrey was a full participant in individual drills on Wednesday, per the team.

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McCaffrey Gives Cardinal Lone Offensive Presence

McCaffrey, a junior, has once again been solid for Stanford, accumulating 674 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in five games this season. While he isn't on pace to replicate last year's 2,019 rushing yards, he's the team's most dangerous offensive weapon, and his loss is a major blow for a team that just recovered from two straight blowout losses by escaping with a win at Notre Dame.

           

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Stanford is 8-0 in its last eight meetings with Washington State and 5-3 against the spread. But the Cougars gave the Cardinal a good scare last season and now hope to do more than that when they head down to the Farm for an interesting Pac-12 North battle Saturday night.

    

Point spread: The Cardinal opened as 12.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 32.1-29.3 Cardinal (College football picks on every game)

    

Why the Washington State Cougars can cover the spread

After starting this season inauspiciously enough with consecutive defeats, Washington State has won two in a row, hitting the 50-point mark twice, including in a 51-33 victory over Oregon last week.

The Cougars scored a touchdown on their first possession of the day, led 28-14 at the half, and allowed the Ducks to pull to within 10 points in the third quarter. They then reapplied the gas, scoring three more times to procure the outright win as three-point home dogs.

WSU outgained Oregon 651-416, getting its usual 371 yards through the air but also piling up 280 yards on the ground, its best such performance in four-plus seasons under head coach Mike Leach.

If the Cougars are going to add a consistent running game to their attack—they're averaging 161 yards per game on the ground this season after averaging 80 last season—they might become a pain to stop.

    

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

It hasn't happened often over recent seasons, but Stanford is coming off a poor performance from last week, a 44-6 loss at Washington. The Cardinal fell down 13-0 in the first quarter and never recovered, later trailing 30-0 on their way to their worst margin of defeat since 2007.

Not much good can be taken from last week's effort; they'll just have to move on.

Up until then, Stanford was 3-0 both straight up and ATS on the season, playing no cupcakes. The Cardinal opened with a win over Kansas State, then beat USC, then beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl, covering 12, seven and three points, respectively. The Cardinal are also 32-4 SU and 22-14 ATS at home under head coach David Shaw.

    

Smart pick

Stanford might be poised for a bounce-back effort after everything went wrong last week in Seattle, and the contrast in style of play would seem to give the Cardinal an edge. But that Washington State offense is clicking, and the Cougars were a missed 43-yard field goal away from beating Stanford last year.

If they can keep Christian McCaffrey from killing them—perhaps keep him off the field by moving the chains themselves—the Cougars could pull off the upset here.

    

Betting trends

Washington State is 0-8 SU in its last eight games against Stanford.

Stanford is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games at home after consecutive road games.

Washington State is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games against its conference.

    

All college football betting lines and point spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.

It's just not running back Christian McCaffrey's night.

Not only is he and the rest of the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal offense struggling to gain any traction against the No. 10 Washington Huskies, but he also got tackled by a referee on what was his best run of the game during the third quarter. 

McCaffrey only has 79 total yards (49 rushing, 30 receiving) with 3:13 left in the game, but his stats—or the referee tackle—aren't the biggest blemishes of the game for Stanford, which trails 44-6 with less than two minutes remaining. 

Stanford holds the upper hand in the rivalry with Washington in recent years, winning seven of the last eight meetings straight up, but the Huskies have been taking the cash, covering the spread in three of the last four meetings.

In a game that might decide the Pac-12 North, the Cardinal battle Washington on Friday night up in Seattle.

            

Point spread: The Huskies opened as 3.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 35.4-21.1 Huskies (college football picks on every game)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0VoJuQ5rak

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Stanford is 3-0 both SU and ATS on the season after rallying to beat UCLA at the Rose Bowl last week, 22-13. The Cardinal drove the opening kickoff 50 yards to an early 3-0 lead but trailed 10-3 at the half, then 13-9 late in the game. Stanford then drove 70 yards in the last two minutes, ending with a touchdown connection from Ryan Burns to JJ Arcega-Whiteside with just 24 seconds left to take the lead.

The Cardinal defense then iced the victory and the cover as three-point favorites when defensive tackle Solomon Thomas picked up a Bruins fumble and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with no time on the clock.

On the evening, Stanford outgained UCLA, 350-325, outrushed the Bruins, 207-77 and won time of possession by a 33-27 split. The Cardinal have now covered the spread five games in a row, stretching back to last year's Pac-12 championship victory over USC.

             

Why the Washington Huskies can cover the spread

The Huskies are off to a 4-0 start after outlasting Arizona in overtime last week, 35-28. Washington actually fell down 7-0, allowing a touchdown on the game's first drive, but came up with a goal-line stand early in the second quarter to avoid falling behind even further.

The Huskies offense then immediately drove 97 yards to a game-tying score. Eventually, after allowing a game-tying score itself with just 17 seconds to go, Washington scored quickly in the top of the first overtime, then came up with another defensive stand to lock down the victory.

Washington had chances to win that game before overtime but missed two field goals and turned the ball over once on downs and once on a pick, both near the Arizona red zone. On the night, the Huskies racked up 512 yards of offense, 352 on the ground, and won time of possession by almost 10 minutes.

Stretching back to last year, UW now owns a seven-game winning streak, going 5-2 ATS in the process.

            

Smart pick

This is the biggest game for Washington in some time, and Husky Stadium should be rocking on a Friday night. But sometimes emotion can work against a home team. Plus, the Cardinal are a battle-tested bunch, one of those teams that just seems to find ways to win games. The smart money here sides with Stanford.

             

Betting trends

Stanford is 7-1 SU in its last eight games against Washington.

Stanford is 1-3 ATS in its last four games against Washington.

Washington is 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS in its last seven games.

         

All college football betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.

What happens when a defense doesn't cover Christian McCaffrey? He puts up points.

It didn't take long for the Stanford Cardinal running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful to find the end zone against the USC Trojans on Saturday, and it was probably the easiest touchdown he'll score all year.

McCaffrey caught a wide-open pass and sprinted for a 56-yard touchdown to help give the Cardinal a 7-0 first-quarter lead at home.  

The junior put up 2,664 yards from scrimmage last season, and if he keeps seeing coverage like this, that number could increase in 2016.

[Twitter]

Will Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey's stellar game against the USC Trojans in 2015 repeat itself on Saturday?

Take a look at the stats of how effective McCaffrey can be against USC and how his name could be brought up more often than the rest of the contenders in Heisman Trophy talks if Stanford walks away with the win.

The Stanford Cardinal own the upper hand in the recent rivalry with USC, winning six of the last eight meetings straight up, going 5-3 against the spread, including a victory/cover in last year's Pac-12 Championship Game. In a meeting with big implications for the Pac-12 races, the Trojans pay a visit to the Cardinal on Saturday.

Point spread: The Cardinal opened as 6.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 35.2-23.6 Cardinal (College football picks on every game)

   

Why the USC Trojans can cover the spread

Southern Cal rebounded from that season-opening blowout at the hands of Alabama to beat Utah State last week 45-7, covering as a 16-point favorite. The Trojans used a blocked punt to set up their first score three minutes into the game, led 21-0 at the half and 31-0 before allowing the Aggies to hit the board.

On the day, USC outgained USU 422-253 while winning the ground battle 178-49.

Junior quarterback Max Browne had a better day than he did against the Crimson Tide, hitting on 23 of 30 throws for 182 yards and two scores with one interception.

The Trojans lost to Stanford in the Pac-12 title game last year 41-22, but that game was closer than the final score might indicate.

    

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Stanford is 1-0 both SU and ATS this season, with its 26-13 victory over Kansas State two weeks ago, covering 12 points. The Cardinal then had last week off to prepare for this contest.

Stanford scored on its first three possessions against Kansas State to take an early 17-0 lead. The Cardinal then seemed to relax, though, and they let the Wildcats back in the game. But protecting a 19-13 lead late in the game, Stanford's Heisman Trophy candidate Christian McCaffrey ran one in from 41 yards out to secure the win and the cash.

McCaffrey also had a 97-yard punt return for a score negated by penalty.

On the night, the Cardinal actually got outgained by Kansas State 335-272, but some of that was situational, considering the Cardinal played with a lead the whole game.

New starting quarterback Ryan Burns, making his first collegiate start replacing stalwart Kevin Hogan, completed his first 10 passes against the Wildcats and finished with 14 completions in 18 attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown.

   

Smart pick

Stanford beat USC by 19 points in the Pac-12 Championship Game last year, but that was actually a five-point game with 10 minutes to go before McCaffrey tacked on two late scores. And before that, the previous five meetings in this series were decided by an average of just six points. Also, Alabama can make anybody look bad. Take the Trojans here, plus the points.

   

Betting trends

Southern Cal is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games against Stanford.

Stanford is 11-1 SU and 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games against its conference.

The total has gone under in six of Stanford's last eight games in September.

   

All college football betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds-tracker app.

College football better prepare itself because Christian McCaffrey is back, and it doesn't appear much has changed for the 2015 Heisman Trophy runner-up and one of the favorites to win this year's award.    

 After an earlier touchdown was called back because of a penalty, the Stanford Cardinal running back got in the end zone after juking a defender and using his speed to take himself the rest of the way in Friday night's game.

It helped give No. 8 Stanford a 17-0 lead early on against Kansas State.

[Pac-12 Network]

After a stellar 2015 season, Stanford's Christian McCaffrey is ready to continue his hot streak. Take a look at the reasons  we will still want to pay attention to McCaffrey this season.

Head coach David Shaw and the rest of the Stanford Cardinal are ready to start the 2016 college football season. Michael Felder, Adam Kramer and Barrett Sallee discuss the kind of team Stanford is and what its season will look like.


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