Stanford Cardinal vs. UCLA Bruins Betting Odds, Analysis, College Football Pick

The Stanford Cardinal own serious bragging rights in the rivalry with UCLA, winning the last eight meetings outright and going 7-1 against the spread. Stanford shoots for nine in a row when it battles the Bruins on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Point spread: The Cardinal opened as 2.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 33.4-30.6 Cardinal (college football picks on every game)

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Christian McCaffrey and Co. are 2-0 both straight up and ATS on the season after dispatching of USC last week 27-10. McCaffrey opened the scoring with a 56-yard catch-and-run 10 minutes in, propelling the Cardinal to a 17-3 halftime lead. Stanford let the Trojans creep to within 17-10 early in the third, but it scored the last 10 points of the game to secure the victory and the cover as eight-point favorites.

For the night, the Cardinal outrushed Southern Cal 295-117 and won time of possession by a 34-26 margin.

Three weeks ago, Stanford opened this season with a 26-13 victory over Kansas State, cashing in as a 12-point favorite when McCaffrey bolted into the end zone from 41 yards out with just over two minutes left in the game. Sounds like a handy guy to have on your team.

Why the UCLA Bruins can cover the spread

Following a season-opening loss at Texas A&M, the Bruins have won two games in a row, including a 17-14 victory at BYU last week. UCLA led 10-0 at the half thanks to some tough defense and a six-yard Josh Rosen touchdown pass to Cameron Griffin. The Bruins bumped that to 17-0 on a Rosen-to-Darren Andrews 33-yard scoring connection midway through the third quarter, and they held on from there.

Also, that final score was a bit misleading, considering the Bruins didn't allow the Cougars to get within three points until just 30 seconds remained in the game. On the night, UCLA outgained BYU 357-273 and controlled the clock to the tune of a 32-28 edge.

The Bruins opened this season with that 31-24 loss in overtime to an Aggies team that's now 3-0. UCLA then grabbed a big early lead and beat UNLV 42-21 in Week 2.

Smart pick

Stanford will shove it down your throat with the running game and punch you in the nose on defense, while UCLA defines finesse with Rosen throwing the ball over 40 times per game. How do those styles match up? Over the last three meetings in this series, the Cardinal have beaten the Bruins by an average score of 37-18. Bettors should expect more of the same Saturday night.

Betting trends

Stanford is 8-0 SU and 7-1 ATS in its last eight games against UCLA.

UCLA is 0-5 ATS in its last five games.

The total has gone under in 10 of UCLA's last 12 games at home.

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.