Washington State Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal Odds, Analysis, Betting Pick

Stanford beat Washington State eight times in a row into 2016, but the Cougars are 2-0 straight up over the last two meetings and 3-0 against the spread over the last three.

In a big game out in the Pac-12 North, Washington State clashes with the Cardinal on Saturday night out on The Farm.

College football point spread: The Cardinal opened as three-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 29.4-26.4 Cougars (College football picks on every game)

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Why the Washington State Cougars can cover the spread

The Cougars just reached 6-1 SU and a perfect 7-0 ATS on the season with a 34-20 victory over Oregon last week.

Washington State pounced out to a 27-0 halftime lead on the Ducks, allowed Oregon to get within 27-20 midway through the fourth quarter but immediately reapplied the gas and drove 75 yards to an insurance touchdown, securing the win and the money as three-point favorites.

The Cougars outgained the Ducks 400-335, converted 10-of-15 on third-down and fourth-down situations and held a 33/27 edge in time of possession. Also, the Washington State defense held Oregon to just 39 yards of offense in the first half.

The Cougars have now outgained each of their seven opponents this season—even USC in the game they lost.

At 3-1 in conference play, Washington State trails first-place Washington by a half-game in the Pac-12 North, and the Cougars get the Huskies in Pullman for the Apple Cup in the season finale.

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Stanford halted a two-game losing streak last week with a 20-13 victory at Arizona State.

The Cardinal spotted the Sun Devils an early field goal, led 6-3 at the half, then broke a 6-6 tie by driving 75 and 80 yards to touchdowns on consecutive possessions and held on from there for the win and the cover as two-point favorites.

Stanford held a 24-20 edge in first downs, ground out a 38/22 advantage in time of possession and won the turnover battle 3-0, creating a plus-six point differential, enough for the money.

At 3-1 in conference play, the Cardinal are tied with Washington State at a half-game back of first-place Washington. Stanford gets its shot at the Huskies next week.

Smart betting pick

Cardinal running back Bryce Love is still hampered by injuries; last week he carried the ball 11 times for just 21 yards before limping off the field in the third quarter, and Stanford managed just 127 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, Washington State won this matchup last year by a field goal 24-21 but actually dominated play.

The smart money here likes the Cougars.

College football betting trends

Washington State is 3-0 ATS in its last three games versus Stanford.

The total has gone under in three of Washington State's last four games versus Stanford.

The total has gone under in seven of Stanford's last eight games in October.

All college football odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.