Stanford vs. Arizona: Game Preview, Over/Under, Spread, Predictions and TV Info

The No. 6 Stanford Cardinal once again looked poised for a serious run at a BCS bowl berth, but the Arizona Wildcats are not going to make it easy for them to get it on Saturday night.

As talented as Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is, Arizona's own Nick Foles is no slouch. He currently leads the country in passing yards and is also in the top 10 in completion percentage. If ever there was a guy who could offset Luck, it might just be Foles.

No need to tell Stanford that. The Cardinal know they have a leg up in the chase for the Pac-12 crown, but they're not about to take Arizona lightly.

Why don't we take a look at what we can expect on Saturday night?

Where: Arizona Stadium

When: Saturday at 10:45 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN and streaming online at ESPN3.com

Spread: Stanford -10. The Cardinal outscored their first two opponents by a combined 84 points while scoring a grand total of 101 points. They're going to have a tough time putting distance between themselves in the Wildcats, but a 10-point victory isn't too tall a task in my opinion. I'd take Stanford to cover.

Over/Under: 56.5 points; -110 over, -110 under. Shouldn't be too hard for these two teams to top this number. Andrew Luck alone makes the Cardinal good for at least 30 points, and Nick Foles is going to help the Wildcats score points in bunches as well. I would take the over.

Key Injuries

If Stanford has any injuries, they're keeping them a secret.

As for the Wildcats, the USA Today's injury report has wide receiver Juron Criner doubtful as he continues to recover from a recent appendectomy. Running back Daniel Jenkins is questionable with an ankle injury, and offensive lineman Trace Biskin is questionable with a knee injury. Foles has a knee injury, but he's going to play.

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

Stanford probably won't help its cause all that much with a win, but it goes without saying that the Cardinal can't lose this game if they expect to make a run at a BCS bowl this year. They're No. 6 now, but a loss would knock them well outside the Top 10.

The Wildcats likely wouldn't jump into the Top 25 with a win, but they would at least be knocking on the door. If Arizona beats Stanford and then beats No. 12 Oregon next week, the Wildcats will get some love.

Keys to Stanford Win

We all know about what Luck can do, but don't be surprised if Stepfan Taylor gets a few more carries than usual. The best way for Stanford to stop Foles and the Wildcats offense is to keep them off the field, and they stand a better chance of doing that with Taylor pounding away.

Other than that, all the Cardinal have to do is play their game. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Keys to Arizona Win

The Wildcats are pretty hopeless when it comes to running the football, but Foles can chuck it as well as any quarterback in the country. He already has 810 yards passing to lead the nation and has also completed 76.3 percent of his passes.

If Arizona wants to keep up with Luck and the Cardinal, Foles has to keep doing what he's been doing. If the Wildcats get a few breaks on defense, this game will be interesting.

Prediction

The Wildcats are not a bad team. But they're going to look like one in a couple of weeks thanks to their schedule. They had Oklahoma State last week, Stanford this week and Oregon next week. Tough draw.

As far as this game is concerned, I just don't think the Wildcats are going to be able to keep up with the Cardinal. They can look flat early in games, but they tend to pull away when they need to.

Stanford 41, Arizona 28