UCLA vs. Stanford: Last-Minute Spread Info and Predictions

No. 6 Stanford will look to continue its march to the top of the Pac-12 North when lowly UCLA visits The Farm this weekend. The Cardinal are once again off an running behind the stellar play of Heisman Trophy favorite Andrew Luck, who has his team in position to extend its current winning streak to 12 games.

Surprisingly enough, the Bruins find themselves at 1-0 in conference play after escaping Corvallis with a road win over a struggling Oregon State squad in Week 4. Stanford is gunning for its third consecutive win over UCLA, with the last two coming by way of a narrow 23-20 victory in Palo Alto in 2009 and a 35-0 annihilation at the Rose Bowl last year.

Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.

When: 10:30 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox Sports Net

Spread: Stanford -21.5, according to Sportsbook.com.

Take Stanford here. The Cardinal crushed the Bruins at the Rose Bowl last season and should be in an even better position to destroy them this time around, what with the game being at Stanford and all.

Over/Under: 55 points, according to Sportsbook.com

Go for the under. These two teams haven't combined for 50 points since 2007, when UCLA destroyed Stanford, 45-17.

Key Injuries

The Bruins' defensive backfield is banged-up, to say the least. Andrew Abbott and Jamie Graham will be back, but fellow corner Sheldon Price (knee) and safeties Dalton Hilliard (shoulder) and Alex Mascarenas (concussion) appear unlikely to play after sitting out practice Thursday.

For the Cardinal, the return of tight end Coby Fleener from a head injury suffered against Arizona should help to balance out the bad news of losing defensive back Wayne Lyons and linebacker Shayne Skov to season-ending injuries.

BCS/Top 25 Implications

Stanford finds itself firmly in the mix for a second straight BCS bowl berth, with a chance to play in the BCS National Championship if Luck can keep the Cardinal on the winning side of things from here on out. A win over a Pac-12 bottom feeder like UCLA won't help the Cardinal leapfrog the likes of Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or even Boise State.

However, a loss to the Bruins could be devastating to Stanford's chances of winning the Pac-12 North, much less taking home the crystal football. 

Keys to UCLA Win

The UCLA coaching staff needs to turn quarterback Richard Brehaut loose, if even just a little bit. The Bruins' ground game is solid but they'll need balance on offense to keep up with a Stanford team that can put up some serious points with Luck under center. 

Keys to Stanford Win

For Stanford, the formula for victory is simple: just do what you do best and avoid mistakes. If the Cardinal take care of the ball and dominate the line of scrimmage as they have for the last season and a half, they won't need a Herculean effort by Luck to blow out the bumbling Bruins.

Prediction: Stanford 31, UCLA 10.

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