Stanford vs. Washington State: Spread Info, Line, Heisman Impact and Predictions

A battle of two Pac-12 North teams takes place Saturday night as the surprise Washington State Cougars will look to pull the upset over the Stanford Cardinal. 

The Cougars have already reached the same amount of wins they had in the last two seasons, but they're going to have their hands full against Heisman front-runner Andrew Luck. 

Stanford has won the last three meetings, but over the last decade these two teams have an even record. 

This will be the first game that Stanford plays against a team with a winning record, but just like the previous opponents Stanford has faced this season, the Cougars are coming off of a loss.   

With that said, let's dig into some specifics about this Pac-12 North showdown. 

When: Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET 

Where: Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

Watch: Versus

Spread 

 Stanford is favored at -21, which may seem like a lot, but it's really not. Yes, the Cougars are a better team this year, but Stanford has yet to lose ATS this season.

Plus, the Cardinal are scoring over 40 points per game, and they haven't allowed a team to score 20 points on them. This is a no-brainer here, take Stanford.

Key Injuries 

 Stanford Inside linebacker Shayne Skov is out for the season with a torn ACL, and he is expected to have surgery later this month. 

Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel has been out since he broke his collar bone against Idaho State in the season opener, but he was recently cleared to play on Saturday. It will be interesting to see what Cougars' head coach Paul Wulff will do this weekend since Tuel has only thrown two passes on the year and Marshall Lobberstael has been playing pretty well. 

The Cougars No. 2 receiver Isiah Barton missed some practice this week with a sprained ankle, but he is expected to play on Saturday. Tackle Wade Jacobson is questionable for Saturday with a sore back that kept him from playing last week in the loss against UCLA.

BCS/Top 25 Implications 

 The first BCS rankings are coming out Sunday, and if Stanford wishes to be a Top 5 team then they'll need to have a big win on Saturday, and hope a few other teams fall. 

The Cougars on the other hand could squeeze into the Top 25 if they were to beat Stanford, although, that would be a difficult challenge.

Heisman Impact

The only Heisman candidate in this game is the big favorite to win it all, Andrew Luck. The Stanford QB has thrown for over 1,300 yards 14 touchdowns, two interceptions and is also completing 73 percent of his passes. 

Expect another standout performance from Luck on Saturday as he further propels himself on the Heisman leaderboard. This is no doubt that Luck will be in New York at the end of the season with a very good chance to win college football's most coveted award. 

Keys to Stanford Win 

Since this is a road game for the Cardinal, they need to jump out to an early lead to quiet the crowd and show the Cougars who's boss. 

Stanford must keep their balanced offensive attack going, with Luck and running back Stepfan Taylor doing all the damage.

The defense must also prevent whichever Cougar quarterback plays from having a big game, as well as create turnovers. And as always, Stanford cannot commit any turnovers either. 

Keys to Washington State Win 

The Cougars have to start out strong, and they also must play smart football. Dropping passes, committing stupid penalties or costly turnovers will not bode well for the Cougars because Luck and company will take advantage of them. 

Whether Tuel or Lobberstael plays, they have to do a good job of managing the game and keeping Luck off the field. If the Cougars can limit the number of possessions Stanford has, then they have a shot to win this game. 

Prediction 

Stanford will remain undefeated with an easy victory, making it four straight wins over the Cougars. Washington State will have to hold their heads high because they're on track for one of their best seasons in years. 

Unfortunately, Stanford is a far better team and it won't have any trouble against Washington State on Saturday. Luck will have his sixth straight multi-touchdown game on the season, and he'll continue to put himself above all others in the Heisman race.

Stanford 47, Washington State 17