CFB Week 12 Preview: Stanford-Oregon
November 16th 2012 15:51
Week 12 college football picks continue, and we've saved the obvious for last--Stanford heads to Oregon for what is being billed as a huge matchup.
Stanford @ Oregon
The Big Question: How bad is it going to get for Stanford?
The Dish: Come on. Don’t act as if Stanford is some big challenge to Oregon. There have been better Stanford teams against lesser Oregon teams that still got blown out. Last season Stanford lost by over three touchdowns with Andrew Luck at QB, and the score was just about the same in 2010. I know Oregon is a bit dinged up on the defensive side of the ball. And Stanford has a solid RB who really helped burn me and my Oregon State pick as Stepfan Taylor rushed for over 100 yards against the Beavers. Freshman QB Kevin Hogan performed better than I thought he would, completing 22 of 29 passes for just over 250 yards and three touchdowns (two interceptions). But Oregon is kind of a different animal than its rival, especially in Eugene at Autzen Stadium.
Stanford and Oregon play very different styles of football. Oregon can score quickly and has speed everywhere. Even with the issues on D, Oregon’s O can get the ball and take it to the house in less than two minutes. Stanford might just want to try and run the ball with Taylor and maybe Hogan a little bit, trying to keep the ball away from Oregon while finding the end zone to keep the Cardinal in the game. Again, how much does keeping the ball away from a team whose offense is essentially the two-minute drill really help? And is Stanford going to be able to roll punch for punch with Oregon the way USC nearly did? It’s not out of the question, especially with Oregon’s injuries on D and how Stanford hung in shootout to beat Arizona (albeit with a different QB).
Stanford’s D is better than USC’s defense--Stanford has the best rushing D in the nation, which I don’t think says much as a Pac-12 team (I view the Pac-12 as more of a passing league). But this will be Stanford’s biggest challenge on D to date and I don’t think the Cardinal will stop Oregon too often. Kenjon and company will speed by the Stanford D.
Conclusion: We could all be wrong, and this could be yet another weekend when Notre Dame watches one of the right teams to fall. Most everyone said Texas A&M wouldn’t beat Alabama, and look what happened. Right now it’s hard to see Stanford pulling this off when the Cardinal barely could come close to beating Oregon even with Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh there. Maybe it’s closer than I think--and I don’t think it’s going to be close--but I say Oregon, regardless of how close it is.
**Mama Says: Easiest pick of the week for her--she likes the Ducks, especially since they’re at home.
Stanford @ Oregon
The Big Question: How bad is it going to get for Stanford?
The Dish: Come on. Don’t act as if Stanford is some big challenge to Oregon. There have been better Stanford teams against lesser Oregon teams that still got blown out. Last season Stanford lost by over three touchdowns with Andrew Luck at QB, and the score was just about the same in 2010. I know Oregon is a bit dinged up on the defensive side of the ball. And Stanford has a solid RB who really helped burn me and my Oregon State pick as Stepfan Taylor rushed for over 100 yards against the Beavers. Freshman QB Kevin Hogan performed better than I thought he would, completing 22 of 29 passes for just over 250 yards and three touchdowns (two interceptions). But Oregon is kind of a different animal than its rival, especially in Eugene at Autzen Stadium.
Stanford and Oregon play very different styles of football. Oregon can score quickly and has speed everywhere. Even with the issues on D, Oregon’s O can get the ball and take it to the house in less than two minutes. Stanford might just want to try and run the ball with Taylor and maybe Hogan a little bit, trying to keep the ball away from Oregon while finding the end zone to keep the Cardinal in the game. Again, how much does keeping the ball away from a team whose offense is essentially the two-minute drill really help? And is Stanford going to be able to roll punch for punch with Oregon the way USC nearly did? It’s not out of the question, especially with Oregon’s injuries on D and how Stanford hung in shootout to beat Arizona (albeit with a different QB).
Stanford’s D is better than USC’s defense--Stanford has the best rushing D in the nation, which I don’t think says much as a Pac-12 team (I view the Pac-12 as more of a passing league). But this will be Stanford’s biggest challenge on D to date and I don’t think the Cardinal will stop Oregon too often. Kenjon and company will speed by the Stanford D.
Conclusion: We could all be wrong, and this could be yet another weekend when Notre Dame watches one of the right teams to fall. Most everyone said Texas A&M wouldn’t beat Alabama, and look what happened. Right now it’s hard to see Stanford pulling this off when the Cardinal barely could come close to beating Oregon even with Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh there. Maybe it’s closer than I think--and I don’t think it’s going to be close--but I say Oregon, regardless of how close it is.
**Mama Says: Easiest pick of the week for her--she likes the Ducks, especially since they’re at home.
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