How and what to watch for Colorado vs. Stanford

The Colorado Buffaloes will be trying to start season 2-0 when they take on the Stanford Cardinal Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET in Stanford, CA.

The Buffaloes ushered in the Karl Dorrell era with a 48-42 win over Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins last Saturday. Colorado got a tremendous season-opening performance from sophomore running back Jarek Broussard. The 5-foot-9 running back had 187 yards on 31 carries and three touchdowns. He also contributed to the receiving game, adding two receptions for 21 yards.

The Buffs’ defense was a mixed bag of results as they forced four turnovers on the Bruins. But they allowed UCLA junior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to do what he wanted either through the air or on the ground.

Thompson-Robinson threw an inexcusable interception in the first quarter but bounced back with 303 passing yards and four touchdowns. The dual-threat signal-caller also led the Bruins’ in rushing yards with 109 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver Greg Duluich caught one of Thompson-Robinson’s touchdown passes, which were apart of his four receptions for 126 yards. Thankfully, Colorado’s defense will not have to worry about Stanford Cardinal quarterback Jack West in the running game.

As for Stanford, they got blown out by the No. 12-ranked Oregon 35-14 on the road. Cardinal QB Jack West got outplayed by Ducks QB Tyler Shough. West completed 13-of-19 passes for 154 yards, while Shough completed 17-of-26 passes for 227 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The lone bright for Stanford last week was the ground game as running backs Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat combined for 193 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns.

Stanford offense will try to duplicate this effort against Colorado, while also not trying to give up 100 rushing yards on defense. Against the Ducks, they let allowed running back C.J. Verdell to rush for 105 yards and a touchdown, along with Shough, who added 85 yards and a score.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Colorado vs. Stanford on Saturday, November 14th at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, or you can stream via the ESPN app or with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Colorado vs. Stanford (-9)
Point Total: 54.5
Money line: Colorado (+235) vs. Stanford (-315)

• Colorado is 4-2 against the spread in its last six games.
• Colorado is 1-7 straight up in its last eight road games.
• Stanford is 0-5 against the spread in its last five games.
• The point total went under in five of Stanford’s last five games against Colorado.

Betting splits

Colorado: (47% of handle, 51% percent of bets)
Stanford: (53% of handle, 49% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

In one of the few games in the Pac-12 this weekend, we have the Colorado Buffaloes taking on the Stanford Cardinal. The Buffaloes escaped with a six-point victory over UCLA, despite getting a tremendous rushing performance from Jarek Broussard and creating four turnovers. The Cardinal struggled against the Ducks, allowing them to run wild for over 200 rushing yards. That being said, it’s still early in the season and both teams will have a chance to improve on Saturday.

Pick: Colorado (+235)

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