How and what to watch for Stanford vs. Cal

Both the Stanford Cardinal and California Bears will be looking for their first win of the season when they face off Friday at 4:00 p.m. ET in Berkeley, CA in a Pac-12 rivalry game for The Stanford Axe.

Stanford (0-2) did not play last week as their game against Washington State was canceled because of COVID-19. Therefore, the last time we saw the Cardinal play was two weeks ago against Colorado, where they lost 38-35. In that game on Nov. 14, Stanford’s defense struggled to stop Colorado running back Jarek Broussard, who ran for 121 yards on 27 carries. It was the second consecutive game that Stanford’s defense has allowed an opposing team’s running back to rush for at least 100 yards.

Offensively, quarterback Davis Mills was back under center after missing the regular-season opener due to COVID-19 protocols. Against Colorado, Mills was 31-of-56 for 327 yards and a touchdown. He also led them in rushing with 36 yards and added a score. This week, Mills will be going up against a Cal defense that is only allowing 175 yards per game and 13 yards per game.

The Bears (0-2) lost 31-27 last week to Oregon State on the road, despite quarterback Chase Garbers throwing for 315 and three touchdowns. Garbers also tossed two interceptions, giving him three for the season. Kekoa Crawford was the game’s leading wide receiver with 10 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. This duo could have a huge performance on Friday as Stanford’s defense is allowing a disappointing 15.1 yards per completion.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Stanford vs. Cal on Friday, November 27th at 4:00 p.m. ET on Fox, or you can stream it via the Fox Sports Go app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Stanford (-2) vs. Cal
Point Total: 51.5
Money line: Stanford (-129) vs. Cal (+108)

• Dating back to last season, Stanford has a record of 0-6 against the spread and straight up.
• The point total went over in four of Stanford’s last five games.
• Just like the Cardinals, the Bears are also winless against the spread (0-6) but when they are the home team.
• The point total went over in five of California’s last seven games.

Betting splits

Stanford: (66% of handle, 59% percent of bets)
Cal: (34% of handle, 41% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

We don’t know what to expect from Stanford, who hasn’t played in two weeks. Meanwhile, Cal had a chance to win last week over Oregon State, but couldn’t stop their running game, which gashed them for 205 yards.

Pick: Over 51.5

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