The Stanford Cardinal and the Miami Hurricanes are facing off in an ACC matchup in Week 1. The game will kick off at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday in Stanford, California.
Miami is a 24.5-point favorite against Stanford on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cardinal are +1400 to pull off the upset.
Stanford vs. Miami Player Prop Best Bets
Micah Ford Anytime TD Scorer (+155)
Micah Ford entered this season expecting to be a huge part of Tavita Pritchard’s team. Last season, Ford was Stanford’s leading rusher, but split carries with Cole Tabb. After the 2025 season, Tabb transferred to Cincinnati, leaving Ford as the clear lead back for the 2026 season. Pritchard relied on his junior back heavily in Week 0 against Hawaii, and it paid off. Ford finished the game with 25 carries for 99 yards and three touchdowns. He is now only one touchdown shy of his total from last season after just one game.
Stanford’s best chance against this vastly superior Miami team is to run the ball and keep it away from Darian Mensah. Ford got 25 carries last week and should get a heavy dose again in Week 1. If Stanford gets into scoring position, they will want the ball in the hands of their star back, who toted it into the end zone three times last week.
Mark Fletcher 2+ Touchdowns (+215)
Mark Fletcher Jr. was a sensational running back for Miami last season. He rushed for 1,192 yards and scored 14 total touchdowns. One of Fletcher’s best games of the season in 2025 came against Stanford. He carried the ball 23 times against the Cardinal and finished the game with 106 rushing yards and a season-high three touchdowns. Fletcher should have another great game against the Cardinal and is well worth a bet at +215 to score multiple touchdowns again.
Miami is the clearly superior team and is listed as a 24.5-point favorite. They should have total control over this game, allowing them to just feed Fletcher carries rather than forcing the ball down the field. While he’s an experienced quarterback, this is the first start at Miami for Darian Mensah. That first start also comes on the road, despite being against a weaker opponent. Shannon Dawson should make things easy on Mensah and give the ball to his running back, especially in the red zone.
