Stanford vs Washington Odds, Prediction & Picks | The Spread Bet to Make

If a tree falls in a forest, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Washington (7-0) flirted with defeat after dark yet again last week against Arizona State. The Huskies have won by just seven points over Arizona and six against Arizona State in their two most recent games that kicked off after 10 p.m. ET, safe from the eyes of most of college football nation.

Stanford’s only highlight of the year came in that time slot when the Cardinal (2-5) stormed back from 29 down against Colorado two weeks ago.

Otherwise, it’s been the continued downward trajectory of this program that won its third Pac-12 title in five seasons less than a decade ago.

The Huskies remain the Pac-12’s best hope at returning to the College Football Playoff. Can their offense get back on track against one of the worst defenses in the country?

Find my betting prediction, pick and preview for Stanford vs. Washington on Saturday, October 28 below.

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You could potentially chalk up Stanford’s dud of a performance against UCLA last week as a hangover game from the Cardinal’s 29-point comeback against Colorado, but that’d be ignoring the tape from the rest of the season.

Stanford sits next to last in the Pac-12 and very well could go winless for the rest of the season with three of its final five games coming against teams that are currently ranked in the top 15.

The Cardinal have struggled on both sides of the ball, but it’s been particularly bad on defense where Stanford is in the bottom three nationally in Rush Success Allowed, Havoc and Finishing Drives.

Stanford has allowed at least 42 points and over 500 yards of total offense in four of its five conference games. Those are numbers that not even USC could get away with, let alone an offense as inept as Stanford’s.

The run-heavy Cardinal offense has struggled to find much success on the ground, as Stanford is just eighth in the Pac-12 in rushing (127.4 yards per game) and 129th nationally in Line Yards.

This Cardinal offensive line is inexperienced after losing six different offensive linemen in the offseason to the transfer portal who are now starting on other Power 5 teams.

A healthy Ashton Daniels at quarterback has been the bright spot, albeit an inconsistent one.

Daniels helped orchestrate the comeback against Colorado with a 397-yard, four-touchdown performance, but the Cardinal offensive line has failed to keep a clean pocket. Stanford sits 123rd in Havoc Allowed and is tied for the 14th-most sacks allowed (25).

Emotional hangovers are a real thing in college football, and the Huskies barely escaped last week with their perfect record intact.

Just a week removed from one of the biggest wins of the college football season, Washington needed a pick-six and 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stave off an upset bid from a one-win Arizona State team.

It was the first clunker of a game this season for former Heisman frontrunner Michael Penix Jr. — Michigan's J.J. McCarthy now holds the pole position.

Penix failed to account for a touchdown and was responsible for three turnovers for the first time in a game since September 2021.

The Huskies now head to Stanford as one of the few national title contenders, last week’s performance notwithstanding. The Washington offense is still among the top 10 nationally in scoring (40.1 points per game), first in passing by more than 50 yards per game (403.3 passing yards per game) and fourth in total offense (507.1 yards per game).

The passing game stands to improve from last week with the expected return of third-leading receiver Jalen McMillan. His addition should give the Huskies a boost along with a more favorable matchup against a  Stanford defense that is 0.4 yards per game from being the worst passing defense in the country.

Washington’s defense isn’t a bunch of world beaters either, but it did its job against an Arizona State offense that was trending in the right direction.

Defending the pass is the strength of this Huskies defense, ranking sixth in Pass Success Rate Allowed and 12th in coverage, but Washington has had trouble controlling the line of scrimmage.

The Huskies rank outside the top 100 in Rush Success Rats allowed, Line Yards and Havoc, and they let the Sun Devils rush for a season-high 145 yards.

Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Washington and Stanford match up statistically:

Washington Offense vs Stanford Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	8	131
Line Yards	63	124
Pass Success	2	123
Havoc	30	133
Finishing Drives	17	133
Quality Drives	6	127

Stanford Offense vs Washington Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	53	121
Line Yards	129	129
Pass Success	96	6
Havoc	123	115
Finishing Drives	103	28
Quality Drives	78	26

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	93	64
PFF Coverage	19	127
Special Teams SP+	16	37
Middle 8	16	125
Seconds per Play	27.8 (85)	27.0 (68)
Rush Rate	37.8% (128)	51.8% (103)

Stanford has managed to keep things close against the middle and lower class of the Pac-12, but when it plays the upper tier, it tends to not be safe for children’s eyes.

The Cardinal are 1-1 against the bottom half of the conference, with the lone defeat coming in one-point fashion against Arizona.

In three games against the top half of the Pac-12, Stanford has been outscored by an average score of 46.7 to 7.7.

Even in Stanford’s win over Colorado, the Buffaloes had no difficulty passing on the Cardinal secondary, with Shedeur Sanders throwing for 400 yards and five touchdowns.

Washington's receiving trio of Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk and McMillan are back at full strength, and when healthy, this is the best receiving group in the country.

Penix and his stable of wideouts will have no trouble carving through the Stanford secondary as Washington gets right back on track.