Washington vs. Stanford 2023 College Football Week 9 Odds, Preview & Pick

By Hank Blaine • October 24, 2023

No. 5 Washington controls its destiny to win the Pac-12 regular-season title and QB Michael Penix Jr. probably controls his destiny to win the Heisman Trophy, although he has fallen to second on the oddsboard. The Huskies should have little trouble winning Saturday at struggling Stanford.

Over 93 all-time meetings, Washington and Stanford have arrived at a nearly dead-even record, with 45 wins for Washington, 44 for Stanford, as well as four ties (45-44-4). Last year in the conference opener, UW earned a 40-22 win, paced by Penix Jr. (309 pass yards, 2 TDs), Rome Odunze (161 rec. yards, 1 TD) and Wayne Taulapapa (120 rushing yards, 1 TD).

Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal Game Information

HOUSE CALL pic.twitter.com/OLL2TJ0nM5
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) October 22, 2023

When: Saturday, October 28, 2023, 7:00 PM ET
Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
TV: FS1
Radio: SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM (Washington) // KNBR 1050 AM (Stanford)
Live Stream: FOX Sports
College Football Odds: Washington (-26.5) // Stanford (+26.5)

Why Bet on the Washington Huskies?

Washington (7-0) perhaps was caught in a trap game this past Saturday as it barely avoided an upset at Arizona State, 15-7. Mishael Powell returned a fourth-quarter interception 89 yards for a touchdown for the win. Powell stepped in front of Trenton Bourget’s throw on fourth-and-three from the 12 and sprinted down the left sideline to help Washington win its 14th straight, sidestepping Bourget near the 20 for a 12-7 lead with 8:11 left. The winning streak is the third-longest in Husky history (40 straight wins 1908-16; 22 straight wins 1990-92). Only Georgia, with a 24-game run, has a longer active streak.

Superstar QB Michael Penix Jr. had two picks to fall out of the Heisman lead. Penix has 2,576 passing yards through seven games this year, ahead of pace to break his own school record of 4,641 yards (over 13 games). His average of 368.0 yards per game would give him 4,784 yards over a 13-game 2023 season (UW is bowl eligible).

It marked the first time that Washington won a game without an offensive TD since the 2018 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, a 10-3 win over Utah in which the only touchdown was a 66-yard interception return from Byron Murphy. The last such regular-season win was in 2001 vs. Michigan. Washington is 7-0 for the first time since 2016.

UW leads the nation in passing offense, is No. 4 in total offense and No. 7 in scoring offense. Washington has notched 50 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first six games, the second-highest per-game average in the nation. UW is also No. 2 in the nation (on per-game average) with 26 plays of 30 yards or more. Those totals include 42 passes of 20 or more yards, and 21 of 30 or more, from Penix Jr. Both of those averages are also tops in the nation. Penix also leads FBS with 101 completions of 10 yards or more, despite having played just seven games.

Why Bet on the Stanford Cardinal?

Stanford (2-5) comes off a 42-7 home loss to UCLA. Ashton Daniels, who led a big comeback win the previous week at Colorado with 396 yards passing off the bench, struggled to get the ball downfield against UCLA’s stingier defense. He threw for 268 yards with one TD and one interception. With 3:11 remaining in the third quarter, Daniels tossed a 20-yard TD strike to Tiger Bachmeier, who finished with eight catches for 75 yards. Elic Ayomanor totaled eight receptions for 90 yards.

Stanford piled up 113 penalty yards, the most in a single game since Sept. 12, 2015 against UCF. It was the team’s first time with 10 penalties in a game since Stanford’s double overtime win against #3 Oregon on Oct. 2, 2021. The Cardinal failed to convert a third down in the first half for the first time this season. With just one converted third down, Stanford had its fewest third down conversions since the 2018 Sun Bowl vs. Pitt. In going 1-12 on third down, it was the team’s lowest conversion percentage on third down since the 2009 Sun Bowl vs. Oklahoma. In a statistical oddity, the Cardinal are winless on Saturdays in 2023 (0-5).

Star tight end Benjamin Yurosek was out vs. UCLA due to injury and is questionable this week. He has 16 catches for 239 yards and a TD. Running back Casey Filkins also was out and is questionable. He had 33 carries for 206 yards and a TD.

Through seven weeks, Stanford has established a pattern. The Cardinal is competitive against unranked and FCS teams, with four games decided by an average of six points. But in three games against ranked teams, the closest margin has been 35 points.

“Our guys know we play a tough schedule,” Stanford coach Troy Taylor said. “That’s what makes it so rewarding if you do play well and you win a game. But yeah, we’ll lick our wounds and we will be ready to compete and get back after it. We’re excited to have an opportunity to play against one of the top teams in the country.”

Washington vs. Stanford Betting Trends

Washington is 10-0 SU in their last 10 games.
Huskies are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games against Stanford.
The total went under in 4 of Washington’s last 6 games.
Stanford is 1-5 SU in their last 6 games.
Cardinal are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games.
The total went under in 5 of Stanford’s last 6 games.

Washington vs. Stanford Expert Betting Predictions

Washington 44, Stanford 20.

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