[Gauss]

All right, it is Wednesday, so it is time to start putting out your predictions for this Saturday's crucial game.

Last week indiancardinal won with his/her 45-3 prediction, and is followed by martyup and RenaissanceMan.

I'll post my prediction a bit later, because I'm conflicted about our offensive capabilities.

Predict away!

Poster	Diff.	Score
==============	====	=====
martyup	+35	41-6
GoodGrief	+28	42-14
Stymie	+27	41-14
djones	+25	45-20
Durty Nelly	+24	41-17
FarmBoy	+22	35-13
gocard14	+21	38-17
Trevmiesterj	+18	35-17
Hank 91	+17	34-17
CrazedZooChimp	+17	30-13
pcgoode	+15	35-20
CornFed	+15	31-16
Simas	+15	30-15
ahuang06	+14	45-31
Robber Baron 83	+14	31-17
IdCard83	+14	31-17
fullmetal	+14	30-16
Big Brother	+14	28-14
Boston Card	+13	23-10
Farm93	+11	31-20
Extra Point	+11	31-20
CochinoJanks	+10	41-31
Kathy	+10	38-28
pefloresjr	+10	34-24
thunder_chik	+10	34-24
washingtonismoney	+10	31-21
OutsiderFan	+10	31-21
Griffin78	+10	31-21
CompSci87	+10	27-17
Renaissance Man	+10	27-17
CTcard	+10	20-10
leftcoast	+9	31-22
StanFan88	+8	35-27
needle	+7	35-28
indiancardinal	+7	31-24
el mono	+7	31-24
SUBuddha	+7	31-24
shinsengumi	+7	30-23
Publius	+6	30-24
JeffInCorvallis	+6	29-23
socalstanfan1	+6	23-17
PrinceLightfoot	+4	31-27
Treebound	+4	31-27
Gauss	+4	28-24
Brannerite	+4	28-24
JPRI	+4	24-20
82lsju	+4	24-20
2 for 2028	+4	24-20
MSmith23	+4	21-17
81alum	+3	34-31
garvin	+3	31-28
hurlburt88	+3	27-24
oman	+3	17-14
ColoradoTree	+2	30-28
burger	+1	31-30
Sea Loon	+1	28-27
Mick	+1	28-27
Papa John	+1	24-23
==============	====	=====
Board average score	+10	31-21

[Gauss]

All right, it is Wednesday, so it is time to start putting out your predictions for this Saturday's crucial game.

Last week indiancardinal won with his/her 45-3 prediction, and is followed by martyup and RenaissanceMan.

I'll post my prediction a bit later, because I'm conflicted about our offensive capabilities.

Predict away!

Poster	Diff.	Score
==============	====	=====
martyup	+35	41-6
GoodGrief	+28	42-14
Stymie	+27	41-14
djones	+25	45-20
Durty Nelly	+24	41-17
FarmBoy	+22	35-13
gocard14	+21	38-17
Trevmiesterj	+18	35-17
Hank 91	+17	34-17
CrazedZooChimp	+17	30-13
pcgoode	+15	35-20
CornFed	+15	31-16
Simas	+15	30-15
ahuang06	+14	45-31
Robber Baron 83	+14	31-17
IdCard83	+14	31-17
fullmetal	+14	30-16
Big Brother	+14	28-14
Boston Card	+13	23-10
Farm93	+11	31-20
Extra Point	+11	31-20
CochinoJanks	+10	41-31
Kathy	+10	38-28
pefloresjr	+10	34-24
thunder_chik	+10	34-24
washingtonismoney	+10	31-21
OutsiderFan	+10	31-21
Griffin78	+10	31-21
CompSci87	+10	27-17
Renaissance Man	+10	27-17
CTcard	+10	20-10
leftcoast	+9	31-22
StanFan88	+8	35-27
needle	+7	35-28
indiancardinal	+7	31-24
el mono	+7	31-24
SUBuddha	+7	31-24
shinsengumi	+7	30-23
Publius	+6	30-24
JeffInCorvallis	+6	29-23
socalstanfan1	+6	23-17
PrinceLightfoot	+4	31-27
Treebound	+4	31-27
Gauss	+4	28-24
Brannerite	+4	28-24
JPRI	+4	24-20
82lsju	+4	24-20
2 for 2028	+4	24-20
MSmith23	+4	21-17
81alum	+3	34-31
garvin	+3	31-28
hurlburt88	+3	27-24
oman	+3	17-14
ColoradoTree	+2	30-28
burger	+1	31-30
Sea Loon	+1	28-27
Mick	+1	28-27
Papa John	+1	24-23
==============	====	=====
Board average score	+10	31-21

[washingtonismoney]

Here's Vegas Insiders' original betting line, extrapolated into a prediction:
Stanford: 27.5
SC: 23.5

I'll arbitrarily round up:
Stanford: 28
SC: 24


My personal prediction:
Stanford: 31
SC: 21

Hogan shows off his wheels and arm. Cajuste catches a couple TDs.

[washingtonismoney]

Here's Vegas Insiders' original betting line, extrapolated into a prediction:
Stanford: 27.5
SC: 23.5

I'll arbitrarily round up:
Stanford: 28
SC: 24


My personal prediction:
Stanford: 31
SC: 21

Hogan shows off his wheels and arm. Cajuste catches a couple TDs.

[FarmBoy]

Stanford 35
USC: 13

Feeling good for this one. Not sure why.

[FarmBoy]

Stanford 35
USC: 13

Feeling good for this one. Not sure why.

[pcgoode]

35 to 20 for the good guys. One of our TDs comes from D or ST.

[pcgoode]

35 to 20 for the good guys. One of our TDs comes from D or ST.

[Papa John]

Stanford 24, USC 23. Because when I'm feeling sad, I think of 24-23 and I feel much better.

[Papa John]

Stanford 24, USC 23. Because when I'm feeling sad, I think of 24-23 and I feel much better.

[MSmith23]

Stanford 21 U$C 17

[MSmith23]

Stanford 21 U$C 17

[GoodGrief]

Stanford 42, stupid USC 14.

Barry J Sanders runs for 140 yards. McCaffrey runs/catches for 189 yards.

[GoodGrief]

Stanford 42, stupid USC 14.

Barry J Sanders runs for 140 yards. McCaffrey runs/catches for 189 yards.

[OutsiderFan]

Stanford 31
Nameless, faceless opponent 21

I don't know why David Shaw would use that "under-appreciated" term unless he felt quite confident he would be vindicated by saying it.  You aren't under-appreciated if you lose this week, only if you win.  Perhaps this is why he seemed unusually calm and confident in this week's presser.  U$C is talented, but there is a reason teams don't win championships starting so many young players, particularly on the OL. 

It basically comes down to this:

Stanford OL > U$C DL
Stanford DL > U$C OL

Add in the fact Stanford has more experience and talent in the secondary than its ever had, and more offensive weapons, than maybe ever too, and it adds up to a Stanford statement win, assuming Hogan gets back to form against ranked opponents.

[OutsiderFan]

Stanford 31
Nameless, faceless opponent 21

I don't know why David Shaw would use that "under-appreciated" term unless he felt quite confident he would be vindicated by saying it.  You aren't under-appreciated if you lose this week, only if you win.  Perhaps this is why he seemed unusually calm and confident in this week's presser.  U$C is talented, but there is a reason teams don't win championships starting so many young players, particularly on the OL. 

It basically comes down to this:

Stanford OL > U$C DL
Stanford DL > U$C OL

Add in the fact Stanford has more experience and talent in the secondary than its ever had, and more offensive weapons, than maybe ever too, and it adds up to a Stanford statement win, assuming Hogan gets back to form against ranked opponents.

[CompSci87]

Trees 27
Toejams 17

[CompSci87]

Trees 27
Toejams 17

[Stymie]

SU 41 - UBajaC 14

[Stymie]

SU 41 - UBajaC 14

[yvonne]

arrow up for the UbajaC, even if it doesn't mean what it literally means!

[yvonne]

arrow up for the UbajaC, even if it doesn't mean what it literally means!

[CornFed]

I believe this will be a breakout game for Stanford as a team and for Barry Sanders as an individual.  Sarkisian is “faking” these injuries, hoping to make our game-planning more difficult.  It doesn’t work, and in fact the opposite occurs.  Our offensive line gels in a crescendo of efficiency as the game develops and by the fourth quarter we’ll think we’re at IHOP because there are so many pancakes being delivered.

Sanders runs for 110 yards on 14 carries and has 125 yards on 5 receptions.  It’s not just the yardage.  His artistry will be SportCenter fodder non-stop for the next week.  Our tight ends are going to have a field day with three TD’s among them.

Defensively, Stanford will be efficient.  The front seven have periods during the game when it seems they could stop the University of Non-Swimming Nephews all by themselves.  There are some gaffes later in the game and it probably will be enough to make me get nervous.

But I get nervous pretty easy and when we look back at the game video, it will be obvious that the Toe-jams never really had a prayer.

I believe the final score will be:

The University of Phenomenal Student/Athletes – 31

The University of Fake Injuries Are Our Only Strategy - 16

[CornFed]

I believe this will be a breakout game for Stanford as a team and for Barry Sanders as an individual.  Sarkisian is “faking” these injuries, hoping to make our game-planning more difficult.  It doesn’t work, and in fact the opposite occurs.  Our offensive line gels in a crescendo of efficiency as the game develops and by the fourth quarter we’ll think we’re at IHOP because there are so many pancakes being delivered.

Sanders runs for 110 yards on 14 carries and has 125 yards on 5 receptions.  It’s not just the yardage.  His artistry will be SportCenter fodder non-stop for the next week.  Our tight ends are going to have a field day with three TD’s among them.

Defensively, Stanford will be efficient.  The front seven have periods during the game when it seems they could stop the University of Non-Swimming Nephews all by themselves.  There are some gaffes later in the game and it probably will be enough to make me get nervous.

But I get nervous pretty easy and when we look back at the game video, it will be obvious that the Toe-jams never really had a prayer.

I believe the final score will be:

The University of Phenomenal Student/Athletes – 31

The University of Fake Injuries Are Our Only Strategy - 16

[JohnR34231]

I'd like to think this will be a fairly easy victory for us but I know better.
It will be just like the last four; a close down to the wire nailbiter.
Cardinal 24 U$C 20.

[JohnR34231]

I'd like to think this will be a fairly easy victory for us but I know better.
It will be just like the last four; a close down to the wire nailbiter.
Cardinal 24 U$C 20.

[Canalejas]

Shouldn't it be UaltaCsur? 

Anyway, Stanford 31 - 17 SC

[Canalejas]

Shouldn't it be UaltaCsur? 

Anyway, Stanford 31 - 17 SC

[yvonne]

Universidad del sur de Alta California, I think.

[yvonne]

Universidad del sur de Alta California, I think.

[IdCard83]

Everyone on the good guys' side plays to their full potential and all the youngsters for $C play like, well, the newbies they are.  Sanders, McCaffrey, and Montgomery pile up enough points and stats by themselves to win the game.  The D-line shuts $C's run game down and it's not as close as it seemed to be at the half.  SU 31- $C 17.  Then pray there's no letdown for Army and their triple option.

[IdCard83]

Everyone on the good guys' side plays to their full potential and all the youngsters for $C play like, well, the newbies they are.  Sanders, McCaffrey, and Montgomery pile up enough points and stats by themselves to win the game.  The D-line shuts $C's run game down and it's not as close as it seemed to be at the half.  SU 31- $C 17.  Then pray there's no letdown for Army and their triple option.

[Bruce Wang]

Los Palo Altos 30
Los Condones 24

McCaffrey complicates the RB by committee debate.

[Bruce Wang]

Los Palo Altos 30
Los Condones 24

McCaffrey complicates the RB by committee debate.

[Trevmiesterj]

Angry Vengeful Ancient Evergreens of Stamina: 35
Angry Excuse Making Extinct War Mongers:  17

[Trevmiesterj]

Angry Vengeful Ancient Evergreens of Stamina: 35
Angry Excuse Making Extinct War Mongers:  17

[gocard14]

Good guys 38
Condoms: 17

[gocard14]

Good guys 38
Condoms: 17

[ColoradoTree]

So nervous about this game.  In the end, I'll say that our depth will win out, but this game still terrifies me. 

Stanford 30, UofSC 28. 

Though we'll be trailing 21-16 at the break (3 first-half FGs and 1 TD for the good guys; 3 TDs for the bad guys), we get an early 4Q TD to pull ahead 24-21 (2-pt conversion succeeds), only to see the bad guys get a TD with just a few minutes left to go up 28-24.  Hogan methodically leads our guys down the field with lots of mid-range passes to our TEs and to Cajuste and throws to Sanders/Young/McCaffrey in the flat.  On 3rd and goal from the 2, we line up in a jumbo package with no WRs, the bad guys sell out against the run up the middle, BUT WAIT--Hogan keeps it and runs to the right, and a lone OLB is forced to choose between covering the TE running right behind him and running up to stop Hogan's run.  He stays in coverage a second too long, and Hogan beats him to the corner for the go-ahead score.  We go for two, but the run comes up just short, leaving UofSC with just under a minute to try for a winning FG.  Williamson's kickoff is deep, but our coverage team picks the worst possible time to give up a big return, and UofSC brings the return to the 40, giving us all heartburn.  Kessler moves UofSC to our 40 quickly, but tries to thread the needle on a pass to get into field goal range, and we get the game-sealing INT.  The LSJUMB plays Tribute to Troy while we line up in the victory formation.  We all exhale.  We're exhausted, but we're also 2-0. 

[ColoradoTree]

So nervous about this game.  In the end, I'll say that our depth will win out, but this game still terrifies me. 

Stanford 30, UofSC 28. 

Though we'll be trailing 21-16 at the break (3 first-half FGs and 1 TD for the good guys; 3 TDs for the bad guys), we get an early 4Q TD to pull ahead 24-21 (2-pt conversion succeeds), only to see the bad guys get a TD with just a few minutes left to go up 28-24.  Hogan methodically leads our guys down the field with lots of mid-range passes to our TEs and to Cajuste and throws to Sanders/Young/McCaffrey in the flat.  On 3rd and goal from the 2, we line up in a jumbo package with no WRs, the bad guys sell out against the run up the middle, BUT WAIT--Hogan keeps it and runs to the right, and a lone OLB is forced to choose between covering the TE running right behind him and running up to stop Hogan's run.  He stays in coverage a second too long, and Hogan beats him to the corner for the go-ahead score.  We go for two, but the run comes up just short, leaving UofSC with just under a minute to try for a winning FG.  Williamson's kickoff is deep, but our coverage team picks the worst possible time to give up a big return, and UofSC brings the return to the 40, giving us all heartburn.  Kessler moves UofSC to our 40 quickly, but tries to thread the needle on a pass to get into field goal range, and we get the game-sealing INT.  The LSJUMB plays Tribute to Troy while we line up in the victory formation.  We all exhale.  We're exhausted, but we're also 2-0.