UCLA vs Stanford Picks & Odds – Injury Concerns on Both Sides See 53.5-Point Total Drop

• UCLA and Stanford face off Thursday night on ESPN (Oct. 17th)
• Stanford has won two straight, but may be down to third-string QB Jack West due to injuries
• UCLA has question marks at QB and three other positions with Chip Kelly announcing a trio of players are out for the season

UCLA (1-5) and Stanford (3-3) are set for to battle on Thursday night (Oct. 17th, 9:00 PM ET). When 50,000 fans pack Stanford Stadium, they will witness a pair of with at least two things in common: (1) both the Bruins and Cardinal are coming off bye weeks, and (2) both teams a long way from playing the quality of football their fanbases expect.

But as the odds below illustrate, things are worse in Pasadena than down on the Farm.

UCLA vs Stanford Odds

*odds taken 10/15

The UCLA vs Stanford odds look like you might expect, the team with a better record and playing at home is favored by almost a touchdown.  However, looking through the mess that both of these programs are in right now paints a much more complicated picture. For my money, I’m on the UNDER in this one for a few key reasons.

UCLA Is Bad & Getting Worse

UCLA is 1-5 in what is another disappointing season under Chip Kelly. The team announced this week its weak roster will be without three more players with the loss of WR Theo Howard (transfer portal), DL Martin Andrus (torn ACL), and guard Michael Alves (back).

Howard caught 107 passes in 2017 and 2018 and was expected to be a significant part of the Bruins offense. He’s now decided to move on from the program or, at the very least, protect a year of eligibility by taking a redshirt this season.

Jim Mora and Chip Kelly essentially traded jobs two years ago, and both UCLA's football program and ESPN2's late-night studio show are suffering for it.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 13, 2019

In addition to that trio, UCLA may still be without their starting quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson missed the Oregon State game and may not return for this one either. If he isn’t ready to return, it’ll be Austin Burton back under center and he’s fresh off a 17-point drubbing at the hands of the lowly Beavers.

Stanford QB Situation Also a Mess

Starting quarterback KJ Costello definitely won’t be playing for the Cardinal on Thursday, set to miss his third straight game with a thumb injury. Second-stringer Davis Mills played well in Stanford’s upset win over Washington, but left with a calf injury and he too may be out. Stanford may have to turn to Jack West which, well, no team wants to be down to their third option at quarterback, right?

🌲 🆚 🐻
𝚃𝚑𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚗𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝.
𝘽𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 👇

— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) October 15, 2019

With things looking dicey under center, expect Stanford to rely on running back Cameron Scarlett, who is coming off a career game. He tallied 157 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Huskies and could be used to both score some points and kill some clock in this one.

Bet The Under With Confidence

Neither of these teams will be found in the National Championship odds, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t money to made. Stanford has won 11 straight in the head-to-head series, but with serious questions about who will play at quarterback and for how long, they can’t be trusted to cover the number.

Chip Kelly has the worst record of any UCLA coach since 1922, so I wouldn’t lean that way either. Both programs are 2-4 against the spread this year.

Forget the line and hammer the under instead. It’ll make watching the struggles of both programs tolerable.

PICK: UNDER 52 (-107)