Costello Injury Sends Stanford’s National Championship Odds to +8000

• Stanford lost quarterback K.J. Costello and left tackle Walker Little to injuries on Saturday
• Stanford’s odds to win it all have shortened from +10000 to +8000
• The Cardinal have a daunting schedule with three top-25 opponents in their next four games

The first full Saturday of college football action was wild as we saw a number of big upsets (Wyoming and Georgia State, to name a couple) plus big-time injuries that impacted the landscape.

One of those was Stanford losing quarterback K.J. Costello to a vicious head injury during the Cardinal’s 17-7 win over Northwestern. He was joined on the sideline by left tackle Walker Little, a potential top-five pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

How have the injuries impacted Stanford’s odds to win it all?

 2020 CFP National Championship Odds: Pac-12 Favorites

Odds taken 09/01/19.

Costello Knocked Out Via Textbook Targeting

Although the officials on the field somehow missed the targeting call, Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello was knocked out of the game by a textbook targeting hit from a Northwestern defender. Replays showed that Costello took a forearm to the head. He was able to walk off the field under his own power but that was the end of his day.

As far as we know, it looks like this is a concussion-related, so Costello will not be lost for the season. The other key injury on the day was the loss of left tackle Walker Little, who is a projected top-10 pick (at worst) in the 2020 NFL Draft.

We’re not sure about either player’s status but Little’s injury could be longer-term.

Stanford’s Odds Shorten

The last time we checked in with Stanford’s National Championship odds, they were around +100000. Even though they lost a couple of key players, they earned a 17-7 win over Northwestern in Week 1 and their odds are now +8000.

It’s a notable move as Northwestern is not a basic, Week 1 non-conference weakling. They were a test. However, Stanford is still a significant longshot as their schedule is about to get a lot tougher and they could be without two very important players in the coming weeks.

Schedule Is Quite Daunting

Stanford was a fringe contender in the Pac-12 to begin with, so that’s why the oddsmakers aren’t really making too big of a deal with the injuries. It doesn’t seem like many people were betting them to win it all before and they won’t be backing them now. The other big concern – with or without the stars – is the schedule.

Stanford has to go to rival USC next week. That game will be easier now that USC also lost their starting quarterback as J.T. Daniels tore his ACL. After that, it’s a visit to No. 17 UCF, then come back home to face No. 11 Oregon, a visit to Oregon State and then a visit from No. 13 Washington.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9DzT4G6CwY

Stanford would have had a tough time avoiding one or two losses if everyone was healthy; at this point, one or two losses in that stretch should be expected.

What’s The Best Bet?

The Pac-12 had a rough first week. Stanford lost Costello and Little, the Trojans lost Daniels, Arizona was embarrassed, UCLA looked awful and Oregon couldn’t hold a massive lead. In terms of Stanford and their prospects, they simply don’t look good.

With Washington and Washington State in their division, don’t expect them to win the North – especially with their injuries. That means they’re not going to the College Football Playoff, let alone winning it all.