Stanford's recent history is headlined with stories of Andrew Luck and of upsets of USC.
But in Las Vegas and at online sportsbooks around the world, the recent headlines read like this: Bet On Stanford As Favorites.
In its past 20 games as chalk, a situation it find itself in Thursday night at Washington, Stanford has failed to cover the spread just three times. Its 16-3-1 ATS is one of the very best in all of college football and has gotten the attention of bettors this week.
"The 7-point spread was bet down to -6.5 at most shops we track, but we are still seeing near two-thirds of the betting action on Stanford, according to the consensus data we gather from sportsbooks," said Jack Randall of OddsShark.com.
Indeed, the matchup report showed 65 percent on the Cardinal on Wednesday morning.
Stanford has beaten the Huskies four times in a row and pulverized them the last two, outscoring them 106-21 in the process. The early 7-point line hasn't moved much during the week.
Stanford enjoyed a week off after its big 21-14 upset of USC and that begs the question: are they fresh and prepared or still resting on their laurels a bit?
In the past year, it has dominated Pac 12 foes against the spreead with a 6-1-1 ATS mark.
Washington, meanwhile, has not put up much of a fight lately in the underdog role. The Huskies have lost five straight and failed to cover a single spread.
Pick: This looks like the sterotypical letdown spot for Stanford, while it's a home conference game for the Huskies. We like Washington and the points here, with the possibility of an outright upset. (courtesy of PickShark.com)