Stanford vs. Washington State: College Football Week 10 Odds & Picks (2023)
Gear up for another awesome weekend of college football action with BettingPros! We’ll have you covered with all of our top picks for the week along with our projected spreads and totals to help guide your college football bets. Below are our top picks and predictions for Saturday’s game: Stanford vs. Washington State.
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Top College Football Odds & Picks: Stanford vs. Washington State
Stanford +13.5 (-110) at Washington State AND OVER 59.5 (-110)
This might seem like a weird one but I really like what Troy Taylor has been doing with the offense at Stanford in recent weeks. I was of course on the wrong side of the Stanford Cardinal when they made the historic comeback against Colorado and since that game, we have seen a little Jekyll and Hyde from the offense but Washington State is not intimidating on defense at all.
The Cougars currently rank 124th against the pass allowing just over 275 yards per game and when Stanford has been successful it has been through the air. The Cardinal of course put up 399 on Colorado and then last week added 367 (and 499 total) against Washington giving the #5 ranked Huskies a little bit of a scare. I think QB Ashton Daniels is hitting his stride and while his #1 target Elic Ayomanor is a little banged up the reports about him playing this weekend have been very positive.
Washington State has lost four straight and has been so up and down this season. The Cougars beat Wisconsin and Oregon State before hitting this current four-game skid which has had tough opponents in UCLA and Oregon but also saw them get swept by the Arizona portion of the Pac-12.
The good news is that Stanford is an absolute slumpbuster on the defensive side of the ball. Stanford ranks dead last in passing yards allowed, 129th in points allowed, and grades out as the 2nd worst defense in the country on PFF. Wazzu QB Cam Ward should be able to carve up the Stanford secondary and I see this game as a point-for-point race to the finish line.
I think if Ayomanor and Wazzu RB Nakia Watson weren't banged up this total would be slightly higher so I'll buy it on the discount. With Stanford heading up and Washington State dropping their last four, I think we see Stanford beat this spread but probably lose and give Washington State a scare just like they did against Washington last week!
Best Ways to Bet College Football for Beginners
Game Total
Bettors new to the hobby can be confused by spreads, but game totals are simple. Every football game has a total posted for the combined final score between the two teams. Bettors have the option to choose the OVER or UNDER, generally at -110 odds (risk: $110; win: $100). So if the total is 42 and you take the OVER, you need 43 points to win the bet. If you put a bet down on the over to win $100 and it goes over, you get back the money you initially risked, plus $100. If it stayed under, you would have lost your $110 and that's it. If by chance the game ended with 42 total points, it's called a push; when a game pushes, you get the money you risked back but nothing more.
ie: California vs. Illinois, Over 42 or Under 42
tip: Over bets can be a really fun social event with your buddies. Have everyone throw in a few bucks, then take the over together. Instead of getting pumped when one side scores, everyone is pumped for ANY score, all game.
Moneyline
The moneyline is the easiest way to test your college football knowledge: who will win the game? That's it. The moneyline doesn't use favorites or underdogs, it's totally straight up. That said, the risk-reward can be challenging because they're weighted. Instead of every game being around -110, like game totals and spreads, moneylines vary depending on the matchup.
For our example, California was favored by seven points over Illinois, meaning oddsmakers think the Golden Bears are a touchdown better than the Fighting Illini. If you took Cal on the moneyline, points don't matter, they just need to win the game. But because it's safer to take them straight-up without points, you'll have to risk more when you make the bet - remember, they're seven points better than Illinois in the eyes of the oddsmakers. In this case, Cal is -280 on the moneyline, so if you want to win $100, you have to risk $280. On the flip side, moneyline bets can be valuable when taking the underdog because it's a riskier bet - they're seven points worse than their opponent. In this case, Illinois is the underdog - +220 on the moneyline. You'd win $220 on a $100 bet if you picked Illinois on the moneyline and they pulled off the upset.
ie: California (ML -280) vs. Illinois (ML +220)
tip: Check their history against one another. Keep an eye on the injury report and the weather.
Player Props
Player props are some of the most exhilarating bets you can place during a college football game, but they're also easy to understand. For major conferences, you'll have a wide array of options to choose from. Quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, and sometimes tight ends will have props to choose from. It's simple, fun and easy to follow, and odds on player props don't vary as much as moneylines. Generally, prop bets are in the -110 range like generic spread and total bets.
ie: How many passing yards will Brandon Peters have against California? Over 250 or Under 250
tip: Check how players have performed in the situation they're going to be in. Use split stats on any reliable site to see their numbers at home, on a neutral-site, in December, etc.
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