No. 13 Stanford will match up vs No. 15 TCU in the Alamo Bowl and it is not the bowl game these two teams envisioned when they started their respective seasons. Both teams had high expectations to contend for a national championship but both fell short of their goals to their eventual conference winners (USC and Oklahoma). The Horned Frogs opened as 2.5-point favorites to get the victory over the Cardinal.
- TCU is 2-6 ATS in its past 8 bowl games.
- Stanford is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 bowl games.
- TCU is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games after a loss.
Stanford did have some notable wins this season which should bode well in their efforts to win their fourth straight bowl game. Victories over Notre Dame, Washington and Oregon were instrumental in their ranking and the one constant in those victories came down to two words: Bryce Love. The junior running back was a video game this season and is a big play waiting to happen. Love had 10 games with a rush of 50 yards or more and 12 total this season. To put that in perspective, he had more splash plays of 50-plus yards by himself than any team in the country with the exception of Arizona. It would be a respectable wager for bettors to pick the Cardinal to cover.
Where TCU may have the upper hand is their defense. The Horned Frogs only allow 2.9 rush yards per attempt and their suffocating defense could cause fits for Love and quarterback KJ Costello. If it wasn’t for Oklahoma and their air attack victimizing the Horned Frogs for seven passing touchdowns, TCU would’ve only allowed 13 passing touchdowns this season. The Sooners were the Horned Frogs’ nemesis and had TCU showed up in those two games, we would have been talking about TCU in the College Football Playoff.
The total opened at 49 and bettors may want to consider the UNDER in this matchup. TCU has held teams to 17.6 points per game this season and the UNDER has hit in eight of their last nine games. Fans should expect a tightly contested matchup in the Alamo Bowl.
Stanford Cardinal vs TCU Horned Frogs Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
TCU battles the Stanford Cardinal, currently with a 9-4 mark (6-6-1 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals betting, are 3-10 for the Horned Frogs and 6-7 for the Stanford Cardinal. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and TCU vs Stanford injuries news.
The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Horned Frogs at No. 14 and the Cardinal at No. 30 heading into this contest.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the TCU Horned Frogs' No. 28-ranked offense (34.5 PPG) against a Stanford Cardinal defense that ranks No. 25 at 20.67 PPG. The Horned Frogs passing attack has averaged 238 yards per game, more than the Cardinal give up through the air (220 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, Stanford owns the league's No. 58-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 167.86 yards per game when on the road. TCU, on the other hand, rates No. 51 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last game, Stanford got a 125-yard performance from Bryce Love, but USC prevailed 31-28.
TCU was hammered in its last outing, as Oklahoma ran up a 41-17 score against them at AT&T Stadium.
