Stanford Quarterback Battle College Football Odds Analysis

With the graduation of four-year starting quarterback Kevin Hogan, the Stanford Cardinal need a news signal-caller when the 2016 regular season gets under way in just  few weeks. While head coach David Shaw worries about who’s going to be his new starter, you can cash in big if you bet on the college football odds for this value-packed quarterback battle.

Stanford Quarterback Battle College Football Odds Analysis

Keller Chryst -425

Stanford junior Keller Chryst is a highly rated 4-star recruit that comes from a family of football greats, including his father George ‘Geep’ Chryst, a former offensive coordinator  with the San Francisco 49ers and his uncle Paul, the head coach at Wisconsin. Chryst played in four games as a sophomore last season, going 5-for-9 for 59 yards with one touchdown. In 2014, Chryst was California’s third-best recruit by ESPN and sixth-ranked recruit by Rivals and 247Sports. The strong-armed 6-5, 231-pound signal-caller is a prototypical pocket passer that was the nation’s second-best pro-style quarterback by Rivals and 247Sports and the nation’s third-best pocket passer by ESPN.

Ryan Burns +300

Ryan Burns is a 6-5, 219-pound senior and a former four-star recruit that is also a classic pocket passer. Unfortunately, Burns never got much playing time behind Hogan, playing just a handful of snaps in five games over the last two seasons. As a junior last season, Burns saw action in four games after seeing action in two games as a sophomore in 2014 and none as a freshman.   Despite his lack of playing time, Burns was once ranked the nation’s 42nd-best overall player by PrepStar and 64th-best player by ESPN. Burns was also ranked as the nation’s third-best pocket quarterback by PrepStar and fourth by ESPN.   Right now, Shaw is on record stating he won’t name a starting quarterback until a week or two before the Cardinal’s first game against Kansas State on Sept. 2.   “It’s hard to say who has the upper hand,” Shaw said. “I was excited to see both guys come back and make some big-time throws. You have two big quarterbacks who are strong and athletic. They made some big plays down the field with some accurate throws over the middle to the tight ends. There were a lot of positives for both guys.”  

Expert Analysis and Prediction

While David Shaw isn’t prepared to name his starting quarterback, I’ll be completely shocked if it isn’t Keller Chryst. Chryst is younger and probably has a bigger upside at this point in his career than Burns and would give Shaw a two-year window while Burns will be done after the upcoming 2016 campaign. Chryst has plenty of poise for a young quarterback and an elite running back that he can lean on early and often while easing his transition to starter. Ryan Burns has looked good this spring, but just not good enough to lay claim to the starting spot over a younger player with more potential. Keller Chryst wins Stanford’s quarterback battle!  

My Pick: Keller Chryst