Kansas State vs Stanford College Football Week 1 Free Pick

All eyes will undoubtedly be on 2015 Heisman runner up Christian McCaffrey when the Stanford Cardinal host the Kansas State Wildcats the Stanford Stadium this Friday for a Week 1 college football odds matchup. Below is a brief online NCAA Football preview of this highly- anticipated Big 12 vs. Pac-12 showdown.

Take a Closer Look at the Kansas State vs Stanford College Football Week 1 Free Pick & TV Info

When: Friday, September 02, 9:00 PM ET Where: Stanford Stadium TV: Fox Sports 1 Radio: Kansas State / Stanford Stream: Pac-12 Live NCAAF Lines: Stanford (-14), OVER/UNDER 48.5

Why Bet on Kansas State?

Kansas State was a rather lousy team in 2015, allowing a little over 31 points per game while scoring a hair under 30 points per game. Essentially, that’s the reason they finished the year on a 6-7 mark. With pressure on K-State’s veteran coach Bill Snyder to deliver a good season, the expectation is that the Wildcats will be looking to give their best here. To do so, the Wildcats will be relying on its experienced returnees from last season, including the duo of QB Jesse Ertz and senior safety Dante Barnett who both suffered season-ending injuries in 2015, along with linebacker Elijah Lee and preseason All-Big 12 defensive end Jordan Willis. Obviously, it won’t be easy keeping the Cardinal close, given K-State has a number of unfilled holes in the defense and the offense lacks star players to outsmart Stanford’s defense. But then again, Snyder is the winningest coach in Kansas State’s history (with 193 victories), so a surprise could easily be in the books against this Stanford team that suffered a major upset in last year’s season-opener.

Why Bet on Stanford?

Besides winning 8 of its last 9 home games, Stanford has a reputation of being an elite team, winning three of the past four Pac-12 conference titles. And as far as talent goes, McCaffrey is possibly the most versatile player in the nation with the ability to play as stunning running back, a kick returner and an out-of- the-backfield receiver. The NCAA single-season 3,864 all-purpose yards he posted last season stand as proof of his skills. Even so, Replacing four-year starter Kevin Hogan at quarterback could affect McCaffrey’s numbers, especially now that the Cardinal will be breaking into a new quarterback in redshirt junior Ryan Burns. Nevertheless, with Keller Chryst ready take over at QB if Burns struggles, and a very solid offensive line—anchored by lineman Casey Tucker—to keep the offense in check; there shouldn’t be a big drop-off in Stanford’s offensive output from last season.

My Free NCAAF Prediction and Picks

It’s hard to overlook the kind of impact a player like McCaffrey can make, particularly with Stanford’s defense line also doing its job and the offensive line also playing as good as ever. The problem, though, is that Burns is someone who’s just thrown one pass in college, Chryst is shaky and K-State’s defense is talented enough to hold its own against such iffy player. With that in mind, I strongly feel that Kansas State will be able to hang tight and avoid getting beaten by 14- plus points. Final Score Prediction: Stanford 34, Kansas State 21