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The TCU Horned Frogs and Stanford Cardinal open their 2024 NCAA football seasons at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the TCU vs. Stanford odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Horned Frogs managed just 5 victories last season, missing out on a bowl game after making the College Football Playoff in 2022-23. Speaking of bowls, that’s the last time these schools met each other on the gridiron. On Dec. 28, 2017, TCU edged Stanford 39-37 in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Frogs lead the all-time series 3-0, but 2 of those victories are by 2 points each.
TCU QB Josh Hoover made strides down the start last season, and he figures to take a big step forward. The Horned Frogs pass attack figures to be much better with WRs Eric McAlister, JP Richardson and Savion Williams at his disposal.
The Cardinal picked up 3 wins last season, and each of those victories came on the road at Hawaii, Colorado and Washington State. Stanford was 0-7 on “The Farm”, though. The Cardinal allowed 42 or more points in 7 games in 2023, too.
Stanford QB Ashton Daniels is back, but we could see a 2-QB setup with true freshman QB Elijah Brown also in the mix for coach Troy Taylor. Whoever is throwing the ball will have WR Elic Ayomanor downfield.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports
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TCU at Stanford odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9:26 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): TCU -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Stanford +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
- Against the spread (ATS): TCU -9.5 (-110) | Stanford +9.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 59.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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TCU at Stanford picks and predictions
Prediction
TCU 31, Stanford 23
Moneyline
TCU (-350) will cost you 3½ times your potential return, and that’s way too expensive for a standalone bet. There is never a reason to bet such a heavy favorite, but especially so for a team on the road in an opener. We just don’t have enough information at this juncture.
AVOID.
Against the spread
Play STANFORD +9.5 (-110) at home, but be careful. As mentioned, the Cardinal were 0-7 SU last season at home while covering just 2 times.
TCU -9.5 (-110) should be able to get the job done straight up, but the Cardinal are at home, and they have enough offensive weapons, including the 1,000-yard receiver Ayomanor, to stick around and keep this within 1 score.
Over/Under
The UNDER 59.5 (-110) is worth a look in the opener.
Last season, Stanford went low in 5 of its 7 games at home. And, on the road, TCU ended up cashing low 3 times in 5 contests.
Go low, but be careful and play a half-unit wager at the highest.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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