Despite this being a road game for Washington, I'm not sure that the Cardinal are going to be able to keep up with the Huskies -- even with Bryce Love active. Stanford impressed in that 49-7 win over Oregon (Washington also beat Oregon 38-3 last week), but it’s going up against the nation’s second-ranked scoring defense and does not have much to offer in terms of a threat in the passing game. I expect this to be close at halftime but for the Huskies to pull away with a touchdown late. It was a no-take for me when it opened at -9 for Washington, but now that it’s fallen under one key number, let’s make a play.

The last time Washington hit the road, the Huskies lost 13-7 at ASU, but that remains their only failure to cover double digits in their last six games. Their defense has been dominating and Washingon has stayed Under in five of the last six. The Huskies allow only 11 ppg and 92 yards rushing per game on the season and I like that defense to neutralize RB Bryce Love, who still has a banged-up ankle. This is the lowest spread on the Huskies this season so I'll treat it as a gift and lay it.

This game will come down to whether the Huskies can stop the run. Stanford RB Bryce Love’s ability to hit the home run is what could definitely keep this close. Only problem is that the Huskies are extremely tough to run the ball against. Stanford’s one-dimensional approach makes it easier to defend, even if the game is a lower-scoring one.

This total is about as low as it gets for a matchup in the scoring-heavy Pac-12. Amazingly, it opened at a below-ground level 47, perhaps influenced by the uncertainty of recently injured RB Bryce Love’s status. The nation’s rushing leader for Stanford missed a game (ankle), then was not fully recovered last weekend. Another week, and he should be up and running fine Friday. Oddly, the Cardinal has played six away games, and their scoring has been much higher at home — 47 points per. Both teams are trending Under big-time, but this is the lowest total for U-Wash this season and second-lowest for the Cardinal. Even with the three-point jump, it’s the way to go.