FREE CONTEST: Stanford Cardinal at North Carolina Tar Heels ($50 prize!)
UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE $50 AMAZON GIFT CARD IS vick*****@hotmail.com CONGRATULATIONS!
Sep 17, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Mitch Trubisky (10) looks to pass in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Prizing:
1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card
2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card
Overview:
On Friday, December 30th, at 2:00 P.M. the Stanford Cardinal will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sun Bowl.
The Crowd:
“The Crowd” projects a final score of Stanford 29.4 – North Carolina 28.6 with an over/under of 58.0. The Vegas Line has a final score of Stanford 28.8 – North Carolina 25.8 with an over/under of 54.5.
2016-17 Statistics (127 total teams):
Passing offense: North Carolina 294.3 YPG > Stanford 158.5 YPG
Rushing offense: Stanford 215.6 YPG > North Carolina 148.2 YPG
Scoring offense: North Carolina 33.1 PPG > Stanford 26.4 PPG
Scoring defense: Stanford 20.2 PPG > North Carolina 24.9 PPG
Passing defense: North Carolina 183.0 YPG > Stanford 218.9 YPG
Rushing defense: Stanford 146.7 YPG > North Carolina 235.5 YPG
Turnover Margin Per Game: Stanford -0.1 > North Carolina -0.2
Strength of schedule:
North Carolina is (8-4) with wins over Illinois, James Madison, Pittsburgh, Florida State, Miami, Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Citadel. They were defeated by NC State, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Georgia. Stanford is (9-3) with wins over Kansas State, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Arizona, Oregon State, Oregon, California, and Rice. Their losses came against Washington, Washington State, and Colorado.
Summary:
Stanford will be without their best player Christian McCaffrey who is sitting out the game so he doesn’t get injured ahead of the upcoming NFL draft. The loss of McCaffrey hurts Stanford not only in the running game but also as a receiver and return man. Stanford already ranks 81st in the nation in points per game (26.4) so they will have to lean heavily on their defense to have a chance in this one. Fortunately for Stanford their defense ranks as a top 20 unit in college football. North Carolina really struggles to stuff the run so McCaffrey likely would have had a field day against them.
North Carolina has perhaps the best quarterback in the nation in junior Mitch Trubisky. If you remove the Virginia Tech game (played in hurricane conditions) Trubisky would lead the nation in completion percentage at 71.4%. For as strong as the Stanford defense is, they allow nearly 220 yards per game through the air. Because Stanford’s offense struggles to throw the ball it’s hard to see how they will manufacture enough offense to win this one.
**LISTEN HERE** to the latest edition of “The Berger Shop” podcast, sponsored by The Crowd’s Line. This week’s episode features an in-depth discussion about the return of Tiger Woods with golf pro Jason Birnbaum.
Note:
To be eligible to enter a Crowd’s Line contest you must be over 18 years of age, a resident of the United States/Canada, and submit your score prediction on our prediction tool (blog widget). The winner will be selected according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score the winner will be selected by random drawing. Only one prize will be awarded per contest and that winner will receive their prize in 5-7 business days.
