Kansas State vs Stanford 9/4/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Kansas State Wildcats meet the Stanford Cardinal Saturday in week 1 college football action at AT&T Stadium. Stanford went 4-2 last season and will enter the 11th year under coach David Shaw, who is winning 71.4 percent of his games. Kansas State are coming off a 4-6 season and are now 12-11 in two years under coach Chris Klieman.

The Stanford Cardinal averaged 29.3 points and 420.2 yards per game last season. Stanford allowed an average of 31.7 points and 438.7 yards per game last season. Jack West should takeover at quarterback after 19 pass attempts last season. Austin Jones returns at running back after 550 yards and nine touchdowns while Brycen Tremayne and Michael Wilson is a receiving duo that combined for 500 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Levani Damuni returns to Stanford after 42 tackles, Gabe Reid had two sacks and Thomas Booker had two blocked kicks. We should expect Stanford to be better defensively with a full offseason and Shaw still at head coach. The issue for Stanford is finding a reliable quarterback and enough consistent offense to survive what’s becoming a deep and competitive Pac-12.

The Kansas State Wildcats averaged 26.6 points and 337.4 yards per game last season. Kansas State allowed an average of 32.2 points and 444.7 yards per game last season. Will Howard returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman. Deuce Vaughn is back after leading KSU with 600 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, while Chabastin Taylor and Malik Knowles is a receiving duo that combined for nearly 500 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, Jahron McPherson returns after leading Kansas State with 54 tackles, Bronson Massie had 2.5 sacks and Justin Gardner had two interceptions. Kansas State lost some quality players on defense, but there’s enough returning production to expect a better effort on that side of the ball. Offensively, KSU is a lot more experienced given so many freshmen played last season. Never the most talented team in the Big 12, Kansas State is a team that usually plays hard and is a tough out week to week.

The Cardinal are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games and 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Wildcats are 17-8 ATS in their last 25 games overall. The over is 7-2 in Cardinal last 9 neutral site games. The under is 10-4 in Wildcats last 14 games as a favorite.

David Shaw and free points is always tough for me to turn down, but it feels like Stanford has lost its way the last couple of years. With that said, it feels like Kansas State has gotten more consistent in the Big 12 and is due for a breakout season. Deuce Vaughn is one of the more underrated running backs in the country and will see an expanded role this season. This is going to be a physical game, but I lean toward KSU because of the offensive playmakers. I’ll lay the small chalk.