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"Devontae Booker is perhaps the best back the Cardinal have seen this year aside from Buck Allen - and their stats are similar. Booker's rushed for 1,055 yards and eight touchdowns this season while Allen's notched 1,184 yards and eight scores. Why is that worth knowing? Because Allen rushed for 154 yards against Stanford, a team which was just dominated on the ground by Oregon's power run game. The Cardinal must slow down Booker if they want to control the pace of the game."
While we are on the subject Jack Blanchat, he does a hell of a job live tweeting during Stanford games, be sure to keep it locked on twitter during today's game.
In addition to Twitter, Rule Of Tree of course will also keep you up to date on all things Stanford football on Facebook, and Google +.
"The team's attempt to qualify for the postseason begins this Saturday at home against #25 Utah. Stanford's best chance at the sixth win necessary to qualify for the postseason will come against the Utes in the last game on The Farm this season. According to Vegas, the Cardinal are 7.5 point favorites, and they profile well against the Utes."
Joseph Silverzweig, Block U - SB Nation
"The Massey composite gives Utah a slight edge in this one. The Utes come in at 32nd in the nation, and Stanford trails slightly behind at 36th. While most other areas suggest a slight edge for Utah, Vegas has them pinned as a touchdown dog on the road, opening at around -7.5. Betting has widened the gap to -8."
"they well remember last year's 27-21 upset at the hands of the Utes in Salt Lake City. The No. 5 Cardinal had their 13-game winning streak snapped when they failed to hit a couple of passes from the Utah 6-yard line in the final minute. Stanford needs a win to become bowl-eligible and to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in head coach David Shaw's four years."
"Trends show that Stanfrod is 6-0 against the spread in its last 6 games after a loss and 4-1 ATS in its last 5 home games. The Cardinal have also went under the total in 10 of their last 12 games following a loss of more than 20 points."
"Stanford has never lost two games in a row under David Shaw, and despite how this season has turned out, I think the Cardinal will keep that streak alive this Saturday."
"Stanford has won each of its last five home finales. Stanford is 10-0 following a loss under head coach David Shaw (Cardinal lost to Oregon 45-16 back on Nov. 1). The Cardinal has not lost consecutive games since midway through the 2009 season."
Talon Chappell of The Daily Utah Chronicle
"The Utes are going to need to be balanced on offense when they face the most formidable defense in the league. In addition to leading the Pac-12 in nearly every defensive category, the Cardinal are ranked 4th in the country in points allowed, only letting their opponents score an average of 16 points per game."
David Cohn of the Stanford Daily
"Stanford and Utah have only played six times in college football history, but the last three contests have all been decided by a touchdown or less."
"The strength of this Cardinal team is its defense, and with a one-dimensional offense like Utah coming in, Stanford will be able to take care of business. Now, don't expect some high-scoring affair, but the home team will have more points than the away team"
"Neither offense is really explosive, while both defenses have been solid this year and that usually leads to a low scoring game. Stanford is 95th in the nation in scoring, while their defense checks in at number 4 in the nation in points allowed."
"The Cardinal offense has struggled most of the year in large part because the ground game has regressed, averaging just 140.1 yards rushing, which ranks 10th in the conference. Stanford will need to strike a balance to take the pressure off QB Kevin Hogan and slow down Utah's relentless rush. The Utes lead the nation with 43 sacks and an average of 4.78 per game."
Winston Shi, The Stanford Daily
"Utah is improved this season and the last few weeks their coaching staff has shown the ability to make uniqe game plans for opponents that have proved to be effective. In the end I don't really know what we'll see from the Utes, but I think they will be playing desperate and find a way to duplicate last year's victory. Utah 17, Stanford 14."
Matthew Piper, The Salt Lake Tribune
"Stanford and Utah have cultivated similar identities as the Pac-12's counterprogrammers. In a conference known for its high-octane offenses, they won't burn you so much as they'll bruise you. They expect to have battered their smaller opponents by the fourth quarter - and then, they expect to win."
"Although Stanford's two-year reign as the Pac-12 champion is over - Oregon officially clinched the North Division title last week - the Cardinal (5-4, 3-3) are still quite defensive. They enter Saturday's game against Utah as the conference leaders in rushing defense (110.2 ypg), passing defense (170.9 ypg), pass efficiency defense (105.98 rating), total defense (281.1 ypg) and scoring defense (16.1 ppg)."