Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal: Rule of Tree Staff Predictions

TonyFernandesSports: Stanford 42, Oregon 27: The Ducks have been much better on the offensive side of the ball the last few weeks as Vernon Adams has returned under center; but the Ducks are highly banged up on the line, and did not fare well against a defense similar to Stanford's in East Lansing. Stanford is going to take advantage of the run game, pound the ball down the field, and dominate the time of possession war. I figure Coach Shaw will want to make a statement with this game, but will have to settle with a 15 point win.

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NerdNation23: Stanford 55 Oregon 28. This Stanford team reminds me of the 2009 offense mixed with the defense of 2011. Stanford can finally go toe to toe with Oregon in a shootout but has the defense to stop Oregon. Oregon is scoring 37 ppg but that includes two 61 point outbursts on lower-level teams. Oregon has no D and should hope Shaw keeps his "just win" mentality and not try to win by 100.

Matt Vassar: Stanford 38, Oregon 31. Man, with all the firepower in this game, it's hard for me to expect anything except a very exciting and tightly-contested shootout. We have the #1 QB in passing efficiency in Pac-12 play (Kevin Hogan, 175.9) squaring off against the #2 QB (Vernon Adams Jr., 161.4). We have the #1 rusher in the Pac-12 (Royce Freeman, 1,287 yards) squaring off against the #2 rusher (Christian McCaffrey, 1,207 yards). We have the #2 kickoff returner in the Pac-12 (Christian McCaffrey, 605 yards) squaring off against the #3 kickoff returner (Charles Nelson, 484 yards). With all this firepower, I'm expecting a high-scoring thriller and for both teams to have very similar (and very explosive) offensive stats. The difference for me, however, comes down to the subtler points of the game: Stanford is second to none in the Pac-12 when it comes to tilting the field and getting very favorable starting field position. I see this coupled with Oregon's defensive problems as swinging the odds in Stanford's favor during this high-octane thriller of a shootout.

To hear Matt preview the Stanford-Oregon game in greater depth, click below to listen to his most recent episode of Cardinal CounTree.

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Sean Levy: This is the year where Stanford's offense can finally keep up with Oregon's. I don't expect much defense to be played, but that being said Stanford has the #1 total defense in the Pac-12 and Oregon has the #8. As much fire power as this game has, it will come down to the defense that steps up. Can Stanford's shallow D-line keep up with Oregon's fast tempo offense or will we see their hands on their heads at the start of the 3rd quarter? Oregon has been getting into the groove as of late and their defense has been better since converting WR/RB Charles Nelson into safety. Expect Oregon's defense to jump routes and pick off bad Hogan, but I still think Stanford gets it done at home. 42-38.

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Yonas Yohannes: One of the biggest games yet this season. Stanford comes out ready to go and dominates Oregon. Will be a tough game as Oregon is always competitive even in their off year. Stanford takes care of business 35-24.

twitter: @YonasYohannesSB