Football Predictions: Stanford vs. Arizona

No. 18 Stanford (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12) vs. Arizona (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Michael Peterson: Stanford 45, Arizona 27

The outlook of this game will change dramatically if Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon can play and is fully healthy. Solomon is a budding superstar for the Wildcats. If Solomon can’t play, backup Jerrard Randall mans the position, and though he can run better than any other quarterback in the Pac-12, he struggles throwing the ball; his 337 rushing yards are third in the country among quarterbacks, but he’s completed only 32 percent of his throws. Regardless, Stanford clearly owns the advantage when its offense is on the field and should continue to put up points against a porous Wildcats defense that will be missing its leader in linebacker Scooby Wright III. The uncertainty surrounding Solomon leads me to think Stanford handles Arizona, but if Solomon can play, I’d expect more of a shootout along the lines of the 2012 classic that ended in overtime with the Card winning 54-48.

Andrew Mather: Stanford 34, Arizona 28

I’d love to predict that Stanford keeps its momentum rolling and blows out Arizona, but I’m not sure I see it this week. Arizona did not look good against UCLA, but that doesn’t suddenly mean this team is a pushover.

I’m confident that whoever plays at quarterback for Zona this week will acquit himself better than the committee of contestants in Tucson last Saturday. The key for Arizona, however, will be whether its defense can generate stops against the newly-empowered Cardinal offense. Stanford has converted the fifth-highest percentage of third downs in the country over the last three games. If Arizona can dig in and bring this number back to earth a little, the Cardinal might find that their ball-moving monster truck has sprung a flat.

Ultimately, I think the tiebreaker comes down to geography. The Cardinal know how to put on a show on The Farm, and Kevin Hogan seems to be back to his younger self that always came up big in tough games.

Winston Shi: Stanford 42, Arizona 34

For once, Stanford takes on a team that’s as banged up as it is. While I expect him to play, Anu Solomon will probably be limited, which will limit Arizona’s options on offense. And the loss of Scooby Wright hurts against a seemingly resurgent Stanford offensive line.

The last time Rich Rodriguez rolled into Stanford Stadium, he destroyed Stanford’s elite defense by throwing to the outside and forcing the Cardinal linebackers to run. That’s going to put a lot of pressure on Stanford’s secondary to support the run, which is often something that younger secondaries have trouble learning.

The Cardinal defense has come into conference games looking very shaky, but what people often don’t notice is that defensive coordinator Lance Anderson makes tactical adjustments and the defense buckles down late in the game. Against a smart coach like Rodriguez, the success of Stanford’s defense on Saturday will largely hinge on whether Anderson can match Rodriguez drive for drive.

Vihan Lakshman: Arizona 48, Stanford 44

Winston hit the nail on the head when he mentioned how Rich Rodriguez did something that, in hindsight, looks absolutely impossible when he put together a game-plan that put up 48 points on the legendary 2012 Stanford defense. Although UCLA blew the Wildcats away late last Saturday, it’s dangerous to read too much into one week in the unpredictable Wild West that is the Pac-12. I expect the Wildcats, with or without Anu Solomon, to put up points and take advantage of a very banged-up Stanford defensive front. Meanwhile the re-invigorated and dominant Cardinal offense should have no trouble putting up points against a very suspect Zona defense, especially without Scooby Wright. Ultimately, this game is shaping up to be another furious shootout a la the 2012 matchup, and I’ll give the slight edge to RichRod and the Wildcats given all of the uncertainty surrounding the Stanford defensive front.

Do-Hyoung Park: Stanford 41, Arizona 17

Like Michael said earlier, this prediction changes completely if Anu Solomon can play. But it’s looking increasingly like he can’t, and not even Rich Rodriguez can find a way to win a game with a backup quarterback that can’t throw (Randall was 4-of-14 against UCLA and his throws are pretty ugly). Randall is absolutely explosive on the ground and Nick Wilson is a man-beast, but Stanford’s defense does not allow points to one-dimensional offenses. On the other side, Arizona’s 3-3-5 defense is already at a schematic disadvantage against a power running team, and with Scooby Wright out, Arizona’s ability to stop the run is doubtful at best. Chalk down Christian McCaffrey for a third consecutive 100-yard game, Remound Wright for two more “vulture” touchdowns and another quietly efficient game from a mending Kevin Hogan. Stanford easily covers the 18-point spread heading into bye week.