Conference realignment is not a new thing in college football. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that TCU was battling it out in the Mountain West. And all more recently, the Stanford Cardinal were a stronghold of the Pac-12.
To open up their 2024 college football seasons, these two will play each other in a clash of Big 12 and ACC teams, respectively. With that in mind, the latest betting odds, spread, totals, and a Stanford vs. TCU prediction are at hand.
Stanford vs. TCU Betting Preview
All Stanford vs. TCU odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
- Spread
TCU -8.5 (-110) - Moneyline
TCU -325, Stanford +260 - Over/Under
60 points (-110) - Game time
10:30 p.m. ET - Location
Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA - Predicted Weather at Kick
79 degrees, 7-10 MPH winds, mostly sunny with areas of low clouds - How to Watch
ESPN, ESPN+
After 106 years in a conference that eventually became known as the Pac-12, Stanford let the winds of conference realignment fly them to the opposite coast, figuratively. This game marks the first for the Cardinal as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Troy Taylor’s team went 3-9 last season thanks to a forgetful year on the defensive side of the ball. Stanford allowed 37.7 points per game in 2023, ranking 132nd out of the 133 FBS teams.
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As for TCU, the 2023 season went a whole lot differently than the year prior when they reached the College Football Playoff, losing in the national championship game to Georgia. The Horned Frogs were on the losing end of Coach Prime’s breakout when Colorado pulled off an upset against them to begin the season.
What followed was a lot of inconsistency and mediocrity, eventually ending with six losses in their final eight games to miss a bowl game entirely.
Sonny Dykes is back to right the ship in Forth Worth and he will begin that plan with a familiar opponent. When Dykes coached the California Golden Bears — who are also now members of the ACC (write that down, it might be on a quiz) — from 2013-16, he lost all four Big Games to Stanford — all of them by at least 13 points.
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Stanford went 2-5 against the spread at home last season, including 2-4 when underdogs at the Farm. TCU was only a road favorite twice last season — winning and covering the line (-7) at Houston in September before losing outright as nearly a touchdown favorite (-6.5) at Iowa State three weeks later.
Prediction for Stanford vs. TCU
TCU is looking at a tandem of running backs in sophomore Cam Cook and senior Trey Sanders to carry the burden of Emani Bailey’s departure to the NFL. Dykes called Cook “a big play waiting to happen” earlier this offseason and his 9.4 yards per rush as a high school senior suggests he might be on to something.
The move from the Pac-12 to the ACC is still something college football fans are grappling with when it comes to Stanford, a bastion of the Pacific coast. It’s going to take some getting used to.
In a season-opening game between teams coming off disappointing years, it is hard to predict what will happen. But if your antenna is up seeing “ACC” markings on the field at Stanford Stadium, it should also be up when we first saw the Cardinal getting 10 points at home.
That line shifted just a bit down to +8.5 on Friday morning, and had you gotten in at +10, you’d feel a bit better. Still, getting 8.5 points at home is enough to make this one comfortable.
Prediction: TCU 27, Stanford 24
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