TCU at Stanford odds, picks and predictions

The TCU Horned Frogs and Stanford Cardinal open their 2024 NCAA football seasons at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday. Kickoff is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the TCU vs. Stanford odds , and make our expert college football picks and predictions .

The Horned Frogs managed just 5 victories last season, missing out on a bowl game after making the College Football Playoff in 2022-23. Speaking of bowls, that’s the last time these schools met each other on the gridiron. On Dec. 28, 2017, TCU edged Stanford 39-37 in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Frogs lead the all-time series 3-0, but 2 of those victories are by 2 points each.

TCU QB Josh Hoover made strides down the start last season, and he figures to take a big step forward. The Horned Frogs pass attack figures to be much better with WRs Eric McAlister , JP Richardson and Savion Williams at his disposal.

The Cardinal picked up 3 wins last season, and each of those victories came on the road at Hawaii, Colorado and Washington State. Stanford was 0-7 on “The Farm”, though. The Cardinal allowed 42 or more points in 7 games in 2023, too.

Stanford QB Ashton Daniels is back, but we could see a 2-QB setup with true freshman QB Elijah Brown also in the mix for coach Troy Taylor. Whoever is throwing the ball will have WR Elic Ayomanor downfield.

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TCU at Stanford odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook ; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 9:26 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML) : TCU -350 (bet $350 to win $100) | Stanford +260 (bet $100 to win $260)
• Against the spread (ATS) : TCU -9.5 (-110) | Stanford +9.5 (-110)
• Over/Under (O/U) : 59.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

TCU at Stanford picks and predictions

Prediction

TCU 31, Stanford 23

Moneyline

TCU (-350) will cost you 3½ times your potential return, and that’s way too expensive for a standalone bet. There is never a reason to bet such a heavy favorite, but especially so for a team on the road in an opener. We just don’t have enough information at this juncture.

AVOID .

Against the spread

Play STANFORD +9.5 ( -110 ) at home, but be careful. As mentioned, the Cardinal were 0-7 SU last season at home while covering just 2 times.

TCU -9.5 (-110) should be able to get the job done straight up, but the Cardinal are at home, and they have enough offensive weapons, including the 1,000-yard receiver Ayomanor, to stick around and keep this within 1 score.

Over/Under

The UNDER 59.5 ( -110 ) is worth a look in the opener.

Last season, Stanford went low in 5 of its 7 games at home. And, on the road, TCU ended up cashing low 3 times in 5 contests.

Go low, but be careful and play a half-unit wager at the highest.

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For more sports betting picks and tips , check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW .

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