{"id":39603,"date":"2026-07-22T08:53:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/?p=39603"},"modified":"2026-07-22T08:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:53:59","slug":"2026-stanford-football-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wagertalk.com\/news\/college-football\/2026-stanford-football-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Stanford Football Preview | ACC Betting Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Stanford football program was a model of stability for over a decade under David Shaw in the 2010s, but the Cardinal will now be welcoming its third head coach over the last three years. Former QB and coach Tavita Pritchard returns to Palo Alto as Stanford looks to climb the ACC standings under the leadership of Andrew Luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Stanford Football Preview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ACC Betting Odds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Team<\/th>2025 Record<\/th>2026 Win Total<\/th>ACC Odds<\/th>Nat’l Champ Odds<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Boston College<\/td>2-10 (1-7)<\/td>3.5 (o EV \/ u -120)<\/td>+50000<\/td>+100000<\/td><\/tr>
Cal<\/td>7-6 (4-4)<\/td>6.5 (o EV \/ u -120)<\/td>+3500<\/td>+60000<\/td><\/tr>
Clemson<\/td>7-6 (4-4)<\/td>7.5 (o -130 \/ u +110)<\/td>+1400<\/td>+11000<\/td><\/tr>
Duke<\/td>9-5 (7-2)<\/td>5.5 (o -130 \/ u +110)<\/td>+6000<\/td>+40000<\/td><\/tr>
Florida State<\/td>5-7 (2-6)<\/td>6.5 (o +140 \/ u -170)<\/td>+3500<\/td>+18000<\/td><\/tr>
Georgia Tech<\/td>9-4 (6-2)<\/td>6.5 (o +105 \/ u -125)<\/td>+3500<\/td>+40000<\/td><\/tr>
Louisville<\/td>9-4 (4-4)<\/td>8.5 (o +135 \/ u -160)<\/td>+800<\/td>+15000<\/td><\/tr>
Miami (Fla)<\/td>13-3 (6-2)<\/td>10.5 (-110 each way)<\/td>-136<\/td>+1100<\/td><\/tr>
NC State<\/td>8-5 (4-4)<\/td>7.5 (o +120 \/ u -140)<\/td>+2200<\/td>+50000<\/td><\/tr>
North Carolina<\/td>4-8 (2-6)<\/td>4.5 (o -130 \/ u +110)<\/td>+15000<\/td>+40000<\/td><\/tr>
Pitt<\/td>8-5 (6-2)<\/td>7.5 (o -145 \/ u +125)<\/td>+1700<\/td>+25000<\/td><\/tr>
SMU<\/td>9-4 (6-2)<\/td>8.5 (o -125 \/ u +105)<\/td>+700<\/td>+10000<\/td><\/tr>
Stanford<\/td>4-8 (3-5)<\/td>3.5 (-110 each way)<\/td>+40000<\/td>+100000<\/td><\/tr>
Syracuse<\/td>3-9 (1-7)<\/td>4.5 (o +105 \/ u -125)<\/td>+18000<\/td>+80000<\/td><\/tr>
Virginia<\/td>11-3 (7-2)<\/td>7.5 (o -150 \/ u +125)<\/td>+1600<\/td>+20000<\/td><\/tr>
Virginia Tech<\/td>3-9 (2-6)<\/td>6.5 (o -150 \/ u +125)<\/td>+2800<\/td>+18000<\/td><\/tr>
Wake Forest<\/td>9-4 (4-4)<\/td>5.5 (o -125 \/ u +115)<\/td>+7400<\/td>+50000<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of July 21. The Cardinal went 4-8 straight-up, 5-7 against the spread under interim head coach Frank Reich last season. Stanford earned a trio of outright upset victories last year, including a win over Boston College as a 14.5-point ‘dog and a win over Florida State as a 17.5-point ‘dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Stanford Football Roster<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Projected Returning Starters<\/strong>: 12 (Five on offense and seven on defense)
Projected Starting QB<\/strong>: Davis Warren (Transfer from Michigan) or Dylan Rizk (Returning, but did not play in ’25)
Returning Production<\/strong>: 60-percent (58-percent on offense and 62-percent on defense)
Incoming Talent Class<\/strong>: No. 57 Nationally \/ No. 13 in ACC
Coaching Changes<\/strong>: First-time head coach Tavita Pritchard takes over the program after spending the last three years with the Washington Commanders in the NFL. Pritchard played quarterback at Stanford from 2007-10 and served as Andrew Luck’s back-up before joining the Cardinal’s coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Terry Heffernan returns to Stanford after a brief stint at Virginia, while new defensive coordinator Kris Richard returns to the college ranks after spending 15 years coaching defense in the NFL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning starters are courtesy of CBS Sports. Returning production is courtesy of Bill Connelly’s conference preview series<\/a> at ESPN. Incoming talent rankings are courtesy of 247 Sports’ Composite Ratings<\/a>, which capture the talent rankings of both incoming freshman and incoming transfers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ACC<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2025 Stanford Football Stats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Strength of Schedule<\/strong>: No. 25 (courtesy of Jeff Sagarin)
Turnover Differential<\/strong>: -4
Plays per Game<\/strong>: 68.7 (No. 65)
Seconds per Play<\/strong>: 26.1 (No. 62)
Average Time of Possession<\/strong>: 29:49 (No. 69)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford Football Stats on Offense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yards per Game<\/strong>: 306.5 (No. 125)
Points per Game<\/strong>: 18.8 (No. 122)
Yards per Play<\/strong>: 4.70 (No. 128)
Offensive Success Rate<\/strong>: 38.4-percent (No. 115)
Explosive Plays (20+ Yards)<\/strong>: 44 (No. 113)
Net EPA per Play<\/strong>: -0.12 (No. 114)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stanford Football Stats on Defense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yards per Game Allowed<\/strong>: 408.2 (No. 105)
Points per Game Allowed<\/strong>: 29.2 (No. 96)
Yards per Play Allowed<\/strong>: 5.93 (No. 102)
Defensive Success Rate<\/strong>: 41.4-percent (No. 48)
Explosive Plays Allowed (20+ Yards)<\/strong>: 55 (No. 73)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Success Rate is an advanced metric that factors in the down and distance in relation to yards gained. A two-yard gain for a running back doesn’t look great in his overall box score, however a two-yard gain on 3rd-and-2 is a successful play. A low success rate on defense means you’re doing a good job of stopping the opponent from achieving successful plays. EPA stands for expected points added per play and it is a measure of how many points a team adds (or loses) on each play compared to the expected value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Stanford Football Schedule<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th>Day<\/th>Home\/Away<\/th>Opponent<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
August 29<\/td>Sat<\/td>Home<\/td>Hawaii<\/td><\/tr>
September 4<\/td>Fri<\/td>Home<\/td>Miami (Fla)<\/td><\/tr>
Bye<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
September 19<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Duke<\/td><\/tr>
September 26<\/td>Sat<\/td>Home<\/td>Georgia Tech<\/td><\/tr>
October 3<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Wake Forest<\/td><\/tr>
October 10<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Notre Dame<\/td><\/tr>
October 17<\/td>Sat<\/td>Home<\/td>Elon<\/td><\/tr>
October 23<\/td>Fri<\/td>Home<\/td>NC State<\/td><\/tr>
October 31<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Louisville<\/td><\/tr>
Bye<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
November 14<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Virginia Tech<\/td><\/tr>
November 21<\/td>Sat<\/td>Road<\/td>Cal<\/td><\/tr>
November 28<\/td>Sat<\/td>Home<\/td>SMU<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"Flex