The Stanford Cardinal are 4-2 straight up and 5-1 against the spread in their last six postseason games. The Cardinal can pick up a third straight bowl win this Friday in the Sun Bowl facing the North Carolina Tar Heels.
2016 Sun Bowl odds: Stanford minus Christian McCaffrey still favorite against UNC
The Stanford Cardinal will look to continue their dominance of the ACC when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Stanford is a 2.5-point favorite in El Paso at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last four games against teams in the ACC, the Cardinal are a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS.
The Cardinal were expected to compete for the Pac-12 title in 2016, but after starting the year off with a 3-0 SU and ATS record the team went just 1-3 SU and ATS over its next four games. Stanford averaged just 11 points per game over that four-game stretch. The team bounced back with a 5-0 SU and 3-2 ATS run to end the season, averaging a much healthier 39.6 points down the stretch.
The Cardinal will be without their top offensive weapon in the Sun Bowl as Christian McCaffrey has decided to skip the game in order to stay healthy for the 2017 NFL draft.
Over the team's last 15 games as a favorite of four points or less, the Cardinal are 10-5 SU and 9-6 ATS per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Betting Line / Total: Stanford -2.5 / 54 Points
Trend: Stanford is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games in the postseason.
Trend: North Carolina is 3-1 ATS in its last four games against the Pac-12.
North Carolina will also be missing its starting running back in this bowl as Elijah Hood will be out of the Sun Bowl due to undisclosed medical reasons.
But the Tar Heels will have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation under center this postseason in junior Mitch Trubisky, who passed for 3,468 yards and 28 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. Trubisky led the Tar Heels offense to 33.1 points per game and the team to an 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS record.
Friday’s total is set at 54 points. The OVER is 8-3 in North Carolina’s last 11 games against teams with winning records.
While McCaffrey skipping the game has stolen most of the headlines of the Sun Bowl, this should still be a very good game between two strong programs. Stanford was going to have to get used to life after McCaffrey anyway, so this game will be a good test to see how the team responds to his absence.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Stanford Cardinal
When: Friday, December 30, 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Sun Bowl, El Paso, Texas
