The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes will play in a battle of ranked teams in the second week of the college football season. It's time to continue our college football odds series and make an Oregon-Ohio State prediction and pick.
Both of these teams did what they were supposed to in Week 1, so this is also a clash of undefeated teams. Oregon let the Fresno State Bulldogs hang around late into the fourth quarter, but the Ducks were eventually able to put them away for a win that was tighter than it needed to be. Ohio State was in a similar situation, as the Buckeyes allowed the Minnesota Golden Gophers to hang around for a half before they put their foot on the gas pedal and ended things. Both teams will experience a huge step up in competition when they face each other on Saturday morning.
Here's how the bookmakers have set the odds for Saturday's game.
CFB Odds: Oregon-Ohio State Odds
Oregon Ducks +14 1/2 (-113)
Ohio State Buckeyes -14 1/2 (-107)
Over 64 points (-110)
Under 64 poiints (-110)
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Why Oregon Could Cover The Spread
The Ducks didn't live up to their offensive potential against Fresno State, but that should change as Oregon gets more comfortable in the regular season. The offensive line returned all five starters from last year's bowl game, and they showed how good they can be in the run game last week. Running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye each averaged over four yards per carry and combined for 138 yards rushing. Quarterback Anthony Brown added another 56 yards on the ground himself. The run game is a great strength to have against this Buckeyes defense that just allowed 203 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
The Ducks also put together stretches of great play on defense against Fresno State, particularly when it came to getting in the backfield. This Oregon defense ended with four sacks and eight tackles for loss despite losing superstar Kayvon Thibodeaux at halftime to an ankle injury. Fresno State only managed 75 yards rushing throughout the entire game, another great sign as Oregon gets ready to face one of the best rushing teams in the country.
Why Ohio State Could Cover The Spread
Despite Oregon's success in Week 1, the fact of the matter is that they let an unranked Fresno State squad hang around for three and a half quarters of football. That's not something that great teams do, and now the Ducks could be playing without their best player in Thibodeaux. Oregon also displayed an incredibly weak passing offense, with quarterback Anthony Brown posting only 172 passing yards. The Buckeyes just allowed 205 yards passing against Minnesota, so things aren't going to get any easier for Brown.
The Ducks' offensive line was great in the run game last week, but pass protection was a different story. Oregon allowed three sacks to Fresno State, and the Bulldogs don't exactly have a pass rush that rivals Ohio State's. Premier edge rusher Zach Harrison leads this fantastic Buckeyes front into what should be a great matchup for them.
Starting quarterback CJ Stroud put on a show in his first career start last week, and he has a great opportunity to put on another against Oregon. The Ducks just allowed nearly 300 yards passing to Fresno State, while Stroud racked up close to that number against a Minnesota defense that is close in quality to Oregon's. Even if the Ducks manage to play well against the run, Stroud should have a field day against this secondary that didn't look great in their first game.
Final Oregon-Ohio State Prediction & Pick
This game won't be as close as everyone thinks it will be. Ohio State should control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and move the ball through the air at will. It's a real possibility that Kayvon Thibodeaux doesn't play, which would be a huge blow to the Ducks. Take the Buckeyes to cover before the line moves even further in their favor.
FINAL PICK: Ohio State Buckeyes -14 1/2 (-107)
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