Oregon vs. Oregon State point spread: Picking Ducks vs. Beavers
Oregon enters Saturday’s Civil War matchup against Oregon State looking for revenge after what happened last season. The Ducks had a chance to play for a Pac-12 title prior to that game, but ended up losing 38-34 as the Beavers spoiled that hope.
Now they find themselves in a similar position this year, entering as 13.5-point favorites at home. Bo Nix looks in line to be a Heisman finalist with the way he’s played down the stretch of this season, and will surely want one more big performance to improve his chances. You can view information on the game below.
How to watch Oregon vs. Oregon State
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Channel: FOX, FuboTV (streaming)
Location: Eugene, Ore.
Jake Crain, host of the Crain & Company podcast, joined On3‘s Andy Staples on Monday to break down the game. He believes last year’s result will be on the minds of Ducks players and staff as they try to make sure not to repeat the same mistakes.
“Oregon did not forget,” Crain said. “It’s a rivalry game anyway, but you got beat up in front of your family last year. They got the lead and just got it ran down their throat. You can’t get beat up in front of your wife. You gotta regain your honor. But I’ll tell you this about this Oregon team: the more I wipe my eyes, the more they’re starting to look like an SEC team up front at just the way they go about things. I know they’re trying to win Bo Nix the Heisman and he had eight touchdowns last game.”
Nix has kicked it up a notch over the past couple of weeks with 16 combined touchdowns over his past three games. He has also thrown for at least 350 yards in each of those contests. He currently leads the FBS in completion percentage (78.1%) while also ranking second in passing touchdowns (35).
Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, on the other hand, is coming off of a rough performance in a 22-20 loss to Washington this past week. He completed less than half of his passes while also throwing for two picks and only 164 yards.
Crain doesn’t see him faring much better against an Oregon defense that ranks first in the Pac-12 in passing defense, picking the Ducks to cover.
“DJU, at the end of the day, is who DJU is,” he said. “DJU is an average thrower of the ball. He misses a lot of routine throws. He’ll make some great plays. He’ll shake a couple of tackles, make some throws. But he’s not consistent. That’s what cost Oregon State. …I love Oregon in this game. I feel like Oregon can stop the run and defensively, DJU is not gonna have success just like Joe Milton didn’t have success against Georgia being able to throw the ball consistently against this team.
“On the other hand, Oregon State’s defense has struggled in big moments this year and even in moments against offenses that weren’t great. Oregon is as dangerous as any team in the country when it comes to playing complimentary football and they’re trying to win Bo Nix the Heisman. If you want to look at the difference in hitting that 13.5 or maybe just a bit under, they’re trying to win this man the Heisman. There’s literally billboards all over the country and in Time Square. I think Oregon rolls in this one.”
Staples had no argument, saying he also likes Oregon to come away with the win against Oregon State. With Nix and the offense rolling the way they have, it seems there’s little that can slow them down.
Live stream on Fubo! Limited time offer: $40 off Fubo’s Pro, Elite and Premier plans
“I’ll take Oregon to win in this one,” Staples said. “The way Oregon is built right now, they should be able to slow down Oregon State’s run game and Oregon should be able to score however they want to.