Hefty Spread no Issue for No. 6 Oregon vs Arizona State

· Nov 16 - 5 minutes read

The Oregon Ducks’ reign of terror continues through college football this weekend in a matchup with the Arizona State Sun Devils. The magnitude of how impressive Oregon has been was apparent to those who may not have even seen the Ducks at the time the college football spreads for the week were released.

Road games in any conference, and specifically the Pac-12 can be a daunting task, but Oregon enters this matchup as a 24-point favorite. The Ducks have been rolling through the season with the lone exception being a three-point loss to the No. 5-ranked Washington Huskies.

Hefty Spread no Issue for No. 6 Oregon vs Arizona State

It’s been a tough season for Arizona State, which now sits at 3-7 even after a solid road victory against the UCLA Bruins last week. The Sun Devils held the Bruins to just three points, and they’ve had some impressive showings, including falling to Washington 15-7 on the road in a game where they nearly pulled off a massive upset as huge underdogs, according to the Las Vegas college football odds.

One important note is that Arizona State could also get quarterback Jaden Rashada back after he missed roughly two months due to an injury.

Can Arizona State Slow One of the Nation’s Best Offenses?

Oregon has been a machine offensively, racking up an average of 541 yards per game – 338.7 through the air and 202.3 on the ground. The Ducks have offensive weapons spread across the offense, starting with quarterback Bo Nix, who’s thrown for 3,135 yards and 29 touchdowns with just two interceptions this season.

Nix is currently the favorite in the Heisman Trophy odds. His two top wide receivers, Troy Franklin (60 catches, 1,093 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Tez Johnson (53 catches, 725 yards, 8 touchdowns), have been able to open up the field with big plays and consistently strong performances.

As for the running game, the duo of Bucky Irving (939 yards, 6.8 YPC) and Jordan James (570 yards, 7.4 YPC) have combined to score 19 touchdowns this season. They’ve taken full advantage of an explosive passing game while also keeping defenses honest with their own dominant play.

Oregon vs Arizona State Best Bet

This is a brutal spot for anyone looking to back Arizona State. The Sun Devils can’t become bowl-eligible even if they win their final two games. While there’s obvious motivation in potentially taking down a top-six team in the nation, Oregon has its motivation as the full-on press for the pursuit of a spot in the College Football Playoff looms large.

While laying the 24 points with Oregon isn’t the worst bet on the board, especially considering the Ducks defeated Cal by 44 points and Utah by 29 in two of the past three weeks, I do like combining this bet with the current projected total in a teaser.

If I were taking the spread, though, I’d roll with the Ducks.

College football Pick: Oregon Ducks -24 (-110)

Oregon vs Arizona State Great Spot for a Teaser

I’m a big backer of spots that make sense to tease a game, and this is one of them. The over/under for this game is set at 54 points, a number which isn’t bad for the matchup. But teasing it with the line down by seven points sets the total at 47 total points needed. Based on recent games from Oregon’s offense, this would likely leave us needing somewhere between 9-12 points from Arizona State, and that’s assuming Oregon doesn’t top 40 here.

I think there’s a chance the Ducks put up 40-plus regardless, but I also don’t think Arizona State’s offense gets shut out in this one. I’ll take the teaser on Oregon and the over.