Week 4: Ducks vs Cougars Picks
Week 4 college betting action sees the No. 2 Oregon Ducks taking on the Washington State Cougars in Pullman, Wash. Cappers Picks provides free college football handicapping tips all season long.
When you’re facing the Ducks, the best strategy is to keep their offense off the field. That’s what the Cougars will try and do in this one; although no team has been able to do that yet this season.
College Football Odds
#2 Oregon Ducks (3-0) vs. Washington State (1-2)
Saturday, September 20
10:30 PM ET
Martin Stadium
ESPN
College Football Betting Lines: Oregon -23.5
O/U: 75
***2014 CFB BONUSES***
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Oregon
Typically when you have a good team that is undefeated in Week 3, we can point to one caveat to support wagers against them: strength of schedule. Usually we can claim that the true contenders haven’t played anyone of significance at this point in the year, but you can’t make that claim with this year’s Oregon Ducks.
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Entering Pac-12 play against Washington State, the Ducks are coming off a 48-14 victory over Wyoming. However, it was the 46-27 win over then-No. 7 Michigan State that has defined this group early in the season.
So far, the Ducks are scoring 52 points per contest. That number is good enough for fifth in the nation, and it is complemented by the fact that they’re 27th in points allowed, as they’re giving up just 18 points per game.
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Although this team has a three-headed rushing attack with Byron Marshall, Thomas Tyner and Royce Freeman (four-headed if you include quarterback Marcus Mariota — and you should), it’s the passing game that has been most effective against defenses. The team is gaining 243 yards per contest on the ground (29th), while it’s gaining 330.3 yards per contest throgh the air (18th).
Washington State
The Washington State Cougars lost their first two contests of the year to Rutgers (Week 1) and Nevada (Week 2), but it is coming off a Week 3 win over the Portland State Vikings.
Portland State isn’t worth much recognition, but a 59-21 win is impressive regardless of whom you’re playing.
The hope here is that the Cougars can take some of that offensive momentum and translate it to its contest against a college football playoff contender.
Despite rushing for just 40 yards per contest (by design — the 126th-best mark in the nation), it stands atop the rankings in passing yards with 517 per game.
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Although those passing yards are translating to 36.7 points per contest, you’d like to see the team higher than 47th in the nation in that category considering it’s 89th in points allowed.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends:
- ORE are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 road games.
- ORE are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
- Over is 29-12-2 in ORE last 43 games in September.
- Over is 21-7-1 in WSU last 29 games on fieldturf.
- Over is 8-3-1 in WSU last 12 games overall.
- Over is 36-14-1 in WSU last 51 games in September.
Week 4 NCAA Football
The point spread is high, but that doesn’t usually mean much for the Ducks. They’re winning games by an average of 34 points per game this season, and that’s with a one-time contender in the Michigan State Spartans on the schedule.
Free NCAA Betting Pick 4* Oregon -23.5
Give this one to the Ducks, and give it to them by a favorable margin.
Check out our Updated College Football Week 4 Odds.
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