Buffaloes vs Ducks NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The Oregon Ducks fell one spot in the BCS this week to No. 4, but their play on their field has given many around the country reason to believe that they are one of the best two teams in all of college football.
Week nine’s matchup between the Ducks and the Colorado Buffaloes will be a battle between one program that may have the best team in the country, and another program that is arguably the worst in the NCAA.
Colorado Buffaloes (1-6) vs No. 4 Oregon Ducks (7-0)
Saturday October 27, 2012
Autzen Stadium, EUGENE, ORE
3:00 PM ET
Moneyline: OFF
Spread: Oregon 45.5 from GTBets.eu
O/U: 68.5
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Colorado Buffaloes
The Colorado Buffaloes are just 1-6 on the season, and their only win of the year came Sept. 22 against a rebuilding Washington State Cougars program. The team from Boulder, Colo. has struggled on both sides of the ball, and things are only getting tougher as they head to No. 4 Oregon this weekend.
Offensively, this team has been about as stagnant as it comes. As the 73rd best passing team and the 109th best running team, the Buffaloes are scoring just 18.7 points per game (113th in the nation).
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Quarterback Jordan Webb has thrown seven interceptions to just eight touchdowns this year, and they don’t have a single tailback with more than 350 yards on the season.
Defensively, this team has had even more struggles. They are nearly dead-last in the nation in points allowed (42.6 per game), and they only have one game all year where they held an opponent under 30 points. Stopping the Ducks this weekend should be their biggest test yet, which is saying something considering they gave up 50 points and six passing touchdowns last week to USC and Heisman hopeful Matt Barkley.
Oregon Ducks
The Oregon Ducks are averaging the second-most points in college football this season (51.0 per game), and their ability to attack on the ground is where they thrive week in and week out.
Kenjon Barner has been a workhorse for the Ducks in 2012. Through seven games, he has carried the ball nearly as many times as he did all last season. With 870 yards on the year, he already has a career-high 12 touchdowns and is averaging 6.6 yards per carry. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Barner had a huge impact on last week’s win over Utah, but we also saw quarterback Marcus Mariota take chances down field that we hadn’t seen all season. The Buffaloes allow a ridiculously high 316.6 yards per game through the air, so we may see an expansion of last week’s game plan against Colorado this Saturday.
Oregon is going to have a field day with Colorado’s defense, and quite frankly, this matchup should be about as one-sided as it gets. The only variable here to consider is, when will the Ducks pull their starters and let off the gas?
If any team in the country is going to get blown out this week, it’s the Buffaloes at Autzen Stadium, but it’s become expected that the Ducks let teams improve their scores late in games as a result of their starters hitting the bench.
Trends
Over is 5-1 in Ducks last 6 games following a ATS win.
Over is 12-3-1 in Ducks last 16 home games vs. a team with a losing road record.
Over is 4-1 in Buffaloes last 5 games on fieldturf.
O/U Pick: Over 68.5
Score Prediction: Oregon 55 – Colorado 17
