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Oregon Ducks 2014 NCAA Football Gambling Odds & Predictions

2014-15 Football Previews – (Pac-12) – Ducks

Mark Helfrich’s first year as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks was excellent in many respects. He won 11 games, made it to a bowl game and competed for a Pac-12 title the entire season.

Pac-12 Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews: UO (Link)
Head Coach: Mark Helfrich
2013 Record: 11-2
Oregon Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: 8/1
Oregon Gambling Odds to win Pac-12 North Division: 1/2
Oregon Gambling Odds to win Pac-12 Conference: 6/5

Unfortunately, in the eyes of Ducks fans who have become accustomed to elite performances, the aforementioned narrative read more like this: two losses, missed out on a BCS game (for the first time since Chip Kelly took over) and lost a late-season game to Arizona that took away a shot at a conference title and a showcase in the Rose Bowl.

While the year was a step down from what coach Kelly had done the previous four seasons, the fact that fans were “disappointed” was more a testament to how good this program is supposed to be, and far from an indictment on how it played.

The Ducks put together an incredibly strong season, and if it hadn’t been for a bum knee that Marcus Mariota had at the end of the year, we’d likely be talking about a team that had just gone to the Rose Bowl, or maybe even a national championship.

Team Strengths:

First and foremost, look at the man behind center. As it was just mentioned, if it hadn’t been for Mariota’s health at the end of 2013, we’d likely be discussing a team coming off of a performance in its fifth-straight BCS Bowl game.

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With Mariota looking healthy entering 2014, Oregon has a legitimate Heisman candidate at quarter. Remember that fluke interception he threw in the late-season contest against Arizona? That was his first pick in over an entire calendar year. This is a redshirt junior who is not only a dual-threat, but he’s a multi-faceted playmaker who simply doesn’t make mistakes.

In the backfield, Oregon will be featuring Byron Marshall at tailback, but there will be another dangerous weapon (potentially even more dangerous) in Thomas Tyner. The two-headed monster creates for a much more traditional tailback tandem than anything used in recent years with De’Anthony Thomas, and it will give the Ducks the obvious offensive edge almost every time it takes the field.

Although defense won’t be what the Ducks are known for this season, they’re beyond grateful for Ifo Ekpre-Olomu’s decision to return for his senior season. He is going to be arguably the best in the country at his position, and he’s going to be a ball-hawk.

Team Weaknesses:

While this group won’t have many weaknesses in 2014, there are two main things to consider. First, while we’re still on the topic of defense, is the fact that Oregon has had troubles over the past few seasons stopping bigger, pro-style offenses; namely Stanford and any similar style out of conference.
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The Ducks have a couple of big, young players up front in DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead, but turning potential into production is going to be the primary goal.

Switching back to offense, wide receivers have to be a concern. The group is young and inexperienced, and unfortunately, top option Bralon Addison is out for the year with a torn ACL.

Simply put: It’s a good thing Mariota is as phenomenal as he is.

2013-14 Oregon Football Prediction: 10-1

The Oregon Ducks only have 11 games on their schedule this season, as they’ve opted into only two matchups with non-conference opponents. One of those non-conference foes, however, is powerhouse Michigan State.

With Michigan State on the schedule early and Stanford on the docket in November, it’s only fair to assume the Ducks drop one of those. Both are at home, however, give Oregon the advantage in each one.

Teams such as UCLA and possibly even Arizona could give the Ducks trouble, and you never know exactly what to expect with Washington. Then again, the Ducks only need to be in the top four at the end of the year to make the first-ever College Football Playoffs, and chances are, we’ll see that be the case when the season comes to a close.

2014 Oregon Schedule

  • Sat., Aug 30 vs. South Dakota
  • Sat., Sept. 6 vs. Michigan State
  • Sat., Sept. 20 @ Washington State
  • Thursday, Oct. 2 vs. Arizona
  • Sat., Oct. 11 @ UCLA
  • Sat., Oct. 18 vs. Washington
  • Fri., Oct. 24 @ Cal
  • Sat., No. 1 vs. Stanford
  • Sat., No. 8 @ Utah
  • Sat., Nov. 22 vs. Colorado
  • Sat., Nov. 29 @ Oregon State

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Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"