Oregon at Washington State

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the No.3 ranked Oregon Ducks will go on the road to take on the struggling Washington State Cougars. The Ducks improved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive come from behind win over Stanford last week, while the Cougars dropped their third straight, losing at UCLA 42-28. Oregon has won three straight over the Cougars and nine of the last 12. Last year the Ducks crushed the Cougars on their home field 52-6. The oddsmakers are calling for another monster blowout for Oregon in this one, as the current college football odds have the Ducks favored by 36-points over the Cougars on the road.

Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Pac-10): In my opinion the Ducks are the most entertaining team in college football to watch, and I was very impressed with the way this team battled back against Stanford last week. I had my concerns that the Ducks would struggle to win if they got behind early, but they trailed 21-3 after the first quarter, and by halftime they were down just 31-24. The Ducks offense kept rolling in the second half, as they piled on 28 more points, while the defense didn’t allow a single point in the second half. After five games the Ducks are averaging ridiculous numbers on the offensive side of the football, as they lead the nation averaging nearly 57 points a game and average 569 yards of total offense.

In last weeks game against the Cardinal, quarterback Darron Thomas threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, plus added another 117 yards and a score on the ground. Running back LaMichael James was outstanding on the ground, rushing for 257 yards and three touchdowns, James who missed the first game of the season, now has 712 yards in just four starts. Outside of the first quarter, the defense really played well against a very good Stanford offense, and I think this unit is a very underrated considering how often they have to go on the field and just how good the offense has been so far this season.

Washington State (1-4, 0-2 Pac-10): I was actually surprised at how well the Cougars played last week on the road against a red hot UCLA team, as they actually held a 28-20 lead over the Bruins in the third quarter, but the defense continued to let up points and the offense lost its rhythm. It was the most points the Cougars have scored all season, and they still lost by 14 points. The offense can’t run the football and the defense can’t stop anyone if their lives depended on it.

The Cougars would be in big trouble if it wasn’t for sophomore quarterback Jeff Tuel, who has really looked good despite playing on a very bad football team. Tuel threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns against the Bruins last week, and has 1,233 yards and eight scores on the season, not bad considering the Cougars are averaging just 86 yards a game on the ground. Tuel will have his hands full against a fast and good Oregon defense this weekend. The Cougars have managed to score just 27 points combined in their last three games against the Ducks.

Looking at the Odds: I know a lot of people really don’t like to lay money on huge spreads, but this is one game where you have to step up and put your money on Oregon to cover the 36-point spread. The Ducks have won by an average of 47 points the past three games against the Cougars, and this might be the best team they have had yet. My final score prediction is Oregon 59, Washington State 13.

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