Oregon Football: 3 bold predictions for battle with No. 3 Ohio State

Oregon's Kris Hutson, left, and CJ Verdell celebrate Verdell's touchdown against Fresno State during the first quarter.Eug 090421 Duckfb 09
Oregon's Kris Hutson, left, and CJ Verdell celebrate Verdell's touchdown against Fresno State during the first quarter.Eug 090421 Duckfb 09
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Sep 4, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) carries the ball for a touchdown during the second half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks won the game 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2021; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown (13) carries the ball for a touchdown during the second half against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks won the game 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

1. Oregon will cover, at the very least

Everyone and their mother is picking Ohio State to cover the 16.5-point spread, that you can find on WynnBET, and I think that’s kind of ridiculous given the fact that neither team looked unbeatable in their opener.

Ohio State struggled a bit with Minnesota on the road while Oregon needed a fourth-quarter field goal and touchdown to sneak past Fresno State.

The Buckeyes are one of the best teams in the country but Oregon also needs to be in that category, based solely on talent level. The opening performance of both teams could have been attributed to looking ahead to Week 2 and I’m not going to put any stock in either team’s struggles. I think we’ll see what these two are made of on Saturday afternoon in Columbus.

I think that this one will be much closer than people think and the Ducks will have a chance to pull off the major upset on the road in the fourth quarter, but Ohio State’s defense steps up to shut the door.

Oregon covers the spread in this one and makes this one a one-score game before the final whistle. The Ducks will gain some respect from this one, especially if Kayvon Thibodeaux is healthy.

Schedule

Schedule