The Oregon Ducks are just a few hours away from kicking off a Top 25 showdown as the team heads into Columbus, looking to knock off the Ohio State Buckeyes in a pivotal game in the Playoff and Big Ten race. Both teams are dealing with a ton of injuries, including at the quarterback position, and in a lot of ways, this matchup is going to come down to which coach adapts best to their challenges.
While Ohio State is coming off a loss in their first full game without Julian Sayin, the Ducks aren't getting a ton of respect in this matchup. Oddsmakers have the Buckeyes as the favorites, and most analysts, including the College GameDay crew, are picking Ryan Day's team to pick up the victory on Saturday Afternoon.
College GameDay crew picks clean sweep of the Oregon Ducks
Comedian and Actor Jason Sudeikis joined the College GameDay crew in South Bend for the showdown between the top ranked Miami Hurricanes and No. 11 Notre Dame. When the time came for the crew to make their picks for the Oregon vs. Ohio State game, everyone picked the Buckeyes to beat the Ducks.
Oregon isn't getting a ton of respect coming into this game, and Dan Lanning likely wouldn't have it any other way. Early in the season, Oregon had all the hype in the world, and the team couldn't meet the expectations. As the underdog instead of the team with a target on their back, the team can let it rip.
Dan Lanning is a master motivator, and he'll take any bit of bulletin board material possible to help fire up his team. On Saturday, Lanning will get to point to the GameDay picks, oddsmakers, and just about any national analyst predicting the Buckeyes will win, just because they're coming off of a loss to USC.
This game was supposed to be Dante Moore vs. Julian Sayin, and even at Dylan Raiola vs. Luke Fahey, these rosters are incredibly even. Dan Lanning and Ryan Day have recruited at the highest level year over year, and both rosters are filled with former 5-star recruits and future NFL Draft Picks. Even with backup quarterbacks, both offenses have weapons that can score in a flash and both defenses will limit the big plays.
Ohio State could certainly end up winning Saturday's game, and it wouldn't be much of a surprise given the fact that they're the home team with an incredibly talented roster. The bigger surprise is the fact that the Ducks are getting little to no respect, despite the fact they've already played most of the season without Dante Moore.
The Ducks have started to show flashes of the elite team everyone was hoping to see as the defense is rounding into form, while new playcaller Jay Johnson has elevated the offense. Going on the road and pullig off the upset won't be easy, but the Ducks have the pieces to get the job done.
The Top 25 showdown in Columbus kicks off at 3:30 PM ET or at 12:30 PM for the Oregon fans watching from Eugene. The game will be broadcast on CBS with Brad Nessler, Charles Davis, and Jenny Taft on the call.
Add us as a preferred source on Google