The college football regular season is winding down, and this time of year is all about jockeying for position in the race for the College Football Playoff. After entering the weekend ranked 16th in the College Football Playoff Top 25, the Oregon Ducks should continue their climb up the rankings, but the team still has plenty of work to make the field.
Next on the schedule for the Ducks is a showdown with the Michigan State Spartans in Pat Fitzgerald's first season leading the program. At 3-7 on the season with a 1-6 record in league play, the Spartans have had a rough season, and just simply beating Michigan State won't be enough to create movement for the Ducks in the rankings.
Oregon opens as big favorite over rebuilding Michigan State
As of Sunday Afternoon, the Oregon Ducks open as 13.5 point favorites (-110) over the Michigan State Spartans (-110), according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. The Ducks are -500 favorites to win the game, while the Spartans are +385 underdogs to pull off the upset. The points total is set at just 44.5 points despite the Oregon offense finding their groove under interim play caller Jay Johnson.
All odds and lines are subject to change
Given how large the spread is for this game, it sets the tone that Oregon can't afford to just win this game, the Ducks need to win with some style points. Michigan State is one of the worst teams in the conference, but they've played some close games, and blowing them out could move the needle with the committee.
If the Ducks are going to make the Playoff as an at-large team, Oregon is going to have to be viewed as better than several other 3 loss teams, and every piece matters in the equation. Continuing to show that this offense can be elite after firing Drew Mehringer, and continuing to shut down opposing offenses, could only make it more appealing for the committee to boost the team.
At the end of the day, it's all going to come down to how much help Oregon gets from other teams, as upsets still need to play out to give this team a chance to make the field. The Big Ten Championship Game hopes are slim, and that leaves Oregon looking at the CFP Top 25, and hoping that some of the teams ranked ahead of the Ducks get picked off over the final two weeks.
Michigan State hosts Oregon on Friday, November 20th at 5:00 PM PT or 8:00 PM ET for fans watching on the East Coast or traveling to the game. The game will be broadcast on Fox.
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