After pulling off a dominant win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Oregon Ducks get to turn their attention to the team on the other side of the game as they host the Michigan Wolverines. Heading into the season, many expected this to be a showdown between College Football Playoff hopefuls, but the Wolverines have been a mess this season.
The Wolverines head into this game with a 5-4 record, losing 4 of their last 6, and they're coming off of an abysmal showing against Michigan State. Michigan's offense was so bad on Saturday Night that they fired offensive coordinator Jason Beck on Sunday after the unit only scored 6 points with a garbage time touchdown in the final two minutes.
The game isn't going to be one of the biggest spotlight games of the weekend, but it's very important to the Ducks as they look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Oregon opens as big favorite over reeling Michigan
As of Monday Morning, the Oregon Ducks open as 10.5 point favorites (-106) over the Michigan Wolverines (-114), according to the FanDuel Sportsbook. The Ducks are -410 favorites to win the game, while the Wolverines are +320 underdogs to win the game. The points total is set at just 40.5 points with Michigan firing OC Jason Beck, and both teams boasting strong defenses.
All odds and lines are subject to change
Seeing the Ducks as a two-possession favorite does not come as a surprise given the direction of the two teams and the most recent results. Oregon just went on the road to Columbus, and played arguably their best game of the season, scoring 41 points on the Buckeyes and emptying out The Shoe. Michigan, on the other hand, lost a game where they didn't allow a touchdown, as the offense has been abysmal.
While Michigan is reeling and seemingly has no answer on offense, Oregon can't afford to come into this game riding high after the Ohio State win and writing off the Wolverines. The offensive coordinator change might spark the Michigan offense, and it really can't get much worse than what they just put on film. The Wolverines' defense has been playing at an elite level and could easily create issues for the Ducks' offense.
At this point in the season, simply winning games might not be enough as the Ducks should be looking to add style points. Beating this team by as many points as possible and leaving no doubt should only help the resume, whereas a close battle where the Ducks don't look great could end up having a negative impact.
Dan Lanning is doing one of the best coaching jobs of his career right now, and he'll certainly have the team ready to send another message in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks are trending in the right direction, but it's all about finishing, and the coaching staff will be sure to drive home that the job is far from finished at this point.
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