2012 College Football Picks: Washington @ Oregon Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 10/6/2012

2012 College Football Picks: Washington @ Oregon Vegas Odds and Predictions – Free College Football Picks 10/6/2012: When the 23rd-ranked Washington Huskies (3-1) travel to Eugene this Saturday to face the second-ranked Oregon Ducks (5-0), control of the Pac-12 North will be up for grabs. Of course, the Ducks have a little more to play for considering they are in position to play for a national title, but Washington needs to win as well if it wants to prove that the program is truly on its way to becoming a factor once again. Fresh off an upset of eighth-ranked Stanford, Washington does have reason to be confident. However, the high-scoring Ducks are 25-point favorites at home.

The game is truly a battle between Oregon offense and Washington’s defense. The Huskies are allowing just under 20 points per game this year, while the Ducks rank sixth in rushing yards and are fourth in the country in scoring, averaging 52.4 points per game. Washington, on the other hand, has been miserable offensively. The Huskies actually rank outside the top 100 in both rushing yards and passing yards. Recent history doesn’t bode well for Washington. When the Huskies played third-ranked LSU the second week of the season, they lost by 38. Meanwhile, Oregon trounced the 22nd ranked Arizona Wildcats 49-0 a few weeks ago.

Washington Wins If:

Quarterback Keith Price is the team’s best player, and he will have to play the game of his life to get Washington past the Ducks. He will have to hit every big play and make plays with both his arm and his legs. In short, he will have to be Superman for Washington. More importantly, the stout Washington defense will have to make every tackle and create a few turnovers along the way. After all, one missed tackle against the Ducks can lead to six points. At the end of the day, Washington will have to deliver a flawless performance on both sides of the ball.

Oregon Wins If:

Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas are two of the fastest and most explosive players in the country, and Chip Kelly has transformed the Ducks into an offensive juggernaut. A bad day for Oregon is a 30-point output, and provided the offense doesn’t self-destruct with a rash of turnovers, the Ducks are going to score their share of points against Washington. Granted, the Oregon defense is just average, but against a Huskies’ offense that has topped 21 points just once in 2012, the Ducks just have to avoid a meltdown to keep the Washington offense in check. Basically, Oregon wins the game as long as they keep the mistakes to a minimum and play a typical game.

Bottom Line:

Washington’s defense has been solid this season, but the Huskies did surrender 41 points to the power running game of LSU. While their defense did hold Stanford to just 13 points, there is a huge difference between shutting down the straight ahead running game of the Cardinal and slowing the ultra-fast spread-option attack of the Ducks. Throw in the fact that the Huskies have only topped 21 points against Portland State this season, and it seems very unlikely that they can keep pace against the Ducks. On the road against the offensive superpower that is Oregon, Washington will get overwhelmed.

Prediction: Oregon Ducks (-24) Cover the Spread 

Washington @ Oregon Vegas Odds and Total
Line: Oregon -24
Total: Over/Under 64
Television: 10:30 PM EST on ESPN

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