Oregon Ducks (1-0) vs. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
September 11, 2021 12:00 pm EDT
The Line: Ohio State Buckeyes -14 ; Over/Under: -63.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Ohio State Buckeyes meet the Oregon Ducks Saturday in week 2 college football action from Ohio Stadium. Oregon is coming off an opener game versus Fresno State. In that one, the Ducks pulled out a seven-point win. As for Ohio State, they played Minnesota last Thursday, notching a 14-point victory. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Oregon managed to play seven games last fall, resulting in a 4-3 record overall and a 3-2 mark in Pac-12 matchups. The Ducks posted a win over USC 31-24 in the Pac-12 Championship Game, then fell to Iowa State 34-17 in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the 2021 opener versus Fresno State, the Ducks took a 21-13 edge into halftime and held on for a 31-24 win. Oregon QB Anthony Brown managed 172 yards with a TD, and CJ Verdell added 74 yards and a score from 18 carries.
Over on the Buckeyes’ side, they rolled to a 7-1 record overall last year and finished 5-0 in the Big Ten. Ohio State beat Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game then took out Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes lost to Alabama in the CFP National Championship however.
In the first game of the 2021 season versus Minnesota, the Buckeyes took a 45-31 victory. Quarterback CJ Stroud had a nice game with 294 yards, four touchdowns and one pick. Miyan Williams rushed for 125 yards and a score, while Chris Olave hauled in four grabs for 117 yards and two TDs.
The Ducks are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five versus the Big Ten and 5-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record. Oregon is 7-16-1 ATS in their last 24 in September and 3-8 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.
Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are 4-0-1 ATS in their last five in September and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five as a favorite. Ohio State is 1-3-1 ATS in their last five on turf and 1-5 ATS in their last six at home.
PICK: I’m going to take a stab on the Ducks here. Oregon had some issues with Fresno State here and there in the opener, giving up 298 passing yards and 23 first downs. The Ducks were 9-of-19 on third and fourth downs and averaged 4.9 yards per play.
As for Ohio State, they generated 495 yards of offense in their week one win, averaging a whopping 10.3 yards per play. The Buckeyes held the ball for just 21:19 and were quite efficient for most of the game on that side of the ball. Still, I think Oregon can stay within a reasonable distance here if they slow the game down.
