NCAA Football
2021-10-02 - Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Week 5
Saturday 2nd October 2021 - Scheduled 3:30pm
8:30pm (British Time)
Preview
A big road win at the Ohio State Buckeyes means the Oregon Ducks (4-0) are going to be very high up on the list of potential College Football PlayOff teams as long as they remain focused on games as they come. They are the favourites to win the Pac-12 and if they can do that unbeaten, Oregon are surely going to be playing in the final four of the 2021 season.
The next challenge in front of them is a game against the Stanford Cardinal (2-2) who have been very hard to read from week to week and who are coming in off a defeat to the UCLA Bruins. They have upset the USC Trojans already this season and that is the kind of result that has to give the Ducks plenty of reason to be focused on the task at hand.
They have earned fewer yards than their opponent in three of the four games played this season though and Stanford are going to find it very difficult against the Ducks, even though they are hosting this game. It does feel like the Cardinal do not match up Offensively with the Oregon Defensive unit and that is going to be an issue for them in Week 5.
It is clear that the Cardinal need to run the ball effectively if they are going to set up the rest of their Offensive game plan, but Stanford's Offensive Line will struggle against Oregon up front. The Ducks, on the other hand, have had issues defending the pass as teams have been forced to play keep up with them, but I am not convinced that Tanner McKee has the consistency to expose Oregon in this one.
The Quarter Back will likely have some pressure around him if the Cardinal are not able to establish the run and I think that will give Oregon an opportunity to put another statement road win in the books.
Moving the ball should be something that Oregon are able to do throughout this game and that is because they are likely to have a lot more balance with their Offensive play-calling. The key is the Oregon Offensive Line which has opened up some big holes up front and this Stanford Defensive Line is not of the level we have come to expect from this school.
The Ducks have been moving the ball on the ground really well and they should be able to get CJ Verdell going against a Stanford team that have allowed 5.4 yards per carry. Being set up in third and manageable spots is the key for the Oregon Ducks who can then use play-action to expose the Secondary and continue putting up some big Offensive numbers.
With little pass rush pressure, Oregon should be able to have a very strong day on the Offensive side of the ball and they can maintain their unbeaten start to the 2021 season.
The favourite has covered in five in a row in this series and I do think the Oregon Ducks can extend that run even with this big spread in mind.
You would think there will be plenty of motivation in the Stanford Cardinal locker room when they see how much they have been written off by the oddsmakers, but they are 1-4 against the spread in their last five as the home underdog. That includes dropping a game in that spot last week against the UCLA Bruins and Oregon should have enough here.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road favourite.
The Pick :
Stanford Cardinal 20-31 Oregon Ducks
