The Oregon Ducks are dreaming of a possible BCS Championship berth, but emerging Pac-12 power UCLA are coming to town to test their championship credentials.
This will be the two schools’ first meeting since the inaugural Pac-12 championship game in 2011, which Oregon won 49-31.
Betting on College Football: UCLA Bruins vs Oregon Ducks
UCLA Bruins vs. Oregon Ducks Game Details:
When: 7:00 PM ET, October 26, 2013
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
UCLA vs. Oregon Odds:
Money: Off
Spread: UCLA (+23) vs. Oregon (-23)
Totals: O/U: 70.5
Betting on the UCLA Bruins
The Jim Mora Jr. era is only a year and a half old, but it has been a rousing success thus far. In Year 1, Mora’s Bruins reclaimed the Victory Bell over bitter rivals USC to clinch the Pac-12 South title, and in Year 2 UCLA won its first five games of the season. [sc:NCAA240banner ]
That unbeaten run came to an end last week when UCLA fell to Stanford 24-10. Sophomore QB Brett Hundley threw two interceptions as the Bruins offense produced only 266 total yards.
Despite the setback, Mora’s squad has shown tremendous improvement from last year, particularly on defense. From allowing 416 yards and 27.6 points a game last season, the Bruins defense is now allowing just 357 yards and 19 points a game, good for 3rd and 2nd in the Pac-12; they haven’t allowed more than 27 points in a game all season. The Stanford game aside, UCLA’s offense is also averaging a healthy 40 points and 500 total yards per contest.
UCLA is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last 6 games, but its defense will have its hands full against the prolific Oregon offense. Can the Bruins ruin the Ducks’ national title hopes?
Apparently Chip Kelly doesn’t have a patent on Oregon’s incredible offense. Despite Kelly’s departure to the NFL, the Ducks haven’t missed a beat with new head coach Mark Helfrich. The 7-0 Ducks rank second in the nation in both total offense (643.1 yards per game) and scoring (57.6 points per game). Oregon has scored at least 45 points in each of its first seven games of the season.
At the center of the Oregon offense’s success is Marcus Mariota. The dual-threat quarterback has put himself in the Heisman discussion with a remarkable year thus far, averaging 363 yards of total offense with 28 touchdowns (19 passing, 9 rushing) this season. He has also gone a record 265 attempts without an interception.
Oregon also boasts the 2nd best rushing attack (332 yards/game) led by sophomore RB Byron Marshall, who rushed for a career-high 192 yards in a 62-38 win against Washington State last week. And despite all the publicity on their offense, the Oregon defense actually leads the Pac-12 in points allowed (only 17.3 per game).
The Ducks can further improve upon their #3 BCS ranking with another impressive win against #12 UCLA. Oregon is 5-1 SU in its last 6 home games against UCLA.
