The Rose Bowl will have a marquee Pac-12 matchup in Week 8, with the Oregon Ducks taking on the UCLA Bruins. Which side are you taking? Before you give the answer to that and make a bet, check out first our preview of this contest.
Oregon got the job done over the weekend, as the Ducks bested the California Golden Bears at home, 24-17. Anthony Brown was steady under center for Oregon, passing for 244 yards and a touchdown with zero picks on 20/28 completions. Brown isn’t an elite college quarterback, but he’s someone who can get the job done efficiently. He’s also a threat on the ground. Brown rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries in the Cal game. His dual-threat capability will be crucial in loosening up UCLA’s defense. Oregon entered Week 7 16th in the nation with 216.0 rushing yards per game and 23rd with 5.2 yards per carry. Oregon is also a disciplined team that doesn’t give the ball away a lot, relatively speaking, so that should help the Ducks in winning the possession battle against UCLA.
Oregon is 5-3 against the spread in its last eight games against the Bruins, dating back to 2009.
The Bruins picked up another win last Saturday by beating the Washington Huskies on the road, 24-17. They did that on the strength of their rushing attack that was too much for Washington’s defense. Running back Zach Charbonnet carried the rock 21 times for 131 rushing yards, while Dorian Thompson-Robinsonadded 87 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Overall, the Bruins had 237 rushing yards on 40 carries. Expect Charbonnet and Thompson-Robinson to keep on cranking it up on the ground in the next game against Oregon, which isn’t really that stout against the run. The Ducks even surrendered 155 rushing yards on 4.3 yards per carry in their win over California last week. But Thompson-Robinson surely can also make things happen with his arm. He had 183 passing yards and two touchdowns on 21/26 completions against Washington and is behind the Bruins’ air attack that’s averaging 8.6 yards per pass attempt.
The over is 3-0 in UCLA’s last three games as the home team
