College Football ATS Picks - Oregon at Wyoming Game Preview

The Oregon Ducks had many a college football bettor bent out of shape last week after it dropped 42 points on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the first half, but went scoreless the rest of the way costing those that wagered on them what looked to be a sure-fire ticket cash. They’ll now set their sights on Heisman Hopeful Josh Allen and the Wyoming Cowboys who already failed miserably once this season when matched up against an opponent with a pulse. That game took place on the road however, and not at home where the Cowboys have won nine of their last 11 games.

Watch this regular season Week 3 matchup live on Saturday, September 16, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at War Memorial Stadium. This game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.

College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu

Oregon -14
Wyoming +14
O/U 69

Odds Analysis

The betting line for this Pac-12/Mountain West clash originally opened with the Ducks installed 14-point favorites. For a very brief moment, the number to beat went down to -13.5 but was quickly bet back up to a two touchdown spread. The betting handle currently has nearly 78 percent riding the visiting Ducks which is a bit surprising considering Oregon hasn’t been installed a road chalk of this magnitude since 2014.

The total took a precipitous drop from its 69-point opener. Since then, a full touchdown has been carved off with it currently sitting at 62. The betting action is about 50/50, so that tells me a few whales came in with large wagers to plummet the original offering. Each of Wyoming’s first two games combined to go under.

Player to Watch

NFL scouts are sure to be in attendance for this one to see just how well Josh Allen fares against a Pac-12 defense. Through two games, the Junior has thrown for 502 yards and only a 2:2 TD/INT ratio. On top of that, he’s only completed 62.5 percent of his passes and looked terrible against Iowa’s defense in Wyoming’s season opener. The Hawkeyes kept him out of the end zone and picked him off twice.

He bounced back nicely last week against Gardner Webb throwing for 328 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes, but the Bulldogs defense pales in comparison to the athleticism the Ducks will bring to the field on Saturday night. Another poor showing, and Allen can kiss his slim Heisman hopes goodbye.

Matchup to Watch

Oregon has marched one of the more balanced offensive attacks onto the gridiron through the first two weeks. Quarterback Justin Herbert has led the team to an average of 360 passing yards per game ( No. 14 ), while running back Royce Freeman has lent a hand in the unit averaging nearly 275 yards per game on the ground ( No. 17 ).

Wyoming has only conceded an average of 73.5 yards per game through the air ( No. 3 ), but is yet to oppose a passing attack quite like Oregon’s. However, the matchup to keep an eye on in this contest is how the Cowboys defend Freeman and company with the defense conceding over 155 rushing yards per game ( No. 83 ). It allowed Iowa’s Akrum Wadley to average 4.8 yards on his 24 carries, and if the stop unit allows Oregon to run wild in this one, they’ll have no shot of winning let alone sticking within the lofty impost.

Free ATS Pick

This will be the Ducks first trip away from Eugene this season which isn’t a good thing considering its only managed 1-5 straight up and 1-4-1 against the spread records in its last six as visitors. Granted, all of those games were played against Pac-12 or Big Ten opponents, but it’s something to keep in mind. On the flipside, Wyoming has played .818 ball in its last 11 home games and covered nine of those games against the closing spread. All but one of those games were won and covered when installed underdogs. Most have soured on Allen due to his recent play against upper echelon opponents out of conference. There is talent there however, and it’s now or never for him to make a lasting impression. Look for the Cowboys to find a way to limit Oregon’s offense and for Allen to come up with a number of big plays to keep this one interesting.

College Football Odds: Ducks 38, Cowboys 30

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