The season hasn’t gone according to plan for Oregon and Arizona State. With Pac-12 championship expectations and national contender status all but gone, the two are now playing for bowl eligibility. The start of the post-Marcus Mariota era hasn’t gone well for the Ducks, who are beatable this season, and that’s good news for the Sun Devils, who haven’t defeated Oregon since the 2004 season, dropping eight straight games in the series going 2-6 ATS.
ODDS
The game opened as a toss-up with the line quickly wagered to Arizona State -1. There could be plenty of movement on the spread before game time. ASU is 1-3 ATS at home this season and just 2-7 ATS overall in its last nine. The Ducks are 3-0 ATS on the road. The total had yet to hit the board as of this writing.
KEY MISMATCH
A staple of the Oregon Ducks over the past several years has been the big play talent of its stars on offense and special teams. While that hasn’t changed this season, it’s Arizona State with the most dynamic special teams player in the Pac-12 this season. The Ducks need to be on the lookout for ASU’s Tim White on kick returns. The 5-foot-11, 185-poind receiver has been a consistent bright spot on special teams for the Sun Devils, returning kicks for a Pac-12 leading 31.9 yards, the fourth-highest average in FBS. In ASU’s last game, a loss at Utah on Oct. 17, White returned four kickoffs for an average of 42.3 yards, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown. Against UCLA on Oct. 3, White had a 63-yard return and amassed 129 yards on three returns for an average of 43 yards per return. Oregon’s return coverage allows 22.9 yard per kickoff to rank ninth in the Pac-12 and 99th out of 128 teams nationally.
KEY STAT
36.0 – Points per game allowed by Oregon. The Ducks rank last in the Pac-12 and 110th nationally, and have surrendered at least 20 points in every game. Arizona State scores 29.1 points per game, but has been held to fewer than 20 three times.
BETTING ANGLE
The Ducks put all their eggs in the basket of Vernon Adams Jr. at the beginning of the year and several of those eggs busted when the transfer from Eastern Washington broke a finger in a loss at Michigan State in Week 2. Adams’ missed time due to the injury played a major role in Oregon’s fall from elite status. But the Ducks rallied to beat Washington last week in Adams’ return and still have an outside chance at the Pac-12 North with a game at Stanford coming up in two weeks. While the Oregon allure isn’t quite as strong this season, the up-tempo style of the Ducks speed-oriented offense is much more efficient with Adams at the helm rather than Jeff Lockie or redshirt sophomore Taylor Alie. Adams showed some rust in a win over Washington, but was nearly perfect when it counted most. He had some extra time to fully recover from the finger injury and has another weapon in receiver Darren Carrington back at his disposal. The teams haven’t played since 2012, but the Ducks are riding an eight-game win streak in the series.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Both teams had extra time to prepare and rest so there’s little advantage for either side in that regard. ASU’s hasn’t really clicked offensively this season, ranking 69th nationally with 29.1 points per game, while its defense gives up 27.3, all of which leaves a slim margin for error. Oregon’s defense has been a mess all year but the unit made some strides in its last game, permitting just 385 yards to Washington after allowing 1,171 yards combined in the previous two. The return of Adams allowed Oregon’s offense to have a big night against the Pac-12’s best defense and getting Carrington back in the lineup boosts the receiving corps. And there’s Royce Freeman, who leads the conference in rushing with 142.4 yards per game. The Ducks have their weapons back and the defense can do enough to limit Marc Bercovici and ASU’s offense to get the road win.
Oregon 31, Arizona State 28
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the game opened as a pick em with the total off the board. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Oregon Ducks and Arizona State Sun Devils square off on Thursday, October 29, 2015, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Sun Devil Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
