The Oregon Ducks will attempt to snap a five game losing streak in Week 9 when they return home to the comforts of Eugene where they’ll battle an Arizona State Sun Devils team that’s tumbled down the Pac-12 South standings after incurring back-to-back losses to conference upstarts Colorado and Washington State the last couple weeks. The heat under Mark Helfrich’s behind could subside this week with the Ducks winning each of the last nine overall meetings. Then again, maybe not…
Watch this regular season Week 9 matchup live on Saturday, October 29, 2016, at 5 p.m. ET at Autzen Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona State +7.5
Oregon -7.5
Odds Analysis
Linemakers don’t think highly of Todd Graham’s Sun Devils whatsoever. Even though the Ducks are looking to snap a five game losing streak and secure their first Pac-12 win of the season, Oregon has been installed decided 7.5 point favorites to win this game. A surprising opener to say the least.
Maybe it has something to do with Oregon showing a pulse last week in a 52-49 overtime defeat at Cal. Throw in ASU’s poor road showings in conference play, and a case can no doubt be made for the Ducks being the favored side. Early action has however come in on the visitors with just over 71 percent of the tickets written backing the Sun Devils.
Player to Watch
The Sun Devils are giving up an average of 386.1 passing yards per game. That output ranks them out as the absolute worst defense in the country when it comes to stopping opposing passing games. Luke Falk just ripped them for 398 yards and three touchdowns. The week before that, Colorado’s Sefo Liufau completed 23 of 31 passes for 265 yards. Pac-12 offenses salivate knowing the Sun Devils are up next.
That puts Justin Herbert in the envious position of leading the Ducks aerial attack in a get-well spot for sure. He had issues in his first start against Washington, but really came into his own against a much better Cal defense last week in throwing for 258 yards and six touchdowns. Look for a more efficient outing and for him to be one of the main reasons why the Ducks possibly snap their losing streak.
Matchup to Watch
In order for the Ducks passing game to really excel, the Ducks are going to have to find a way to solve what’s been a pretty decent ASU run defense. The unit surrenders less than 100 yards per game, and just gave up 52 total yards on 19 carries to Wazzu. Oregon’s three-headed attack of Tony Brooks-James, Taj Griffin and Royce Freeman must find a way to get going on the ground so as to alleviate some of the pressure the Sun Devils will most definitely bring with the defense averaging 3.3 sacks per game.
Free ATS Pick
While ASU bolted out to a perfect 4-0 start and covered three of those games with wins against Texas Tech and Cal, Todd Graham’s squad has proven to be a farce since Pac-12 play opened. In its pair of conference road games, it was outscored by an 81-36 final score. Still, this is a lofty amount of points for the home team to be laying regardless of ASU’s road struggles. I don’t foresee either of these defenses doing much in the way of getting many stops. The over has cashed in five of the last six overall meetings, and another barnburner looks to be in the cards for this matchup.
College Football Odds: Oregon 52, Arizona State 47
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