If you’re an Oregon Ducks fan, you’re probably flying pretty high right now. The Ducks felt aggrieved after Willie Taggart left for Florida State after just one year in Eugene, but the team hasn’t missed a beat in his absence. They are back to the high-scoring Ducks of old with 120 points through their first two games of the year, and the decision to hire Mario Cristobal seems to be a shrewd one. In Week 3, they have a chance to keep their 60 PPG average going against the lowly San Jose State Spartans. San Jose State might be the worst FBS team not named UTEP, and they could end the season winless.
Watch this Week 3 matchup live on Saturday, September 15, 2018, at 5 p.m. ET at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
San Jose State +41.5
Oregon -41.5
Total 69
Odds Analysis
No one is giving San Jose State any kind of chance in this one. The Spartans are likely to end the week as the biggest underdog per the CFB betting odds in FBS vs. FBS action. The initial line came out with Oregon favored by 38 points, but that has gone up by 3.5 points.
The total has remained constant though. The over/under came out at 69 on the NCAAF betting line, and it has stayed right on the number.
Coaching Angle
It’s crazy that this is how Mario Cristobal got his second head coaching gig. Cristobal was the head coach at Florida International from 2007 to 2012 and was seen as one of the sharpest young coaches in the business. He turned the fledgling program into a respectable team during his six years on campus, but he was fired after one losing season following two straight bowl bids. The decision was met with a lot of criticism, and Cristobal remains the most successful coach the school has had.
He is known as an offensive mind and one of the best recruiters in the business, two things that are key for succeeding at Oregon. The Ducks were kind of forced into hiring Cristobal after Taggart left for Florida State so late in the game, but that may have been a blessing in disguise. This team has flourished under his eye, and Justin Herbert has put up gaudy numbers through the first two games of the season.
Key Stat
San Jose State has the worst running game in the FBS. The Spartans have been abysmal on the ground through the first two games of the season, and they have not even faced great run defenses.
The Spartans have played FCS UC Davis and Washington State, and they were unable to move the ball on the ground against either team. They are averaging a scant 2.5 yards per carry through those games, and to make matters worse, they are likely without their best running back this week. Tyler Nevens sat out last week with a possible concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit in the UC Davis game, and he is probably out for this game as well.
Free ATS Pick
Oregon can name the score in this one. The Ducks are miles better than the Spartans on both sides of the ball, and they are a much deeper team too. However, the Ducks might not want to show much with PAC 12 North rival Stanford coming to town next week. It’s likely that Oregon puts this one away in the first half and then just cruises from there with its backups on the field.
I think the Ducks will race out and take a four or five score lead into halftime, but then allow San Jose State to get the backdoor cover in the second half. This number is large after Oregon’s first two wins, but it shouldn’t be this high with Stanford on the docket next week.
College Football Odds: Oregon 52, San Jose State 17
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
