The sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks hit the road in Pac-12 college football action Friday night when they take on the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium in San Francisco. The game is scheduled for a 10:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1. Currently the odds for the game have Oregon as a healthy favorite in this one.
The Oregon Ducks are back in the college playoff hunt, sitting at sixth in the rankings. This should be a pretty decent test for the Ducks, playing on a neutral site where the 49ers take to the field. California had won three straight games over the Ducks in the mid-2000s, but Oregon has been an absolute beat the last five seasons, winning each game and covering four spreads during that time. The last three games have seen Oregon win by an average of 52-16.
Levi's Stadium will be the site for the Pac-12 title game later this season with the Ducks planning on being back there in December for that contest. Offensively Oregon has put up nearly 44 points per game while California has posted nearly 42 games themselves this year.
The difference will be the defense. Oregon has a pretty decent defense on the field this season, outside of giving up 31 points in a loss to Arizona at the beginning of the month. Oregon might actually benefit from that loss, however, as they've found themselves back in the conversation to potentially make the college playoff. While they'll have to win a Pac-12 title game to reach that point, the schedule for the remainder of the season should favor the Ducks.
Marcus Mariota should still be the leader in the clubhouse for the Heisman, having thrown for almost 2,000 yards already with 19 touchdowns and no interceptions. Obviously Mariota has weapons all over the field, which makes the job a bit easier, and Oregon has no problem rolling up and down the field, which they should be able to do against this Cal team.
The Golden Bears are going to have to get a monster game from Jared Goff. He's thrown for almost 2,500 yards and 24 touchdowns so far this season, but can he go drive for drive with the Ducks?
California's defense just isn't good enough to win this game. The Bears should be able to score some points, but not enough to keep them in the conversation when the fourth quarter comes around in this one.
Free Pick: Oregon 49, California 31
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