Oregon football at Washington picks, predictions, odds: What national media are saying
With College GameDay headed to Seattle for what will be the biggest college football game of the weekend, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks will hit the road to take on the No. 7 Washington Huskies in a battle of top 10 undefeated opponents Saturday at Husky Stadium.
The game will be televised on ABC at 12:30 p.m. PST.
Via Fanduel Sportsbook, the Huskies are 2.5-point favorites on their home field. Washington is -150 on the moneyline, while Oregon is +125. The over/under (point total) is set at 67.5 points.
The Ducks and Huskies are both coming off byes. The week before Oregon dominated Stanford, 42-6, while Washington held off Arizona in Tucson, 31-24.
Here's what national media are saying ahead of the rivalry matchup in Seattle.
Sporting News: Washington covers the spread
Bill Bender writes: “This is such a tough line because this game likely will be decided by a field goal either way. (Michael) Penix Jr. and (Bo) Nix are efficient quarterbacks who have combined for 31 TDs and three interceptions this season. How will the Ducks slow down a passing attack where Rome Odunze, Ja’lynn Polk and Jalen McMillan all average 15 yards per catch? How will Washington slow down Oregon’s running game where Bucky Irving and Jordan James average more than seven yards per carry? This is a true coin flip.
Pick: Washington wins 42-37 and covers the spread.
ESPN: Football Power Index (FPI) favors Oregon
Despite Washington being favored in most sportsbooks, ESPN’s FPI – which measures team strength and how many points above or below an average team is – favors the Ducks giving them a 54.8% chance to win.
FPI prediction: Oregon by 1.8
The Athletic: Huskies will win, but not by much
Austin Mock writes: “My model rates both of these offenses as top-5 units, but the edge goes to Washington’s. I’m a huge Kalen DeBoer fan. His offensive scheme has success no matter where he is. I also believe Michael Penix Jr. is just a tad better than Bo Nix. I’m a little cautious of Washington’s defense but the offensive edge plus home field advantage makes me think this game should be above a field goal.”
Model projection: Washington 37, Oregon 33
Sports Illustrated: Projections favor Huskies
James Parks writes: “So far, the projections are siding with the home team, as Washington is favored to defeat Oregon by an expected score of 32-30, a forecasted point margin of 2.2 points in favor of the Huskies, who have a 55% chance to win the game outright.”
Sports Betting Dime: Huskies win and cover the spread
Robert Duff writes: “Oregon is 2-0 both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) on the road this season with wins at Texas Tech and Stanford. However, the Ducks are 0-5 SU in their last five road or neutral-site games against ranked teams. The Huskies lead the country in passing (446.4 YPG) and total offense (569.4 YPG) and are No. 3 in scoring offense (46 PPG). This is only the fourth time since 2004 that Washington has been favored over Oregon.
Prediction: Washington Huskies -3 (-110)
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks football at Washington: Picks, predictions, odds
