Phoenix Zoo Rhino picks Oregon to beat Liberty in Fiesta Bowl

No. 8 Oregon has long been a favorite over No. 23 Liberty in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl and Chutti, a 9-year-old greater one-horned rhinoceros at the Phoenix Zoo, seemed to agree on Sunday.

Chutti was presented with two football helmet-shaped cardboard boxes painted in the colors of Oregon and Liberty. Chutti eventually knocked down Liberty's blue helmet, signifying Oregon as the team to stand on top for Monday's game at State Farm Stadium.

Chutti's analysis has been backed up by several predictions that have the undefeated Liberty Flames as significant underdogs. The Flames didn't play a Power Five team this season and are relatively new to FBS after becoming a member six seasons ago. This will be Liberty's first New Year's Six bowl game.

According to the ESPN Matchup Predictor, the Ducks have a 89.9% chance of beating the Flames.

Oregon is a 16-point favorite over Liberty in the game, according to Fiesta Bowl odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook.

The Ducks are -700 on the moneyline. The Flames are +500.

The over/under for the game is set at 65.5 points.

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Storylines, key players, matchups for Oregon, Liberty

But one thing that the experts have not factored in is the significance of the animals' predictions at the Phoenix Zoo over the last five games. Split between a rhinoceros and an orangutan, there have been five straight incorrect predictions.

Chutti picked Michigan last year over TCU, which turned out to be a big win for TCU, and then Notre Dame over Oklahoma State. OSU won that game with a huge second-half comeback.

Oregon was picked over Iowa State by an orangutan, along with other incorrect predictions, including Ohio State over Clemson, and UCF over LSU.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Zoo Rhino picks Oregon to beat Liberty in Fiesta Bowl