Oregon visits Stanford in Pac-12 North Division Showdown
The Pac-12 will be on display Thursday night when the Oregon Ducks travel to Palo Alto, California to take on the Stanford Cardinal in a battle that has BCS championship bowl implications for both teams.
Oregon this season is 8-0 straight up and 7-1 against the spread. On the road, the Ducks are 3-0, while the points have cashed on the over/under 5-3 this season.
Stanford is 7-1 SU and 4-4 ATS and has a record at home of 4-0. The point totals are 4-4 on the over/under in the eight Stanford games.
Thursday night’s matchup could be the biggest game to date in NCAA football action this season.
The Ducks are ranked second in the AP Top 25 and third in the latest BCS rankings. They can move a big step closer to the national title with a victory over Stanford. Florida State is ranked No. 2 in the BCS rankings that were released Sunday night.
Stanford is currently No. 5 in the AP poll as well as in the BCS rankings.
However, all this could change after Thursday night, as the Ducks would most likely move into second place in the BCS if they defeat Stanford on the road.
Oregon has one of the most high-powered offenses in the nation. The Ducks have scored 42 or more points in all eight games this season.
The Oregon offense is led by Marcus Mariota at quarterback. Mariota is currently leading the chase for the Heisman Trophy and has thrown 20 passes for touchdowns and run 9 for touchdowns. The talented quarterback has only thrown one interception all season.
Stanford hopes to return to the national championship picture with a win Thursday. The Cardinal lost to Utah earlier this season, but with a win against Oregon would be back on stage with the rest of the frontrunners.
Mariota will be the key in this matchup. If the Stanford defense cannot pressure the Oregon QB, he will carve up the secondary with his pinpoint passing and run through the defense with his scrambling talent.
Stanford will be without its talented defensive end Ben Gardner who is out for the season with a pectoral muscle injury. His absence will hurt the pass rush for Stanford and give Mariota even more time to find his receivers.
Other talented Cardinals defenders will have to step up to stop the Oregon offense. If the Ducks establish an early rushing attack with a healthy De’Anthony Thomas, then it will open up Mariota’s passing game even more.
On offense, the Cardinal will rely on the talents of Kevin Hogan at quarterback. The steady Hogan has played well all season for Stanford and makes good decisions under pressure. However, his game will be limited if his offensive line cannot help establish a running game as they did against UCLA.
If Hogan has to rely on a passing game to play catch up or stay up with the offense of Oregon it will be a very long game for the Stanford offense and defense.
The line currently has Oregon favored by 11 points on the road. I like the Ducks big.
Pick: Oregon 48-21
