Pac-12 Game Preview: Oregon vs. Cal

After rolling through their first three non-conference games, the Oregon Ducks got the week off last Saturday and will come into their first 2013 Pac-12 battle well rested and ready to rack up plenty of points on the Cal Golden Bears. Can the Bears be the first Oregon opponent to at least slow the Ducks down and prevent them from covering the 33-point spread? Let’s take a closer look at this Pac-12 showdown.

On paper, the Ducks seem to have nearly every advantage in this one. The Ducks have already amassed 184 points in their first three games, while only allowing 27. Compare those numbers to the 42 points per game the Bears have allowed this year and you can see why odds makers are so clearly favoring the home Ducks this weekend.

Along with its nearly unstoppable offense, home field will be another significant advantage for Oregon, which has defeated Cal nine out of the teams’ 10 meetings at Autzen Stadium. Besides one close contest in 2010, the series has been pretty lopsided too in recent years, as Oregon has outscored the Bears 159-48 in the last four games between the two schools.

However, defensively, the Ducks haven’t really been tested thus far this season and the Golden Bears have some offensive firepower that could make this game closer than Oregon’s previous victories. Led by freshman quarterback Jared Goff, Cal currently ranks second in the nation in passing yards, posting 438.7 per game. Goff has added seven touchdowns throws, but has also tossed four interceptions this season and considering Oregon’s speedy defenders are good at forcing mistakes, Goff will have to be error free this Saturday if the Bears want a fighting chance in Eugene.

While it’s likely that the Bears will score more points on Oregon than its other three opponents have this season, Cal simply has too many disadvantages to overcome this weekend. The Ducks should have no problem running their offense and running the Bears out of the building on Saturday, so look for a high-scoring contest and a Ducks win, as they cover -33 points in the process.