One of the most intriguing Week 2 games is Oregon vs. Ohio State. The Ducks head east to Columbus, Ohio, for a Noon Eastern Time kickoff against the Buckeyes. PAC 12 teams have struggled of late when stepping up in class so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in this heavyweight matchup.
The Ohio State defense struggled at times last week against Minnesota, but the offense looked like an absolute juggernaut. The Buckeyes ended up winning by two touchdowns but it wasn’t a cakewalk.
The Oregon Ducks had all kinds of issues against Fresno State in Week 1 and didn’t even come close to covering the large point spread. Will Oregon perform better in Week 2?
Let’s dive into each team’s offense and defense as we break down this huge game. We’ll also let you know what our best bet is for this matchup so stay tuned.
Current Line and Best Available Odds for Oregon @ Ohio State
Oddsmakers expect the Buckeyes to take care of business by a fairly large margin in this one. Ohio State is listed as a 14.5 point favorite over Oregon and the total is at 63.5. The early sharp money has come in on the Buckeyes and the Over.
Not sure where to get the best odds for this game? Check out our free college football odds checker. This incredible tool will show you what sportsbook is offering the best line for the side you want to bet.
At the time of publishing this article, every book had Oregon at +14.5 and Ohio State at -14.5, with the best juice available on the Ducks being -110 at FanDuel, while the Buckeyes were at -105 at PointsBet. That being said, here is a live look at the best point spread and total for Oregon @ Ohio State.
Best Odds for Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks
What to Expect from the Oregon Offense in Week 2
The Ducks offense didn’t look too great against Fresno State last week as they were outgained by the Bulldogs in total yards. If not for three Fresno State turnovers, the Ducks may have been in danger of losing the game outright! Expect a more focused effort from Mario Cristobal’s bunch in this game against the Buckeyes.
Anthony Brown played decently in Week 1 by completing 15 of 24 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. The senior also scored a rushing touchdown as well. It’ll be interesting to see how well Brown does against an Ohio State defense that has plenty of talent but has been known to surrender lots of points at times.
CJ Verdell and Travis Dye are electric running backs but they both could be in for a long day against a mammoth Ohio State defensive line. If Cristobal wants to pull off a magnificent upset, he’s going to have to throw the ball more than 24 times like last week.
What to Expect from the Ohio State Defense in Week 2
The Ohio State defense performed pretty well against Minnesota’s passing game in Week 1. The problem was they gave up 203 yards on the ground to the Golden Gophers and made running back Mohamed Ibrahim look like a dark horse Heisman candidate at times. Can they perform better against the Oregon rushing attack in Week 2?
The Buckeyes showed a little bit of a pass rush against Minny last week as they finished with two sacks and four tackles for loss. We think that Ohio State may sell out to stop Oregon’s running game and dare Brown to beat them through the air. That means that the Buckeyes’ defensive backs will have to play a lot of man-to-man coverage.
What to Expect from the Ohio State Offense in Week 2
Bucks head coach Ryan Day has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball. QB CJ Stroud looked a little bit nervous in the first half against the Gophers last week but he was much more poised in the second half. Stroud ended up throwing for 294 yards and four touchdowns.
How will Stroud do against the Ducks secondary? The smart money says that he’ll do just fine since he has some of the best wide receivers in the country to throw to in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. The scary thing is that the Bucks averaged 22.6 yards per pass completion against the Gophers. If that happens against Oregon, this game will be over in a hurry.
You can’t forget about Ohio State’s running game either. Miyan Williams and Master Teague form a dynamic duo and both can make defenders look silly. However, the Ducks are pretty solid along the defensive line so don’t expect them to surrender 7.7 yards per carry like Minny did last week.
What to Expect from the Oregon Defense in Week 2
The biggest question mark for the Oregon defense is whether or not Kayvon Thibodeaux will play. The superstar defensive end suffered an ankle sprain after being rolled up on against Fresno State last week. If Thibodeaux can’t play, the Ducks may have trouble generating any type of a pass rush.
Linebacker Dru Mathis will not play against the Buckeyes so that’s more bad news for Ducks fans. The good news is the Oregon defense is pretty deep and they did register three sacks and seven tackles for loss even without Thibodeaux. Another thing that is worrisome for the Ducks is how they will stack up against the vaunted Buckeye receiving corps.
Our Favorite Bet for Duck at Buckeyes: OVER 63.5
We see lots of points scored in this contest! Ohio State’s defense is a bit of a question mark so Oregon should be able to get their fair share of points. It wouldn’t surprise us to see the Ducks reach the 30s.
On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes are so balanced on offense that they’re nearly impossible to stop. With Mathis being ruled out and Thibodeaux nowhere close to 100%, expect Ohio State to once again reach the 40s. We see Ohio State winning 42-31 so look for this one to go up and OVER the total of 63.5.
Mike Noblin
Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He played college baseball and has been betting on sports for more than 20 years. He has a degree in Sports Psychology and covers the NFL and CFB for EatWatchBet. @MikeNoblin
