This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
UCLA vs. Oregon Betting Odds, Picks, and Prediction for Week 8
The No. 9 UCLA Bruins put their unbeaten season on the line against the No. 10 Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon this Saturday. UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will find himself on a similar sideline, facing his former employer. Chip Kelly is 0-4 as UCLA's head coach against Oregon.
The Bruins have recently legitimized their undefeated run, besting the then-No. 15 Washington Huskies and the then-No. 11 Utah Utes in the last two weeks; the Bruins were set as underdogs in each contest. A big reason for UCLA's success is the play of quarterback Dorian Thomson-Robinson. Thompson-Robinson has completed a blistering 74.8 percent of his passes for 1,510 yards, 15 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Lately, Thompson-Robinson has been creeping into Heisman Trophy conversations.
Oregon was obliterated by then-No. 3 Georgia back in Week 1, 49-3. Since that disappointment, first-year head coach Dan Lanning has his Ducks on a five-game winning streak. Lanning has also had plenty of success from his signal caller, Bo Nix. After transferring in from Auburn, Nix has kept Oregon in the Pac-12 competition, completing 70.4 percent of his passes for 1,526 yards, 12 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
UCLA vs. Oregon Odds for Week 8
Spread: -6 Oregon (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Total: 70.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Moneyline: +190 UCLA, -225 Oregon (DraftKings Sportsbook)
With both of the these squads averaging over 40 points per contest (41.5 points per game for UCLA, 42 points per game for Oregon), the total is understandably high at 70.5. Both defenses have allowed some interestingly large point totals to opponents as well. UCLA allowed 31 points to South Alabama on Sept. 17th and Oregon surrendered 41 points to Washington State on Sept. 24th.
Oregon's win over BYU may be their biggest win of the season and have since played fairly weak Pac-12 opponents. This will be the Ducks biggest test in a month. No guarantee that they can rise to the occasion. After picking up back-to-back wins against ranked opponents, UCLA makes for one of the more interesting CFB Week 8 picks at +190 on the moneyline.
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UCLA vs. Oregon Betting Picks This Week
These teams match up pretty close, with the Bruins' defense allowing fewer points per game; UCLA is allowing 22.7 points per game compared to Oregon's 28.8 points allowed per game. The Bruins have also had a slightly softer schedule up to this point. With these clubs both playing well as of late, and matching up close on paper, the +6 on the spread appears to be a solid college football betting value for UCLA this week.
As an underdog, the Bruins are 2-0 against the spread this season, and with a better turnover margin than the Ducks, they are a frustratingly efficient team that will keep this game close.
UCLA vs. Oregon Best Bet: UCLA +6 On the Spread at DraftKings Sportsbook
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UCLA vs. Oregon Prediction
The Ducks have allowed some impressive passing performances from opposing quarterbacks. They allowed Georgia's Stetson Bennett to throw for 368 yards then allowed the backup QB Carson Beck to accrue 71 yards and a touchdown pass in garbage time. Oregon then allowed BYU's Jarren Hall to throw for 305 yards and two touchdowns, Washington State's Cameron Ward to collect 375 passing yards and two touchdowns as well. The Ducks secondary has been turned into swiss cheese on multiple occasions and will no face Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a quarteback that is averaging 251.7 yards per game, completing nearly 75 percent of his passes, and has posted a quarterback rating of 180.6. That's a recipe for disaster for Oregon.
Both clubs own a solid ground game. UCLA is averaging 211.5 rushing yards per game with a backfield led by running back Zach Charbonnet and his 7.1 yards per carry. After rushing for 198 yards against Utah last week, Charbonnet may struggle against the Ducks' 13th-best rushing defense.
It's a similar situation for Oregon. Bucky Irving has led the Ducks rushing attack that is posting 241.7 rushing yards per game. Change-of-pace back Noah Whittington has been solid as well, with Irving averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and Whittington averaging 6.5 per carry. Oregon's dependable backfield duo could be thwarted by the Bruins 16th-best rushing defense.
This is going to be a high-scoring shootout that will be decided by the play of the quarterbacks. Dorian Thompson-Robinson should be able to run his offense downfield more efficiently than Bo Nix. Chip Kelly should pick up his first victory against Oregon.
I'll say that UCLA wins this slugfest, 48-44.
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