The Montana State Bobcats take on the Oregon Ducks in Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday, Aug. 30. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
Oregon is favored by -26.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -4500. Montana State, meanwhile, comes in at +1700 to pull off the upset. The over/under is set at 55.5 points.
Here’s my Montana State vs. Oregon prediction and college football picks for Saturday, August 30.
Montana State Bobcats vs Oregon Ducks Prediction, Picks
- Montana State vs. Oregon Pick: Oregon -27.5
My Oregon vs. Montana State best bet is on the Ducks to cover the spread. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Montana State vs Oregon Odds, Lines, Spread
| Montana State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+27.5 -105 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | +1800 |
| Oregon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-27.5 -115 | 56.5 -110o / -110u | -6000 |
- Montana State vs Oregon Spread: Oregon -27.5, Montana State +27.5
- Montana State vs Oregon Over/Under: 56.5 Points
- Montana State vs Oregon Moneyline: Oregon -6000, Montana State +1800
Montana State vs Oregon Saturday NCAAF Preview
Montana State Bobcats Betting Preview
Montana State football is changing in 2025. Coming off its second FCS National Championship appearance in four years, the Bobcats must find a new quarterback, new offensive coordinator and new starting 22.
Walter Camp Player of the Year Tommy Mellott is off to the NFL, and that's a significant loss. In comes Justin Lamson, a Stanford transfer who originally committed to Bowling Green. He's a talented player, but it'd be jumping the shark to call him Mellott.
Half the running back room departs, too, with Scottre Humphrey transferring to New Mexico. Young star Adam Jones rushed for over 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman, and he'll likely be the star of the show.
Montana State brings in Pete Sterbick as the new offensive coordinator after serving as the Colorado School of Mines (D-II) head coach.
It's unlikely that the offensive system changes much, but the impact that Mellott had on the RPO and rush-heavy — sometimes dual-QB, even — system in Bozeman was big. There'll be early growing pains.
Just four starters return on a defense that ranked 11th in the FCS. It's a complete rebuild from the recent run of dominance by the Bobcats.
While this may not impact their ability to make a run in December, it does factor in when opening the season against a team like Oregon.
Oregon Ducks Betting Preview
Oregon isn't without its fair share of turnover. Out goes prolific passer Dillon Gabriel, giving way to Oregon's coveted recruit, Dante Moore.
Moore returned to Eugene after the 2023 season following a subpar run with UCLA. He projects highly and finally gets both (a) a chance, and (b) a team full of weapons around him.
Notably, star receiver Evan Stewart won't be one of those weapons, as the NFL prospect tore his patellar tendon in the spring and will miss the entire season.
The Ducks add plenty of star power in the transfer portal, headlined by decorated running back Makhi Hughes (Tulane), tackle Isaiah World (Nevada) and safety Dillon Thieneman (Purdue). Just 11 players make up Oregon's 2025 transfer class, but it ranks fifth according to 247Sports.
While the offense is full of plug-and-play transfers, the defense returns much more intact. Just two transfers from this class project to start (Thieneman and USC transfer Bear Alexander), while the rest are rising Ducks.
Under head coach Dan Lanning, Oregon has a mixed history against FCS foes.
Just last year, Oregon dueled to a 24-14 finish against Idaho in the middle of a sweltering heat wave. Gabriel threw for nearly 400 yards, but two turnovers on downs, plus a fumble and missed field goal, held Oregon's offense in check.
The two years prior, Lanning's crew blasted its FCS foes by a combined score of 151-21.
Montana State vs Oregon NCAAF Pick to Bet
Perhaps the turnover at QB or last year's finish with Idaho forced the line on this one.
Last year's game must be taken with context since it featured conditions not present on Saturday (temperatures pushing 100 degrees). Saturday's weather looks to be in the low 80s.
Moore is new to Oregon, but he has FBS starting experience and nearly signed with Oregon until a late flip to UCLA in 2022. This is a player recruited by Lanning to play for this Oregon system. My expectation is that he hits the ground running.
Hughes rushed for nearly 2,800 yards in just two seasons at Tulane and should be an ample replacement for Jordan James in the backfield.
Montana State is an elite FCS program. But I won't ignore the importance of replacing its most prolific player and, potentially, offensive system.
The Bobcats still want to run the ball. There's a brand new offensive line in place, and it goes up against an Oregon defensive line with legitimate NFL talent on it, like Matayo Uiagalelei.
There are far too many mismatches here to want to back Montana State. Oregon should control the line of scrimmage and be able to run its offense at a clip. Though against lesser FCS foes, Lanning has shown an ability and willingness to work the scoreboard in these tune-up games.
I'm betting on Oregon to, quite literally, run away with this one.
Pick: Oregon -27.5
