The Oregon Ducks take on the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston, IL. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET on FOX.
Oregon is favored by -27.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -6500. The total is set at 48.5 points.
Here’s my Oregon vs. Northwestern prediction and college football picks for Saturday, September 13.
Oregon vs Northwestern Prediction
- Oregon vs. Northwestern Pick: Under 48.5
My Northwestern vs. Oregon best bet is on the under. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Oregon vs Northwestern Odds
| Oregon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-27.5 -112 | 48.5 -112o / -108u | -6500 |
| Northwestern Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+27.5 -108 | 48.5 -112o / -108u | +2000 |
- Oregon vs Northwestern point spread: Oregon -27.5
- Oregon vs Northwestern over/under: 48.5 points
- Oregon vs Northwestern moneyline: Oregon -6500, Northwestern +2000
Oregon vs Northwestern Preview
Oregon Ducks Betting Preview: Great Start to Season
If there was any doubt after Week 1 about what this Oregon team could be, its Week 2 performance erased it.
After opening the season with an impressive 59-13 win over Montana State, the Ducks followed it up with an even more emphatic victory, earning more style points en route to a 69-3 win over Oklahoma State in Eugene.
Oregon made the Cowboys look like an FCS opponent in one of the more lopsided games you'll see in college football this season.
Oregon didn't open the season as the Big Ten favorites. There are plenty of new faces all over this roster, including new starting quarterback Dante Moore and five-star freshman wide receiver Dakorien Moore.
However, the early returns on the Ducks’ new-look squad are even better than expected. This team has all the makings of a national title contender.
Against Oklahoma State, the Ducks ran 37 times for 312 yards, but 12 different players got at least one carry. The depth and talent combination at the skill positions may be unmatched in this entire sport.
There are still a few questions to answer — namely, what happens when an opponent puts up any resistance whatsoever? Could it start on the road this week in Oregon’s first true conference test?
As good as Moore has looked through two weeks, it bears remembering that in his one year as a starter at UCLA two seasons ago, he struggled on the road, completing 29-of-68 passes in two ugly losses to Utah and Oregon State.
Oregon will have the skill and size advantage everywhere against Northwestern, but it’s still a lopsided number, even when taking that into consideration.
Northwestern Wildcats Betting Preview: How Bad is Loss of Porter?
It's been a tale of two games through two weeks for Northwestern. The Wildcats opened the year with a disastrous loss at Tulane (mustering just three points in that contest) before bouncing back nicely in Week 2 with a 35-point win over Western Illinois.
While the loss to Tulane was certainly uninspiring, it was also flat out weird. Northwestern’s new quarterback Preston Stone — the veteran transfer from SMU — was awful in that contest. Stone threw four interceptions, which was double the number of picks he totaled in his previous 13 games combined.
While Western Illinois wasn’t much of a threat in Week 2, it was still nice for Stone to re-gain some confidence, and he did just that. He tallied 245 yards passing and threw for three touchdowns (zero interceptions) as the Wildcats rolled.
While the jury is still out on just how competitive this year’s Northwestern squad will be, history tells us that the Cats have found success as sizable underdogs in Big Ten play.
In the last three seasons combined, Northwestern has been a 20+ point underdog five times in conference games, and the Wildcats have covered the spread in four of them, including a cover last year against the eventual national champion Ohio State Buckeyes.
It would make matters easier if they can find success on the ground. Senior running back Cam Porter was off to the best start of his career through two games (averaging 7.6 yards per carry) before suffering a brutal season-ending injury.
For better or for worse, the Wildcats’ chances in this one will come down to Stone’s ability to lead long drives and take care of the football. That's easier said than done.
Oregon vs Northwestern Pick, Betting Analysis
While Northwestern has covered four of its last five Big Ten games as 20+ point underdogs, the under has also hit on the total in four of those five outings as well.
Given the loss of Porter, the Northwestern offense is just too short-handed to expect much success against a defense as threatening as Oregon’s.
On the flip side, this is a bit of a sandwich spot for the Ducks. They're coming off such an impressive performance against Oklahoma State and are now heading across the country for their first road game of the year, before returning home next week for a rivalry game against Oregon State.
The Ducks would be forgiven if they finally show tendencies of being human.
The under hit in three of Oregon’s four Big Ten road games last year, and that’s where we're focused for its first road game of the year this time around too.
Pick: Under 48.5
