A First Look at Cal: Oregon Favored by Two Touchdowns Against the Golden Bears

The Golden Bears are without their starting quarterback, and Vegas Oddsmakers are expecting the Ducks to make light work of their opponent on Saturday.

What was once looked at as a primetime showdown between the two best teams in the Pac-12, this weekends matchup between No. 13 Oregon and now unranked California — who was previously No. 15 before seeing their QB get hurt and losing to Arizona State on Friday — is believed to be no more than an afterthought. 

At one point, it had aspirations of College GameDay coming to town and serving as a welcome to all of the University of Oregon students who start school this week. Now it's expected to be a blowout victory for the Ducks, with little-to-no ramifications for the future. 

Las Vegas Sportsbooks released a betting line for the game on Sunday, and they currently have the Ducks favored by two touchdowns. ESPN also gives Oregon a 92.6% chance to win the game, according to their models. 

While Cal is currently without Chase Garbers, who led them to a 4-0 record before being taken out of the game in the first half on Friday, they still have a few nice pieces spread out through the offense, and a stout defense has the chance to give Justin Herbert and the Ducks fits. Running back Christopher Brown Jr. currently ranks 5th in the conference in rushing, and Cameron Goode has been dangerous on defense, with three sacks so far this season. 

Still, in relief last week, QB Devon Modster looked largely unable to throw a catchable pass, going 5-for-14 with 23 yards passing in over a half of football. Receivers Trevon Clark and Marcel Dandy are going to have a tough time being productive out on the numbers if their QB can't get them the ball, and Oregon's top-ranked defensive secondary is not liable to make anything easier on the backup. 

When you look closely, there are a few matchups that could give the Ducks trouble on Saturday in Autzen, but for the most part, they hold an edge in largely every category. Chances are that they will trounce the Golden Bears for their conference home-opener, and everyone will forget that it was ever supposed to be a good game.