Predicting No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 3 Ohio State
The Ducks enter this massive matchup leaving much to be desired in their season opener. At the end of the day, getting the win is what matters most, but you can see clear causes for concern.
We got the Ducks Digest crew together to give our final predictions.
Max Torres
I try not to invest too much stock in week 1 performances, so I tried to keep that in mind while making this prediction.
The offense had its moments against Fresno State, specifically Brown's touchdown pass to Johnny Johnson and his own rushing touchdown to ultimately give Oregon the final lead. The Ducks were able to move the chains on the ground with their reliable veteran CJ Verdell when they needed him most.
That said, the offense struggled with consistency, and wasn't able to string together explosive plays, which has been a shortcoming for some time now--especially given the talent that Oregon has brought in over the last couple years.
The defense showed signs of promise in the form of four sacks and forcing three fumbles. The front seven looked stout, limiting Fresno State to just 75 yards on the ground, perhaps an early indication of improvement from a season ago.
However, Haener extended numerous plays by escaping the pocket and pass coverage wasn't a strength for much of the game, with defensive backs playing softer coverage than the staff would've liked. The return of DJ James and Jamal Hill should help, but going against the top wide receivers in the country isn't exactly a nice warmup.
Add in eight penalties for 87 yards from last weekend, and the Ducks don't look like they're quite ready to upset a team of this caliber with more talent from top to bottom and a hostile environment.
Prediction: Ohio State 41 Oregon 24
Dylan Reubenking
I'd love to be the optimistic one here, but I prefer to be more realistic. The Ducks are just not on the Buckeyes' level, and it's nearly impossible to win in Columbus. I expect the Ducks to play better than last weekend, but I expect the Buckeyes to improve as well.
This game could transpire very similarly to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, in which the Ducks were within one point in the second half before the Buckeyes put the hammer down in the fourth quarter. The scary thing is that this Ohio State team is more talented from head to toe than the team Oregon faced in the playoffs six years ago.
Prediction: Ohio State 41 Oregon 28
Dylan Mickanen
One week after barely surviving their season opener to Fresno State, the No. 12 Oregon Ducks head to Columbus to play No. 3 Ohio State. While this game’s been marked on every Oregon fan’s calendar for years, you can tell the Ducks players are even more excited. There’s no doubt Oregon will bring the juice Saturday morning.
If it’ll be effective is another story. The Ducks offense was putrid against the Bulldogs, needing three forced fumbles from the defense to score enough points to win. Anthony Brown led one scoring drive that gained more than 27 yards. If Oregon repeats that performance, this could get ugly.
There’s hope the Ducks were disguising most of its new plays from year two of Moorhead's offense, but Mario Cristobal’s desire to play conservatively can still hinder Oregon. To hang with the Buckeyes, the Ducks need to score frequently and take risks, not play field position.
Meanwhile, the defense is nicked up with Kayvon Thibodeaux day-to-day. It seems likely he plays, but even if he’s half a step slower that could be enough to swing the game. Oregon needs a superhuman effort from Thibodeaux to win and the injury doesn’t make that likely. Also, the team struggled to stop the Bulldogs passing attack last weekend.
Ohio State has arguably the nation’s two best wide outs. Do the math.
While Oregon’s recruiting has narrowed the talent gap between it and Ohio State, it’s hard to find reasons for a Ducks victory beyond blind optimism. I project an Oregon loss and not a close one either.
Prediction: Ohio State 48 Oregon 20
John Rustik
Oregon has the potential to make this a program-defining upset. It's no secret their most important player is Kayvon Thibodeaux. If he can play on Saturday, this team has a chance to do something special.
Despite having the weapons to pull off the upset, I do think the home atmosphere and veteran Ohio State receivers, mainly Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, will prove to be too much for Oregon. Given a couple more years to grow, I think Oregon could give Ohio State some problems, but they aren’t quite there yet.
Prediction: Ohio State 34 Oregon 24
Nick Battey
This is the biggest regular-season game Oregon has had in the Mario Cristobal era, and it’s going to take everything for the Ducks to come out of Ohio Stadium with a victory. There are some injury uncertainties with both teams, but non bigger than Kayvon Thibodeaux.
If he plays, he's the best player on the field on either team and can change the game all by himself. But if Oregon is going to win, the offense will need to match Ohio State, which will require Anthony Brown to reach a level we have not seen from him yet. Because of that I don't see the Ducks coming out with a win. It will be close early, but the Buckeyes will pull away and win handily.
Prediction: Ohio State 45 Oregon 20
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