Breaking Down the Best Bets for Oregon vs. USC

The Ducks are slight favorites over the Trojans on Saturday, but does that mean that you should bet them to win?

It may seem that the Oregon Ducks are in the clear now after overcoming major obstacles in their wins over both Washington and Washington State, but the hits just keep coming. 

This week, as the Ducks travel to Los Angeles to take on the USC Trojans, a major test will be posed as Oregon's defense looks to get back on track and put a lid on USC's dynamic receiving core, who's shown an ability to take the top off of a defense so far this season. Are you looking to get some action on this game, but don't quite know where to put your money? Let us try to help with that. 

Prediction

Oregon 34, USC 23

Against the Spread

The Ducks are -4.5 (-110) favorite as they travel to California and try to take down the Trojans at the coliseum. With two-straight impressive performances from Justin Herbert and the Oregon offense, it's reasonable to expect that the Ducks can put up some points on USC. The Trojans allow almost 25 points per game, which ranks sixth in the conference. The real question will be which version of the Ducks' defense we see on Saturday. To start the season, Oregon was one of the best units in the nation, but the past two weeks have seen them give up point totals of 31 and 35. Reports out of practice this week show that defensive coordinator Andy Avalos has his unit getting back to business, and if that holds true, then the Ducks seem like a clear favorite here. You can have the points, I'll take the money. 

Moneyline

We rarely suggest anyone take the moneyline in Oregon games, as the value is rarely there for the Ducks to pay off. However, this week we're changing our tune. With OREGON -180 odds, we are HAMMERING the Ducks moneyline this week. The chances that this game ends in an easy Oregon victory seem high to me, as the Trojans have been unable to piece together many impressive victories, especially over great teams like the Ducks. If you were to bet $10 on Oregon to win the game outright, you would see $5.56 in profit. If you were to get a little bit frisky with it, though, it could turn into a nice payday. Give me the Duck's moneyline, and take away my stress about a spread. 

Over/Under

This is a stay away from me, mainly because we have absolutely no idea what we're going to see from the Oregon defense. The past two games have both seen the over hit easily, and the Ducks' defense has at times looked porous and gettable. If that's the team we see again on Saturday, the over will likely hit, and the Ducks might have to try and escape again thanks to late-game heroics from Herbert. I think that we see a return of the Gang Green 2.0, so I would lean toward the UNDER (62) here, but I'm not confident enough to bet it.