Predicting the Final Score of No. 10 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes
Dan Lanning and the No. 10 Oregon Ducks (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) welcome Deion Sanders and the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) to Eugene this weekend for what's shaping up to be one of the best matchups in week 4.
The Ducks are coming off a commanding 55-10 win over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, while the Buffs are flying high after a thrilling 43-35 comeback win over the rival Colorado State Rams in double overtime at home on Folsom Field.
A matchup that many Oregon fans were writing off as an easy win over the summer, now has much more intrigue, even with Colorado star Travis Hunter expected to miss the game.
I predicted Oregon to win 59-17 over Hawaii last week, and I wasn't far off with a 55-10 final score.
So let's get into predicting this week's game.
Starting off with the Oregon offense, they're operating at an elite clip right now. Led by veteran quarterback Bo Nix, they're averaging 579.7 yards of offense (No. 4 nationally) and 58 points per game (No. 2 nationally behind USC).
Will Stein's offense has been a smashing success through three games, although only one of those games has been against a quality defense in Texa sTech. There's an embarrassment of weapons at Nix's disposal, headlined by players like Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving and Terrance Ferguson.
I expect Oregon to establish the run early against the Buffs, who have been terrible stopping the run, surrendering 195.3 rushing yards per game (No. 119 nationally). Shilo Sanders is one of the best players on a defense that will be missing Travis Hunter, but even if the Buffs focus on blanketing Franklin, they'll still have to worry about receivers like Tez Johnson, Traeshon Holden and Gary Bryant Jr.
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I don't think Colorado has the personnel or the depth to match up with the Ducks' offense for a full game, and we haven't even talked about how they just gave up 367 passing yards to a true freshman quarterback on their home turf. To be fair, Colorado has done a great job forcing turnovers. They've forced 10 so far this year, a mark that's tied for the national lead.
But, to the Ducks credit, they've taken great care of the ball. If that trend continues, it'll be hard for an opportunistic defense to capitalize and set up Sean Lewis' offense.
Going over to the other side of the ball, Oregon's defense is in for its biggest test yet against quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He's a complete quarterback that really makes teams pay by extending plays with his legs.
He's creative when he leads that offense and he'll pick you apart if you give him time in the pocket. The Buffs also have some really talented wide receivers that Oregon can't overlook in South Florida transfers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr.--they're no strangers to big plays in 2023.
Statistically speaking, the Buffs have one of the worst offensive lines in the country, allowing 16 sacks through just 3 games. The Ducks certainly have the edge along the defensive front and players like Jordan Burch, Popo Aumavae and Brandon Dorlus will need to get after Sanders to get him off his game.
The last player worth mentioning is running back Dylan Edwards. The true freshman is as fast and explosive a player you'll find anywhere in the country and is a major weapon out of the backfield. However, he hasn't had much success on the ground yet, with the Buffs averaging just 61 rushing yards per game.
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That tells me that the Colorado offense, while dangerous, is extremely one-dimensional, which shouldn't be enough to beat the Ducks.
Again, while the Buffs have some talented weapons on offense, I think Oregon matches up well from a personnel standpoint. Oregon's success on defense will hinge on how much time Sanders has in the pocket and how well the pass rush can affect his ability to get into a groove.
I could see Colorado starting strong out of the gate, but the Ducks pull away.
Deion has the Buffs program heading in the right direction and I respect what he's building, but there's still plenty of work to do in Boulder and the Buffs haven't seen a team like Oregon.
The Ducks should win convincingly.
Prediction: Oregon 52 Colorado 27
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