Predicting No. 9 Oregon vs. California

The Ducks return home looking for a win and to flip the script from 2020 against the Golden Bears.

Cal got the best of Oregon in 2020 with a 21-17 win in Berkeley, but the Ducks are sorting through a lot of injuries and questions of their own. Here are our predictions for Oregon vs. Cal in week 7.

Max Torres (@mtorressports)

On paper, Cal doesn't appear to be anything too special. But if we've learned something this season, it's that what you see on paper doesn't mean anything. Not many gave Oregon a shot against Ohio State and they pulled off an upset. 

Practically no one had Arizona within swinging distance of Oregon, but the Wildcats hung in there all the way until the fourth quarter. That's why we have to play the games.

The Oregon offense will probably go through some growing pains as they work to replace CJ Verdell. How rough those growing pains are will hinge on how effectively Anthony Brown can push the ball and get the ball to his playmakers. I wouldn't be shocked if this game is close at the half. 

Defensively the Ducks are getting healthier and should be able to match up quite well against Cal. We should see a stronger pass rush in the second half with Bradyn Swinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux both being available at the same time for just the second game this season. 

Oregon lets Cal hang around but ultimately puts them away later in the second half. 

Prediction: Oregon 31 Cal 17

Dylan Mickanen (@DylanMickanen)

After a disheartening defeat in Palo Alto, the Ducks return home to right the ship against a subpar California team.

Justin Wilcox defenses have given the Ducks fits in recent years, but Cal’s not good with a 1-4 record. That number is slightly misleading though with two close defeats to TCU and Washington.

I’d be shocked if the Ducks lose, especially at home, but expect Oregon to play down to its opponent again.

Prediction: Oregon 24 Cal 16 

Dylan Reubenking (@drksportsnews)

Oregon badly needed this bye week to get healthy and to let the loss to Stanford sink in. There was so much to unpack in that game that the Ducks should've had plenty to focus on every day in practice.

This Cal team runs very similarly to how Cal teams in the past have been run — being aggressive on defense, defending the run game, and running the football on offense. It's a very old-school style of football, and it hasn't worked out too well for for them in 2021 as they have lost four of their first five games.

Once again though, the Ducks are well-known for playing down to their opponents. Many people might expect Oregon to "play angry" after the loss to Stanford, but I don't think we'll see that right out of the gate. For the Ducks to give their fans a sense of confidence after this Friday night matchup, they need Anthony Brown to efficiently get the ball down the field and into the hands of their playmakers. 

Cal gives up the second-most passing yards in the Pac-12 (15th worst in country), and the Ducks absolutely cannot afford another lackluster performance in the passing game against a below-average secondary. Especially if Cal defends the run well.

Oregon's defense needs a bounce-back performance as well. Cal has plenty of playmakers that can be game-wreckers if left in space, including Kekoa Crawford, Trevon Clark, and Jeremiah Hunter. Oregon will struggle to find a rhythm offensively, but will pull together a few late scoring drives to seal the deal. Not much of a confidence booster.

Prediction: Oregon 28 Cal 17 

John Rustik (@j_rustik)

The Ducks are coming off a bye week after a tough loss and desperately need a convincing win, which they haven’t really had yet outside of the Ohio State upset. This bye week allowed the Ducks to get some players back like Bradyn Swinson, who the Ducks will need immediately since Kayvon Thibodeaux's targeting call against Stanford will sideline him for the first half. 

Oregon’s offense will have to figure out the new mix of running backs without Verdell. That said, I think that once again Oregon will struggle in the first half and keep the game closer than it should be. Despite a slow start, I expect the Ducks to have another dominant second half that allows them to pull away in the third quarter.

Prediction: Oregon 34 Cal 10

Nick Battey (@nickbat22)

Oregon has had a lot to overcome the last few weeks, from the fallout of their first loss of the season to Stanford, to the injuries they are dealing with, to the availability of Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead. This is a lot of adversity for a team to go through and that a lot of times can either bring a team together or pull them apart. We will begin to learn this week which one of those has happened in Eugene.

Cal has not been good this year, but they’ve had some close losses. Coming off a bye week, they could have some tricks up their sleeve and Oregon better be ready. I believe the Oregon offense could struggle without CJ Verdell in the backfield, so this game could be a sloppy, lower-scoring affair. I think Oregon wins, but it's not pretty.

Prediction: Oregon 24 Cal 17

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