Predicting No. 3 Oregon vs. Arizona

The Ducks get a struggling Wildcats team to start 2021 conference play.

No. 3 Oregon (3-0) is set to face Arizona (0-3) in Eugene under the lights at Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. Our team of writers got together to give our final score predictions for this weekend's matchup.

Max Torres (@mtorresports)

Oregon looks to stay hot and Mario Cristobal's squad gets an easy matchup at home to kick off their Pac-12 slate.

The Arizona vs. NAU game was an absolute mess. It felt like there was a turnover by either team every other drive. That tells us the Arizona defense is opportunistic and that the offensive execution clearly isn't where it needs to be.

Jedd Fisch has his work cut out for him rebuilding this program and he's still trying to figure out his quarterback situation, a problem no coach wants to have during the season. The Ducks have far more talent on both sides of the ball in this matchup, as will be the case for almost every game this season.

That said, talent alone doesn't win games. 

Oregon will need to execute and stay sharp from start to finish if they want to avoid a lackluster first half like we saw against Stony Brook. They'll need to keep an eye on veteran wide receiver Stanley Berryhill, and sync up as an offensive line to deal with the pressure Don Brown likes to dial up. 

In the end I see the Ducks taking care of business in a big way and getting a dominant win to start Pac-12 play. 

Prediction: Oregon 52 Arizona 10 

Dylan Reubenking (@drksportsnews)

Let's be real here. Oregon is the best team in the Pac-12. Arizona is, well, not.

I had high hopes for this Arizona team after its tough performance against BYU in week 1. I had heard nothing but great things about Jedd Fisch, but it's tough to turn around a program that fast. The Wildcats are on a 15-game skid, and I don't see any sliver of a chance that that ends this weekend.

Oregon is not satisfied after its 48-7 victory over Stony Brook, and Mario Cristobal is going to make sure that his team is locked in for conference play.

I expect the starters on offense to come out and put this game to bed early. The only player I can see hurting Oregon's defense is Stanley Berryhill III, but who will throw him the ball? This week's depth chart for Arizona has Gunner Cruz OR Will Plummer OR Jordan McCloud. And who's going to run the football for the Wildcats?

Arizona has failed to hit 20 points in a game this year and the Wildcats have as many offensive touchdowns as turnovers. I could realistically see the Ducks earning their first shutout since 2012 when they coincidentally blanked Arizona 49-0.

The spread for this game is -28.5. Give me the over. Easy money.

Prediction: Oregon 45 Arizona 3 

Dylan Mickanen (@DylanMickanen)

The No. 3 Oregon Ducks open conference play against the cellar-dwelling Arizona Wildcats who lost to an FCS team last weekend. The Wildcats have an interesting coach in Jedd Fisch, but every part of the roster has been a mess, to the point there are three starting quarterbacks on the depth chart heading into this matchup. The only hope for Arizona was seeing them play close with now-ranked BYU in Week 1.

If Oregon loses, it’s the most embarrassing loss in years.

Prediction: Oregon 41 Arizona 13 

John Rustik (@j_rustik)

Arizona is desperately trying to get their first win of the season following a shocking loss to Northern Arizona. It will be interesting to see which quarterback Arizona goes with after they played Jordan McCloud to close out their previous loss. 

Against a defense that gave up 148 yards on the ground in their last matchup against NAU, expect Oregon to pound the rock with their combo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye. This is another game where I wouldn’t be surprised to see freshman Ty Thompson get a decent chunk of snaps. 

Overall, I wouldn’t expect Oregon to rush Kayvon Thibodeaux back into this game, and anyone else that is slightly injured might see significantly less snaps than usual. I think this game will be a great game for the Ducks to find their footing against a Pac-12 team before they hit the road against a surging Stanford team.

Prediction: Oregon 38 Arizona 14

Nick Battey (@nickbat22)

Oregon has for the most part played up/down to their opponent thus far, and I don't see that happening in this game. With a Pac-12 opponent coming into Autzen and a full environment with the students back, I expect a fast start for the Ducks. Especially when you consider the reinforcements that might return on defense this week. 

Keith Brown and Mase Funa both look like they’ll be good to go and it’s possible Kayvon Thibodeaux might be back as well.

On the offensive side, Anthony Brown should be back and healthy unless there is a setback in practice, and he’ll be hoping for a better performance from the offensive line. If the offensive line plays with the intensity it did vs Ohio State, Arizona won’t have much chance to stop Oregon’s run game. 

Also with CJ Verdell and Travis Dye not playing much against Stony Brook, they are rested for this game as well. Oregon should have no problem with Arizona as the talent gap is just too big.

Prediction: Oregon 40 Arizona 10

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