Oregon Vs Nebraska College Football Week 3 Free Picks

Posted by Joe Solari on Friday,September 16, 2016 6:12, EDT in

There will be plenty of NCAA football betting lines history on the line when the Nebraska Cornhuskers befittingly renew their rivalry with the Oregon Ducks at the Memorial Stadium this Saturday. The Cornhuskers have historically dominated the series against the Ducks, but Oregon coach Mark Helfrich is undefeated against Nebraska coach Mike Riley. Which history will be holding supreme when the two opposing squads go against each other this weekend? Find out as we take you through a sweeping sportsbetting preview of this marquee college football clash.

Analyzing The Ducks Vs Cornhuskers College Football Week 3 Free Picks

Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska
When: Saturday, September 17, 3:30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Live Stream: ABC Watch Live
NCAAF Lines: Nebraska (-3), OVER/UNDER 74

 

 

Why Bet on Oregon

A has been the case for the past several seasons, the Oregon Ducks (2-0 SU, 0-2 ATS) have started the season by chewing up mega yardages and putting up big points. In their two games against UC Davis and Virginia, the Ducks have scored an average of 48.50 point per game while accounting for a whopping 1,154 total yards offense. Montana State transfer Dakota Prukop has been the chief architect of this offense, completing 68.9 percent of his passes while throwing six touchdowns and running for another. The biggest piece of this offense, though, has been the dynamic running back Royce Freeman, who’s run for four touchdowns while averaging 147 rushing yards per game and 9.4 yards per carry through his two games. The receiving game is just as loaded with talent, including deep-threat specialists Devon Allen and Darren Carrington. As a concern, however, the Ducks have been pretty vulnerable in defense, particularly in defending the run. For example, in the 44-26 win over the Cavaliers last week, the Ducks allowed Virginia’s three running backs to rush 31 times for 220 yards, an average of more than seven per carry. Against Nebraska’s proven runners, the Ducks will need to tighten things at the back or else Oregon will be in for a long day.

Why bet on Nebraska

After a sub .500 finish in 2015, the Huskers are seemingly intent on bouncing back strongly, and have stormed out of the gates with a 2-0 SU/ATS mark with admirable balance in moving the ball offensively. Case-and-point, in their season-opening 43-10 win over Fresno State, the Huskers called 51 of 64 plays on the ground for 292 and 5 rushing TDs, with QB Tommy Armstrong (who rushed for 2 TDs and passed for one score) throwing the ball just 10 times in that game. Then, last week against Wyoming, Armstrong and his offense showed that they could execute just as efficiently through the air, as the QB went 20 of 34 and passed for three touchdowns in a 52-17 win. With this type of balance in offense (averaging 47.50 PPG scoring), Nebraska is guaranteed to put up some solid points against Oregon’s transitioning defense. Speaking of defense, the Cornhuskers have one of the best defenses through the first two weeks, giving up just 13.50 PPG (tied for 22nd-best  in the nation) and already tallying 7 interceptions (tied for most interceptions in the nation), so don’t expect Oregon to move the ball effortlessly as it’s done against UC Davis and Virginia.

Expert NCAA Football Betting Predictions and Picks

Besides going 3-0 SU/ATS in its last three games as the home team, Nebraska is 5-1 in the All-time series against Oregon. In addition, the Huskers are playing some really good football right now, a key reason they are favored over the ranked Ducks. That being said, a lot has changed in this series since these two teams last met in 1986, which is two damn decades ago. Also, Helfrich is 2-0 against Riley, beating the current Nebraska coach in his time as Oregon State coach. Add to the fact that Oregon is impressively 21-4 SU in its last 25 road games and 9-1 ATS in its last 10 road games, we are inclined to go with Oregon’s good-looking ATS value.

Predicted Final Score: Nebraska 33, Oregon 31

Writer’s Pick: Oregon (+3)