CFB: Arizona State at Oregon (10:15 PM ET, ESPN)

Oregon’s slip last week at Stanford left it no room for error in the quest to be the 2009 Pac-10 champion. The Ducks will return home this week when they host an Arizona State team that gave USC all it could last week. It seems that oddsmakers at Sportsbo

2009-11-13

Oregon’s slip last week at Stanford left it no room for error in the quest to be the 2009 Pac-10 champion. The Ducks will return home this week when they host an Arizona State team that gave USC all it could last week. It seems that oddsmakers at Sportsbook.com cannot set a line high enough for players on this contest, as an opening price of -16 has moved to -18 under the pressure of 93% support from bettors.

The Ducks (7-2, 6-3 ATS) look to continue their march towards a Pac-10 title and have games at Arizona and vs. Oregon State left on the slate. Oregon’s seven game winning streak ended last week at Stanford with a foul defensive performance. The offense is hardly a duck out of water, averaging over 40 points a game in conference action, including the 24 against UCLA when quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was out with knee injury. Opposing teams have much to fear, as one Pac-10 coach said about the Ducks offense after watching the USC massacre. “The execution was at the highest level I’ve ever seen someone run the spread option attack,”

Another aspect is the athleticism of the Oregon defense, which is evident watching them play (when motivated) and fly around to the ball. It’s no wonder they are 28-11 ATS when they allow 15 to 21 points. Incidentally, the StatFox Game Estimator pegs the Sun Devils for 19 in this one.

Folks in Tempe are showing signs of restlessness after three straight Pac-10 losses and a 2-5 record since starting 2-0. Injuries have been a big factor for a squad lacking any real depth. Rumors are circulating that Dennis Erickson has a coaching staff littered with too many cronies and not enough younger energetic types that can recruit and keep the players fired up. Erickson is also calling the offense and questionable clock management has surfaced in different games, with many believing the head coach’s plate is too full. The defense is well above average (15th in total defense); however they will have to be uncommonly extraordinary to slow Oregon. The Sun Devils are a pale 8-18-2 ATS as a conference club catching points.

Oregon has oppressed Arizona State (4-3 ATS) in the last four meetings, winning and covering each time, with average differential of 24 points a contest. These two schools have averaged 64 points per game the last three years.

The StatFox Power Line shows Oregon by 20, meaning Sportsbook may have to boost the number up above that figure to even out is betting action before kickoff. Be patient if you plan on taking the underdog for this late night contest.

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