Oregon @ Colorado NCAA Football Odds Preview

Following their blowout loss at the hands of the Utah Utes in Week 4, it is safe to say that the Oregon Ducks will not be making a successive appearance in the college football playoffs. All that remains for the Ducks is to fight for an outside chance of claiming the Pac-12 North division title, which would earn them a shot at the Pac-12 title game and an opportunity to play in a major bowl game. But in order for all that to happen, Oregon (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) will need to win nearly all of its remaining Pac-12 fixtures, starting with Saturday night’s clash against the marauding Buffaloes from Colorado.Here is a breakdown of this Oregon-Colorado Week 5 clash, including free College Football betting picks.

How To Bet the Ducks @ Buffaloes NCAA Football Odds, TV & Game Info

Venue: Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado Date: Saturday, October 3, 2015 Time: 10:00 PM ET TV: ESPN NCAAF Odds: Oregon (-7.5), Colorado (+7.5)

It’s time. #GoDucks #UOvsCOLO pic.twitter.com/09156na3KJ

— GoDucks (@GoDucks) October 3, 2015

An Insider’s Betting Look at the Oregon @ Colorado NCAA Football Match Up

After finishing the 2014/15 season on a 2-10 mark, the Buffaloes are looking like an entirely different unit, having already picked three wins out of their four games this season. Most notably, the Buffaloes enter this game riding on a three-game winning streak, including the 48-0 shutout win over the Nicholls State last Week. This win came courtesy of a resolute performance from the entire Colorado defense, while the offense was paced by big performances from RB Phillip Lindsay (113 rushing yards and two TDs on 17 carries) and QB Sefo Liufau (227 passing yards and a TD through the air). The Ducks didn’t have the same success like Colorado in Week 4, getting battered 62-20 by Utah in a game that Oregon was master-classed on both ends of the field. Outside Taj Griffin’s 56 yards on two carries, there is nothing worth commending from that loss. Fortunately for the Ducks, this week’s game against Colorado offers a good chance for Oregon to bounce back. Oregon has won the last five straight games against the Buffaloes, dating back to the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. More remarkably, in the last four meetings between the two teams, Oregon has outscored Colorado by a 216-42 margin. With such a dominant history over the Buffaloes (3-1, 0-0), the Ducks should be motivated of giving a big performance in this Pac-12 showdown. Obviously, to have a chance of outplaying Colorado’s improved offense, the Ducks will need to find ways of containing 2014 Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist WR Nelson Spruce, a player who set 31 records for Colorado last year as a junior and has been a thorn in the flesh to teams this season. And still on players that need to be contained, Colorado’s rush offense (13th-best in the nation averaging 272 YPG) has three running backs that have rushed for at least 200 yards this season, namely Christian Powell (245 yards), Lindsay (243) and Michael Adkins (213). After Utah’s running game gave Oregon all kinds of problems on the ground, stopping this ground game will be very important. In addition to the defense doing its job against Colorado’s tenacious offense, the Ducks will need to tap into the strength of their equally good offensive running game, averaging 285.2 rushing yards per game (good for 11th-best in the nation). RB Royce Freeman, Oregon’s leading rusher with 450 yards and 5 TDs on 69 carries, will thus need to lead the rest of his team in the onslaught against Colorado. Combined with their stellar special teams that average the most return yards in the nation with 186.5, the Ducks should not have any excuses about not having enough weapons to win this game handily.

Ducks @ Buffaloes Key Betting Trends

• Colorado is 3-9 SU in its last 12 games • Oregon is 17-4 SU in its last 21 games • Colorado is 7-18 SU in its last 25 games at home • Oregon is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games on the road • Colorado is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Oregon. • Oregon is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado • The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Oregon’s last 9 games on the road • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Colorado’s last 7 games • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 6 games • The total has gone OVER in 5 of Colorado’s last 6 games at home

My Expert Betting Analysis, Game Verdict and Picks

Oregon’s QB situation for Saturday is a game-time decision, but both Vernon Adams and Jeff Lockie are talented enough to give the Ducks some competitive edge in this game. So although Oregon’s leaky defense will continue to allow points this Saturday, the Ducks’ superior offense should be able to bounce back in a strong way, outscoring Colorado en route to a comfortable win. Picks: Oregon Claims both the SU and ATS, Total goes OVER.