Oregon-UCLA, USC-Arizona Highlight Vegas Pac 12 Predictions Week 7
Saturday Blitz Vegas Pac 12 Predictions
Game of the Week
No. 12 Oregon Ducks at No. 18 UCLA Bruins
Line: Oregon by 2.5
Here’s the game we’ve been waiting for. These were the two teams with by far the most hype going into Pac 12 play this year, and before last week we were sure that it would be a game between two undefeated teams. But upset Saturday claimed both of these guys, and now we have two 4-1 teams going at each other. But don’t give up on this game. It still should be incredibly exciting, with two different styles facing off.
Oregon wants to rebound off a major heartbreaker last week to UCLA. Two big weaknesses facing the Ducks got exposed: offensive and defensive lines. Those are going to have to play better if the Ducks are to win this game. Facing off against Brett Hundley, Oregon’s secondary can’t get torched the way it did at times last year. This is a pretty good secondary, much better than the front seven, and it’s going to have to show up to win on Saturday with a tough test against Hundley. UCLA doesn’t run the ball a lot, but it’s not like they can’t with Paul Perkins. Oregon is going to have to toughen up and be ready to stop him at all costs, because they looked lost trying to stop the run last week. On offense, the Ducks need to get back to playing their game. That includes more quick passes from Marcus Mariota to avoid being hit, and they have to keep him in the pocket when he’s throwing. Rolling out makes him more prone to getting sacked. They could also run the ball more against a UCLA rush defense that proved it was weak last week.
UCLA, meanwhile, needs to focus on running the ball a lot more on Saturday. Give the Ducks a heavy dose of Perkins, and it will be really hard for them to stop the offense. That doesn’t mean that you don’t still rely on Hundley, but the Oregon rush defense is so weak that a bit of running to set up the pass this weekend could be very valuable. The Bruins also need to make sure they don’t get manhandled up front the way they did last week against Utah. Yes, Utah’s offensive line is better than Oregon’s, but regardless of who is playing on the line, it’s pathetic when you give up a game winning drive with all running plays. Oregon can score quickly and score at will, and if you front four can’t get any type of disruption on them, they will pick you to pieces easily. Just like Oregon, the Bruins are trying to rebound from an incredibly tough loss to Utah last week in which they recaptured the lead and blew it at the end. To rebound, they’re going to need their defensive front seven to step up. Otherwise, they’re in trouble.
Prediction
This game is the perfect match-up. For Oregon. The Ducks get beat by teams with a strong defensive front and that have a deadly running game. UCLA has neither of those. Oregon will roll into Pasadena on Saturday and have its way with the Bruins’ defense on Saturday, and the Oregon defense will give Hundley fits. Jim Mora will probably be smart enough to try to get the running game going somewhat, but it’s not going to be enough in the end. The Ducks are too superior on offense, and they are going to win this game because of that.
Oregon: 38 UCLA: 24