Oregon Football: Playoff trek continues with crucial road game at Stanford

Oregon football is still very much alive for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But the Stanford Cardinal have plans to spoil the Ducks’ season.

Justin Herbert and the Oregon Ducks have bounced back from their season opening loss to Auburn with two decisive wins over Nevada and Montana. And while the Ducks should be 3-0, they still have plenty of games left on their schedule that can put them in contention for a spot in the Playoff.

The Stanford Cardinal on the other hand, have had a rough start to their season. After defeating Northwestern to start off the season, the Cardinal have dropped two consecutive games to USC and UCF, surrendering 45 points in each loss.

The Ducks are looking to start off conference play with a big win, while the Cardinal are trying to get back to .500 on the season and back on track for a 10-win season. While the Ducks are the favorite to win, the Cardinal are at home and have the talent to put another blemish on Oregon’s season.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game between Oregon and Stanford:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Stanford, Calif.
Venue: Stanford Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

The Oregon Ducks have Justin Herbert, one of the top quarterbacks in the nation who has performed well to this point of the season. Stanford’s defense has allowed 45 points in two straight games but has the players on defense to slow down this high flying Oregon offense.

The Ducks need to get Herbert in rhythm early if they want to avoid any upset. On defense, the Ducks have been surprisingly good. Their only knock this season is allowing 206 rushing yards in their loss to Auburn. A couple Duck-forced turnovers should help put this game away.

The Stanford Cardinal Offense has been flat so far this season. Averaging just 349.7 yards per game, the Stanford offense needs to take off and have its best game of the season against the Ducks. The most shocking aspect of the Cardinal’s season though is how poor their defense has played.

Coming into the season, many thought that Stanford’s defense would be their strong point. If they want to have any chance of pulling off the upset, and avoid a third straight loss, their defense will need to play lights out as the Ducks’ offense can score at will.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Point Spread: Oregon -10.5
Over/under: 57.5

Prediction

Before this season started, there was a lot of hype behind this game. Both teams had expectations of being undefeated when these two teams met but both have suffered losses. While the Ducks’ season is very much a live, the Cardinal’s season is sinking and fast. Stanford comes out playing scrappy and take an early first half lead. But the all around talent on both sides of the ball has Oregon dominating most of the game. Justin Herbert has a Heisman-like day and tosses four touchdowns en route of the Cardinal.

Final Score: Oregon 41, Stanford 17