The No. 22 Oregon Ducks hit the road on Saturday, September 17th to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the biggest non-conference game for both teams. The Cornhuskers are 5-1 all-time against Oregon with four straight wins by an average of 45 points per game, but the last meeting was in 1986.
Oregon (2-0) has made easy work of its first two opponents with a 53-28 victory over UC Davis and a 44-26 triumph against Virginia. The Ducks were flying high offensively last week as they racked up 632 total yards on the Cavaliers.
Nebraska (2-0) has been even more impressive in the early going. After throttling Fresno State 43-10 in their opener, the Cornhuskers forced six turnovers in a 52-17 beat down of Wyoming last week.
Kickoff inside Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 EST Saturday afternoon with ABC providing the television coverage. Taking a look at the lines in Las Vegas, I find Nebraska as a 3-point favorite over Oregon with a total set of 73.5 points.
This is a very reasonable price to get Nebraska at home against Oregon. I pegged the Huskers as contenders to win the Big Ten this season because I figured they’d be one of the most improved teams in the country with 13 starters back.
With a little better fortune in close games, they easily could have been a 10-win team. They had five last-second losses last year and were essentially five plays away from being 11-2. They look dominant in 2016 now that they are in the second year of Mike Riley’s systems.
The Huskers opened their season with a 43-10 victory over Fresno State as 28.5-point favorites. They also covered as 25.5-point favorites in a 52-17 win over Wyoming last week. They forced six turnovers in the win and outgained the Cowboys by 230 yards in the game.
Oregon clearly has issues once again defensively. It gave up 28 points and 392 total yards to UC Davis in the opener, including 303 passing yards. The Ducks then gave up 26 points and 388 total yards to Virginia last week. That’s the same Virginia team that lost 20-37 to FCS foe Richmond in its opener.
Nebraska still has one of the best home-field advantages in the nation as it has gone 6-1 or better at home in four of the past five seasons, sporting a 30-6 mark during that stretch. I believe the home field is worth more here for the Huskers than they are getting credit for.
I trust Tommy Armstrong to get the job done at the quarterback position. The senior is a veteran who is off to a great start this year. He has thrown for 485 yards and four touchdowns against one interception, while also rushing for 54 yards and three scores thus far.
Plays on a home team (NEBRASKA) – after two straight wins by 21 or more points against opponent after scoring 42 points or more in two straight games are 26-6 (81.2%) ATS since 1992.
Plays on a home team (NEBRASKA) – after two straight wins by 21 or more points against opponent after scoring 42 points or more in two straight games are 26-6 (81.2%) ATS since 1992.
The Ducks are 0-4 ATS in their last four games overall. Oregon is 0-4 ATS in its last four non-conference games. Nebraska is 5-1 ATS in its last six non-conference games. The Huskers are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.