Washington 3-Point Home Underdog vs Oregon; Ducks Have Won 18 of Last 26 vs UW

• Oregon travels to Seattle to face Washington on Saturday, Oct. 19th (3:30 PM ET)
• Oregon gave up 27 points in their opener to Auburn; they’ve allowed a total of 25 points since then
• The Huskies are a perfect 3-0 ATS when facing teams with a winning record this season

The Oregon Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) started their season with a loss to the Auburn Tigers but have since won five straight. In Week 8 (Sat, Oct. 19th), they’ll visit the Washington Huskies (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) in a battle of top-25 teams that could determine Pac-12 supremacy.

The Ducks are a small road favorite. Can they cash in or will Washington spring the upset?

Oregon Ducks vs Washington Huskies Odds

*Odds taken 10/12/19

Since Loss To Auburn, Ducks Have Rolled

It’s interesting to think about where the Ducks would have been had they held on to beat Auburn in the opening game of the 2019 season (a game they led 21-6 in the second half). Safe to say their College Football Playoff odds would be considerably shorter.

At any rate, they took a loss there, but have won every game since.

The challenge is that the Ducks haven’t really played any elite teams. They stomped Nevada, Montana, and Colorado, and edged Stanford and California. The Golden Bears have been surprisingly good this year, but were also missing their starting quarterback.

Washington, while not quite elite, will be Oregon’s toughest test since Auburn.

Oregon’s Defense Has Impressed

Quarterback Justin Hebert has fallen short of becoming a Heisman Trophy favorite, as many thought he would in the preseason, but this Ducks defense has picked up the slack. They gave up 27 points to Auburn in the opener; they’ve allowed a total of 25 points in their five games since.

The run defense has been particularly impressive as they’re allowing just 3.1 yards per carry this season. They’ve given up just one rushing touchdown all year. The pass defense isn’t exactly lagging behind, holding opponents to 160.2 passing yards per game (eighth-best in the country). They have 21 sacks and 12 picks.

How Good Is Washington?

The Huskies were expected to be one of the top teams in the country, staring the year ranked #13, but they’ve been a bit of an enigma. They suffered a one-point loss at home to rival Cal and then lost by 10 to a down Stanford team.

But they have also put together several impressive games, as well, beating BYU by 26 (road), USC by 14 (home), and Arizona by 24 (road).

Washington passes the eye test. Quarterback Jacob Eason has an NFL-caliber arm, and he’s just one of many players on this roster who will go pro. However, they’ve had issues in big games other than their win over No. 21 USC (when the Trojans were starting their third-string quarterback).

The Huskies run defense has been a disaster as they’ve allowed 160.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranks them 58th. USC had 212 rushing yards, Stanford had 189, California had 192, and even Hawaii – yes, pass-oriented Hawaii – had 141. That’s a big concern.

What’s The Best Bet?

Going to Seattle is always a tough road trip, but I think Oregon will get the job done in this year’s matchup. They’ve played well in this series, winning 18 of the last 26 meetings. They should be able to run the ball and play defense. Washington’s offense has been very spotty against good defenses.

On defense, the Ducks have been tough as nails and while they haven’t exactly faced the toughest schedule, Washington is in the midst of a down year.

This isn’t the College Football Playoff-caliber Huskies we’ve come to know under Chris Peterson. Take the Ducks here.

Pick: Oregon -3 (-105)