First to 50 wins? Take the over? Will the Ducks get to 70? Or will the game even happen because of air quality? Smoked Duck with a side of Smoked Cheesy Corn? Lot of question hang in the air, sort of like the smokey particulate hovering over Autzen Stadium because of the wildfires in the area. There is no guarantee that the game may even happen, but we can still speculate.
The line on this game opened up in the single digits, but quickly grew to favor Oregon by about two touchdowns. Against a vastly inferior opponent, they still went absolutely full press on offense, scoring 77 in the route on Southern Utah and racking up more than 700 yards. It is clear they have the capability to score points. But the Huskers will look to keep pace.
The big concern is shoring up the defense to prevent the Ducks from doing what the Red Wolves did last week. The intermediate passes took its toll on the Husker secondary. However, it may favor the Blackshirts that the Ducks will want to establish a running game as well. The 348 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground last week mean it will not be an easy task. But a team of this caliber will want to keep a defensive honest by establishing a balanced game plan, whereas a Sun Belt opponent coming up against a Power 5 conference opponent will take many chances with its game plan to breed success.
Straight up, the Huskers are not the favorite, but I expect that this game is closer than most people are going to expect. The Huskers should keep it close, leading to something like a 48-44 Oregon win. If the defense can force any turnovers, it could mean the difference between that score being in favor of the Huskers instead of the Ducks.