It’s game day, Duck fans, and that means it’s time to make your gameday prediction.
Our Oregon Ducks football program kicks off rivalry week to face the Beavs in Autzen today, as Oregon State hits the road fresh off a 2-point loss to the Huskies in Corvallis. For most fans, this looks to be a tightly contested matchup to close out the regular season and finish off the rivalry for the foreseeable future. DJ Uiagalelei has been playing some great football over the past couple of months, and the recent transfer has pushed the Beavs to new heights similarly to how Bo Nix has been over the past pair of seasons.
However, despite Oregon State running up the top-25 all year long, there’s still a general consensus that Oregon’s going to dominate this matchup. Sports Illustrated has the Ducks winning by nearly two touchdowns, which I think is the right ballpark, but I would take a step even further and double down.
Oregon looks unstoppable right now. Today, they’ll prove why they’re a College Football Playoff team – Photo from Vasco Dixon
Oregon’s Health/Injury Report
Overall, our Ducks are at about as full strength as they’ve been all year. There are a handful of players to monitor, but overall, they look to be in good shape to dominate their home turf in Autzen. Fortunately, the same goes for the Beavs to an extent, which leaves this as a conclusion to an age-old rivalry (as we know it) with zero asterisks. Now it just comes down to if Oregon wants to go to the College Football Playoff more, or the Beavs would rather play spoiler.
I’m thinking the former.
Final Score Prediction: 42-17 Ducks
A bit lopsided, but what we should expect at this point of our Ducks’ super team. This Oregon team is firing on all cylinders, and they’re playing at home in one of the hardest places to play in the country. While OSU competed with the Huskies last week, they haven’t been playing quite to the level Our Beloved Ducks have over the last month.
I don’t quite expect a shootout, but there will still be plenty of excitement all game long. Considering how motivated this Beavs team should be with the ability to play spoiler to Oregon’s College Football Playoff hopes, Oregon should expect the kitchen sink. Unfortunately for Corvallis natives, that doesn’t look to be enough on any day that Nix is at the helm.
Nix has a prolific ability as a cerebral quarterback in his final college season to always find the open guy, make the right play, and give the Ducks a great chance to win against any opponent. Expect more of the same today, and a high-scoring affair that not only cements the Ducks’ position as a top contender in the West, but also a ticket-punching victory for the final PAC-12 Championship as we know it.
Of course, we expect to see Oregon play against the Beavs again in the near future. But after the conference shakeups over the past six months, there’s a ton of uncertainty about what to expect next for these two teams.
Today, let’s just focus on seeing our Ducks go out on top. Join us in the FishDuck Forum with decorum to let us know your thoughts on the game, score predictions, and the future of this Oregon team down the home stretch.
Go Ducks!
Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: Craig Strobeck
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Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.