I was taken slightly aback the other day after learning that the betting line on the Georgia-Oregon game has the Bulldogs (give or take) as 17-point favorites. Certainly, I understand Georgia being a solid favorite, as they are the defending national champions while also playing a de facto home game, but essentially predicting a blowout?
C’mon man!
Have the oddsmakers forgotten how last season a shorthanded Oregon team not only covered but defeated a 14.5-point favorite Ohio State team in the Buckeyes’ home stadium? And this game, while in Georgia, is not in the Bulldogs’ home stadium, which I believe does take some of the edge off of the home-field advantage.
The current line is a slap in the face for the Ducks. Oregon is a top-tier program with an enthusiastic young coach and plenty of talent. While the Ducks are not considered national title contenders, they will not be intimidated and the stage will not be too big, which is what the spread seems to imply.
Georgia, by all rights, should be the favorite — but do you agree with the spread? If not, what is a more reasonable spread? Or, are you a full-on Oregon homer and favoring the Ducks? Let’s hear it.
Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: Gary Breedlove
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Darren Perkins is a sales professional and 1997 Oregon graduate. After finishing school, he escaped the rain and moved to sunny Southern California where he studied screenwriting for two years at UCLA. Darren grew up in Eugene and in 1980, at the tender age of five, he attended his first Oregon football game. His lasting memory from that experience was an enthusiastic Don Essig announcing to the crowd: “Reggie Ogburn, completes a pass to… Reggie Ogburn.” Captivated by such a thrilling play, Darren’s been hooked on Oregon football ever since. Currently living in Spokane, Darren enjoys flaunting his yellow and green superiority complex over friends and family in Cougar country.