Oregon vs. ASU: Betting lines examined, Ducks favored by 14

The breakdown: It seems that both of these programs are headed in opposite directions. The Ducks are well-ahead of schedule in terms of head coach Willie Taggart’s rebuild while the Sun Devils are 1-8 across their last nine games and have a coach planted firmly on the hot seat in Todd Graham.

Non-conference play isn’t always the greatest indicator of the strength of a football team, but Oregon does look completely re-tooled on defense and incredibly efficient on the offensive attack. Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert is looking more and more ready to jump to the Josh Rosen/Sam Darnold tier of Pac-12 signal callers and Royce Freeman is inarguably the best tailback in the conference.

The Sun Devils haven’t looked as sharp as their opponents from the Pacific Northwest in recent weeks, but they did improve last week against Texas Tech. Redshirt junior quarterback Manny Wilkins now has at least three viable playmakers at receiver and ASU was able to run the ball — a bit — in Lubbock last weekend. The defense hasn’t improved much though, and is up for a tough challenge against the Ducks on Saturday.

Below, we’ll take a look at each teams’ recent performances against the spread and how the two programs have faired against each other in recent years.

Here we go...

The odds: Arizona State (+14), Oregon (-14), Over/Under 75.5

ARIZONA STATE

• Arizona State is 1-5-1 against the spread in its last seven games
• Arizona State is 0-5 in its last five games against Oregon
• Arizona State is 15-6 straight up in its last 21 games at home
• Arizona State is 8-3 against the spread in its last 11 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in six of Arizona State’s last seven games against Oregon

OREGON

• Oregon is 4-12-1 against the spread in its last 17 games
• Oregon is 2-5-1 against the spread in its last eight games on the road
• The total has gone OVER in 13 of Oregon’s last 19 games
• Oregon is 8-2 against the spread in its last 10 games when playing Arizona State
• Oregon is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games when playing on the road against Arizona State

Notes

• Though the Sun Devils have clearly struggled in their last nine contests — skewing their miserable performance against the spread — they’ve remained solid (15-6) at home.
• Oregon is favored to win this game, but the Ducks have struggled mightily against the spread as of late. There’s a good chance Taggart and company won’t be able to pull off the blowout, but they should win this game.

Note: For entertainment purposes only.