Oregon vs. Utah odds: Early point spread released on Ducks, Utes

Two of the top programs in the Pac-12 will face off against one another in Week 9 when the Utah Utes travel to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks. Currently, FanDuel has the Ducks favored by 5.5 points. The over/under is set at 52.5.

Both teams are fresh off of a victory in Week 8 and are looking to keep pace with the Washington Huskies as the top team in the conference.

Oregon successfully defended its home field against the upset-minded Washington State Cougars. The Ducks rivals to the north, led by their star quarterback Cameron Ward, put up a gallant fight Saturday afternoon. But in the end, Oregon’s offense was just too much, and their defense did just enough to keep Ward and the Washington State’s offense at bay, picking up the 38-24 victory.

Utah, on the other hand, successfully crushed the USC Trojans College Football Playoff and possibly Pac-12 title aspirations with a victory and the Trojans home at the LA Coliseum. Without their star quarterback Cam Rising, the Utes pulled off the victory, taking down their rival with a last-second field goal to win 34-32.

Behind the play of former walk-on quarterback Bryson Barnes, the Utah offense came alive against USC. Barnes had his best performance under center for Utah with a 235-yard, three touchdowns to one interception performance. The junior from Milford, UT, completed 14 of his 23 pass attempts for a 60.9 completion percentage. Barnes also tacked on 10 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown against USC.

Oregon is a team on a mission this season. Despite losing a thrilling game to Washington in Seattle in week 8, the Ducks are still in control of their Pac-12 title and College Football Playoff destiny. It is no easy task, but Oregon must win out to finish the season in order to secure an opportunity to play for the conference title. And should they win there, especially if it is against an undefeated Washington in a rematch from their Week 7 showdown, the Ducks would have just as big of a claim as anyone to one of the four spots in this year’s College Football Playoff.

A large reason why Oregon has been successful this season is because of the play of their star quarterback, Bo Nix. Nix has been on a tear in 2023 and is a favorite to bring home the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season. This season, the super senior quarterback has thrown for over 2000 yards with 19 passing touchdowns to just one interception.