College Football Odds – Oregon Ducks By the Numbers

For the sake of the college football odds, how do the numbers break down when analyzing the performance of the Oregon Ducks in preparation for their BCS Championship game appearance against the Auburn Tigers?

Let’s take a look, in preparation for this contest, which kicks off at 8:30 PM ET at the University of Phoenix Stadium (natural turf) in Glendale, AZ. In the college football odds, Auburn is a 1.5-point favorite, with the total on the game posted at 73 points.

College Football Odds – BCS Championship Game

Auburn Tigers (13-0 SU, 9-3 ATS) vs. Oregon Ducks (12-0 SU, 6-4-1 ATS)

Live at University of Phoenix Stadium

Glendale, AZ

Monday, January 10 — 8:30 PM ET

TV: ESPN

College Football Odds:

Auburn -1.5

Oregon +1.5

Total 73

Oregon is rated first in the nation in total offense. The Ducks have gained 537.5 yards a game, and that 304 of those yards have been achieved on the ground. This is not necessarily a "committee" approach, as LaMichael James is the dominant back. James, who is playing his second year of college football, has averaged 153 yards a game, which makes him the most productive back in the land in terms of yardage per game.

Quarterback Darron Thomas is much more than just the "other" quarterback in this ballgame. Thomas, who was forced to take over the reins at Oregon when Jeremiah Masoli was kicked off the team, put together some interesting passing numbers, throwing for 2518 yards and 28 touchdowns while tossing only seven interceptions. Yes, there is plenty of balance in this Oregon offense, and that is a scary proposition for people looking at the Ducks as an underdog in the college football odds.

Defense hasn’t been a horrible thing for Oregon, either. The Ducks are giving up just 3.3 yards a carry, and the 118 yards a game they give up ranks them at #16 in the nation. The secondary has done a good job against the collection of Pac-10 squads they have played against. Oregon allows just 53% completions, and has picked off 20 passes, and they are sixth in the nation in pass efficiency defense. All told, opponents have had to gain 18 yards for every point they have scored, and that is a figure that is quite a bit better than Auburn’s 14.8 "ypp" on the defensive side, which is something you must factor into any analysis of college football odds on this game.

Oregon has an excellent "sack ratio." The Ducks have chalked up 31 sacks on the season, and have given up only eight. Like Auburn, they have also proven to be excellent in terms of penetrating the other team’s line, ranking seventh in the nation in tackles for loss.

Special teams may be one place Oregon could extract an advantage in the college football odds. No, it isn’t because they have a great field goal kicker, because Rob Beard has nailed only nine of them all season. It’s because any time a punt stays in bounds, Cliff Harris is a threat to do something with it. Harris is #1 in the nation in punt returns, and has taken four of them back for touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how Auburn deals with this.

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