Auburn vs. Oregon Sports Picks Against the Spread Preview for Handicappers

This coming Monday, Oregon and Auburn culminate the college football betting season by doing battle in the BCS Championship. Who will triumph—Oregon’s high-octane offense or the awesome power of Auburn’s Cameron Newton?

(2) Oregon Ducks vs (1) Auburn Tigers

Monday, January 10, 8:30 p.m. ET

Betting favorite: Auburn -3

Over/Under: 74

It’s no surprise to see the sports betting total at an astronomical 74 points. It’s a must when Oregon plays. The OVER is 8-4 for the Ducks this season and the average total between them and their opponent is 67.8 points. The over is 14-5 over Oregon’s last 19 games. However, the UNDER is 4-1 over its last five bowl games.

Though Oregon is 3-7 against the spread over its last 10 games against teams with winning records, it’s comfortable during the rare moments when it has underdog status. The Ducks are 14-5 ATS over their last 19 games as an underdog of 0.5 to 3.0 points and 5-1 ATS over their last six bowl games as an underdog.

The top-ranked Auburn Tigers are a solid 9-4 ATS on the year and have beaten six of their last seven spreads while scoring 49 or more points in four of their last five games. The Tigers are also 5-1 ATS over their last six games as a favorite. They are, however, 1-4 ATS over their last five non-conference affairs. Some Canadian syndicate bettors would say Auburn sometimes gets caught admiring its own performances. In its last 10 games after holding the opposition under 20 points in the previous game, Auburn is 2-8 ATS.

Though the OVER is 4-1 over Auburn’s last five games overall, the UNDER is 7-1 in Auburn’s last eight bowl games and 4-1 in its last five bowl games as a favorite.

As any sports betting blog will tell you, Oregon is all about offense. Averaging a whopping 542.1 total yards and 49.3 points per game, the Ducks are the nation’s top offensive team. They also rank second in rushing with 309.9 yards per contest, largely thanks to NCAA rushing leader LaMichael James’ banner season.

Oregon is no slouch on “D”—though partly because it has the ball so often. It ranks 19^th against the pass, 12^th in points allowed and 23^rd in total defense. The Ducks are just average against the pass, allowing 214 yards per game to rank 51^st.

Auburn is also an offensive juggernaut, ranking seventh in total offense, fifth in rushing yards and fourth in points per game. As Heisman Trophy winner Cameron Newton goes, the Tigers go; he threw for 2,589 yards and 28 scores, but also ran for 1,409 yards and 20 scores, meaning he created 48 touchdowns.

Defensively, Auburn leaves a bit to be desired—partially because it plays in the powerhouse SEC. The Tigers actually have one of the lowest-ranked pass defenses in the country, clocking in at 106^th with 250.5 yards allowed per game. The Tigers make up for it with stellar run defense, ranking seventh with 104 yards surrendered per game.