Arizona Wildcats vs. Oregon Ducks Betting Odds: Analysis and Prediction

A pair of undefeated Pac-12 teams will meet in Eugene Thursday night when the Oregon Ducks host the Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks are just 1-4 against the spread in their last five games as home favorites, and they will be out for revenge after losing badly in Tucson last year 42-16 as 18.5-point road chalk.

Point Spread: The Ducks opened as 22.5-point favorites at Autzen Stadium.

Odds Shark Computer Prediction: Ducks 46.8, Wildcats 29.6

Why the Arizona Wildcats Can Cover the Spread

The Wildcats are 6-3 ATS in the past nine meetings with Oregon and have some confidence from last year’s big home victory in the series.

They are coming off a bye to help them prepare for the Ducks and were lucky to stay unbeaten when they rallied back to beat Cal 49-45 two weeks ago on a 47-yard touchdown pass as time expired.

Arizona freshman quarterback Anu Solomon had the best game of his young career with 520 passing yards and five touchdowns against the Golden Bears, leading his team back from a 28-6 halftime deficit with 36 fourth-quarter points.

Solomon is a rising star in the Pac-12 and will get his first taste of an Oregon squad that has covered just two of its last nine games overall.

Why the Oregon Ducks Can Cover the Spread

Like the Wildcats, the Ducks were off last week following a 38-31 road win at Washington State that was also too close for comfort. Oregon fell behind 14-7 in the first quarter and then traded scores most of the rest of the way before scoring the game-winning touchdown with 5:33 remaining.

Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota continued his strong campaign for the Heisman Trophy by completing 21 of 25 passes for 329 yards, five touchdown passes and no interceptions.

For the season, Mariota has 13 touchdown passes and no picks, and he was solid in defeat last year against Arizona with 308 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The home team is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, and this is one of those statement games where Oregon needs to win big on national television.

Smart Pick

The Ducks are entering a tough stretch of their schedule and need to stay sharp in order to stay in the playoff picture. With a trip to UCLA on deck after this matchup with the Wildcats, Oregon must step up and make a statement as the team to beat in the conference.

The Ducks are just 1-3 ATS in their last four home games against Pac-12 opponents while the Wildcats are 1-4 against the line in their past five games as road underdogs.

Since neither team has been particularly strong in this series or in conference play, the over looks to be the pick. Both teams can put a lot of points on the scoreboard, and the over is 3-1 in Arizona’s last four games against Pac-12 foes while also going 4-1 in Oregon’s past five as a home favorite.

Trends

• Arizona is 1-5 ATS in its last six games on the road.
• Oregon is 5-0 straight up in its last five games.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.