Missouri St. vs. Oregon: Preview, Over/Under, Spread, Predictions and TV Info

An 0-2 start for Missouri State doesn't exactly lead us to believe they can compete with the Oregon Ducks, whose national championship hopes are still intact. Oregon suffering a painful loss in their opener has some doubting their dominance.

Their offense isn't clicking as they would like it to and LaMichael James' Heisman hopes are slowly but surely fading away. They have the perfect opportunity to really jack up his stats in a blowout victory. For Missouri State, it's more about not getting embarrassed than winning.

Where: Autzen Stadium

When: Saturday, September 17th, 3:30 ET

Watch: Comcast Sports Northwest, streaming on ESPN 3

Spread: Oregon -56 1/2

Take the points. Oregon's offense is going to destroy Missouri State, but winning by 57? That's a tall order. They beat Nevada by 49, but it's impossible to say that they are going to come out and score 60+ in this outing. Sure they are capable of it, but at home, getting the ball kicked off to them as often as they are going to, Missouri State is good for at least 10 points.

Over/Under:  71

Take the under. Let's pretend that Oregon scores 60 and Missouri State scores 10. You still don't cover if you bet the over. That's a lot of points and considering Missouri State isn't going to do much to contribute, it's tough to feel comfortable with the over.

Key Injuries:

Oregon

     Rob Bears - Probable
     Kenjon Barner - Probable
     Justin Hoffman - Questionable
     Michael Clay - Doubtful
     Josh Huff - Doubtful
     Curtis White - Out

Missouri State

     No significant injuries reported

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications: 

Oregon can't afford to have any sort of slip up here and survive. They'll plummet all the way out of Top 25. If they win, they hold their current position. There are no implications to discuss with Missouri State, as they aren't going to begin to sniff the Top 25.

Keys to Missouri State Win:

Pray. This sort of upset has happened before, but the football gods are going to have to smile upon Missouri State to give them any chance in this one. We can talk about quarterback Trevor Wooden and what he needs to do to get going or Missouri State shutting down LaMichael James, but let's be real. It's going to take a miracle.

Keys to Oregon Win:

Turn on the offense and don't look back. That means feeding the ball to LaMichael James and making him the centerpiece of the offense again. It also means keeping Darron Thomas producing at a high level. This team has a chance to put up ridiculous points. All they need to do is execute.

Prediction:

Missouri State 10, Oregon 55

This would be considered a success for both teams. Oregon gets to showcase their offensive dominance, Missouri State doesn't lose by 57 and all is well and good. Missouri State can keep their dignity if they manage to hit double digits against Oregon.