Oregon 7 Point Underdogs At Home Against (6) California

Sports Betting News - September 24th, 2009 - Written by Scott

A great Pac-10 battle is set to take place Saturday as No. 6 California travels to play Oregon.  California's next two games, Oregon and next week against USC, are extremely important as they look to make their first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1958.  Both teams are coming off big wins last week.  The Bears defeated Minnesota 35-21 and Oregon upset then No. 18 Utah 31-24.  This will be a key game in the Pac-10, especially with USC losing this past week.  The Ducks have played well at home, winning their past six.  California won last year's meeting 26-16 and two years ago beat the Ducks at home.

The Bears' offense has been nothing short of explosive so far this year and is averaging 488 yards per game.  Quarterback Kevin Riley has passed for 698 yards and 5 touchdowns.  Riley should show the nation on Saturday whether he can lead his team to be in contention for a Pac-10 title. Heralded running back Jahvid Best has been stellar.  He has rushed for 412 yards and 8 touchdowns, including 5 against Minnesota.  Both players proved they can make big plays and did it last week as California was tied going into the fourth quarter.  Defensively, they did a great job of stopping the run against Minnesota and should follow suit on Saturday.  Their defensive line has showed their strength by recording two sacks last week and getting pressure in the offensive backfield.

The Ducks seem to have straightened out there situation at running back after LaGarrette Blount was suspended for the season following his altercation after their loss to Boise State.  LaMichael James has been the bright star on offense in Blount's absence and has rushed for 230 yards, including 152 last week.  Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has passed for only 379 yards and zero touchdowns, but has added 145 yards rushing and is the team's second leading rusher.  He was dismal in last week's loss, connecting on only 4 of 16 passes with one interception and two lost fumbles.  They must improve their passing game and avoid being so one-dimensional against California.  They will need to have their best defensive performance of the year on Saturday as they face one of the nation's best running backs.

California comes in as 7 point favorites on the road against Oregon according to BetUS.  This game will be big for the Pac-10 in shaping the standings in the conference.  The next two games will be extremely important for California as they look to make their way back to the Rose Bowl and a tough Oregon team will be their first hurdle to overcome.

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