Oregon Ducks vs Auburn Tigers tips, odds and predictions

Oregon Ducks – +145 at Bovada
Auburn Tigers – -166.67

In this season’s most anticipated opening game, 11th-ranked Oregon face 16th-ranked Auburn in a non-conference affair on neutral ground at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Tigers are 3.5-point favorites in this game and these teams have not faced each other since the 2011 NCAA Football season.

Oregon went 8-5 last season and head into the new campaign looking to win the Pac-12 title and get back to national prominence. They return senior QB Justin Herbert, who is a candidate in Heisman Trophy betting and bypassed being a possible no.1 pick in the last NFL draft to come back to the Ducks.

Auburn also finished 8-5 last season in a down one for the Tigers, but they are stronger now and beat a 6th-ranked Washington team from Pac-12 in last season’s opener. The Tigers are loaded, but they have a true freshman in Bo Nix taking over at QB and he will be thrown into the fire right away in this huge season-opener between two top-25 teams.

Last season Oregon were only 5-8 ATS, failing to cover the spread in four of their last five non-conference games. Auburn ended up 6-7 ATS last season and are only 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games.

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Herbert returns for the Ducks after passing for 3,151 yards last season with 28 TD and eight INT. He plays behind a great line and while he has lost his top WR from last year, he has some good targets including graduate transfer Juwan Johnson and freshman Mycah Pittman.

While Herbert is getting most of the press for Oregon, this season their run game may be the strength of the offense. The RB duo of CJ Verdell and Travis Dye return after combining to rush for 1,757 yards last season, while top recruit Sean Dollars will also be in the mix.

Auburn have one of the best defensive front lines in the nation, and they will hope to stop the run and get to Herbert in the backfield. On the other side of the coin, the experienced Oregon offensive line returns all five starters and could give the Ducks a significant advantage.

Five-star recruit Nix gets the start in this game and while the Tigers have lost their top two WRs, Anthony Schwartz (357 yards) and Seth Williams (534 yards and five TD) were freshman last season and have high ceilings. RB JaTarvious Whitlow (787 yards) is the lead returning back and will get most of the reps out of the backfield with Kam Martin and Shaun Shivers chiming in.

The Oregon defense is led ILB Troy Dye (115 tackles last season) and they have to play a solid all-around game. Look for their pass rush to try to rattle freshman Nix. While the Ducks’ secondary has some ball-hawks, they gave up too many big plays down the field last season and have to avoid that in this game.

Oregon Ducks betting trends

• 4-1 ATS in their last five games in August
• 1-4 ATS in their last five non-conference games
• Under record of 5-2-1 in their last seven games

Auburn Tigers betting trends

• 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 non-conference games
• Under record of 12-5 in their last 17 games

Oregon vs Auburn betting prediction

Oregon Ducks to win @ +145 with Bovada

Can Oregon get the monkey off the back re: Pac-12 teams not being able to win big non-conference games? The key will be the Ducks running the ball, which they will do well in this affair. Oregon will cover the spread at 3.5 points, but they are also a good chance for the W, which is why the moneyline bet may be a good one in this season opener.