The Oregon Ducks are 2.5 point underdogs in Monday’s BCS National Championship game but gamblers who bet on college football are starting to take the Ducks.
Oregon was a 3-point underdog last week but the line has moved down to 2.5 in college football betting at Sbgglobal.
Pac-10 vs. SEC
You might think that the SEC has a big edge on the Pac-10 when the conferences meet in bowl games but that is not the case. The last time the conferences met in the postseason was in 1989 when Washington beat Florida in the Freedom Bowl. The conferences don’t meet a lot even in the regular season but the perception is that the SEC dominates the Pac-10. The reality is something different. The conferences have met 20 times since 2000 in the regular season and the Pac-10 has the 12-8 edge. In those games, the SEC was favored 11 times but they won just seven. The Pac-10 has been superb against the SEC in those 20 games going 14-5-1 ATS. This season the Oregon Ducks destroyed Tennessee 48-13 in the only meeting between the two conferences.
Cam Newton vs. Oregon Defense
The Ducks will try and contain Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton on Monday night. Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti has said that trying to devise a plan to stop Newton has been difficult. Newton led the country in pass efficiency with a 188.2 rating and he led the SEC in rushing with 108.4 yards per game. He is only the third player in college football history to score 20 touchdowns rushing and passing in the same season. The Ducks are ranked 25th in total defense. They are ranked in the top 20 nationally in sacks (2.6 per game) and tackles for loss (7.5 per game). The Ducks may try to do what Alabama did and rush four and play man to man in the secondary.
Oregon’s Offense
Much of the attention is on Cam Newton but the Oregon offense is better than Auburn’s. Gamblers who bet on college football know that they led the nation in points per game and they are very balanced. Oregon was able to run the ball very well with LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas is very much underrated as he threw for 2,500 yards this season.