The Oregon Ducks clinched the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings after their impressive 23-point win over the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 9. They will look to cement their standing in the top 4 this Saturday when they square off with the Washington Huskies. Read our preview for a breakdown of this Oregon vs Washington game.
Oregon Ducks enter Week 10 as -7 favorites
On Saturday, Oregon extended its winning streak to three games with a resounding 52-29 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes. Anthony Brown Jr. led the Ducks, who improved to 7-1 for the season and 4-1 in conference play. They have now won their last 17 games at Autzen Stadium.
Brown torched the Colorado defense, completing 25 of 31 passes for a career-high 307 yards and three touchdowns. He got some help from Travis Dye, who accounted for three total touchdowns, two of which came on the ground. Colorado racked up a season-high 568 yards of total offense in Week 9, with the Ducks' passing and running games firing on all cylinders.
The Ducks are 23rd in the nation in scoring, averaging 36.1 points per game this season. Brown will have his work cut out for him in Week 9 as he will face one of the conference's best pass rushers in Zion Tupuola-Fetui. He just returned from an Achilles injury three games ago and has recorded one sack thus far this season for Washington.
Related Article: AP Top 25 Poll: Michigan State Enters Top 5; Georgia, Cincinnati, Alabama in Top 3 After Week 9
Washington Huskies installed as +7 underdogs
Washington stretched its winning run to two games with a narrow 20-13 victory over the Stanford Cardinal in Week 9. It was an important victory for the Huskies, who returned to .500 for the season with a 4-4 record.
Dylan Morris was the hero for the Huskies, throwing the game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan with 21 seconds remaining in the contest. He has completed 60.9 percent of his passes this season for 1,809 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Morris has forged a connection with McMillan, who has 392 receiving yards this season with three touchdowns.
Morris will be tested, though, in Week 9, with Oregon defensive star Kayvon Thibodeaux playing some outstanding football of late. He has recorded 23 quarterback pressures in the past three games for the Ducks. Thibodeaux stole the show in the game against UCLA two weeks ago, racking up a career-high nine tackles, including 4½ tackles for loss.
It is important for Washington as well to stop Oregon's rushing offense. The Huskies did a great job in stopping the run of Stanford, holding the Cardinal to just 67 yards rushing and 2.4 yards per carry. The Ducks are a different beast, though, when it comes to running the football. They are ranked second in the Pac-12 in rushing offense, averaging 204.9 yards per game on the ground this season.
Writer's Prediction
Washington hands Oregon its second defeat of the season.
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