No. 2 Oregon took down No. 4 Ohio State for one of the biggest wins in program history last weekend, but the Ducks’ true Big Ten baptism by fire comes just six days later. That’s when the Ducks must head to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on Purdue at night.
They’re called the Spoilermakers for a reason, ladies and gentlemen. Plenty of betting favorites have taken Purdue for granted before, only to have their smiles quickly wiped from their faces.
Did you know that Purdue has nine wins against squads ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the AP Top 25 as an unranked team? It does. That’s more than any other program in the poll era. The last win came during the 2021 season when the Boilermakers knocked off No. 2 Iowa 24-7 in Iowa City. And who could forget what happened in 2018? That’s when big, bad Ohio State, at 7-0, came to Purdue and lost 49-20 to a 3-3 Purdue squad. It was Ohio State’s only loss of the season, and kept the Buckeyes out of the College Football Playoff despite winning the Big Ten.
So don’t go counting your ducklings before they’ve hatched, Oregon. Overlook Purdue at your own peril.
Oregon vs. Purdue: Need to know
These two don’t play often, but they play close games: Adding further fuel to the possible upset fire is the history between these two. They’ve only played three times, and Oregon’s won two of them, but all three games were one-score affairs. The last meeting came in 2009 when the Ducks survived 38-36 at home after a failed Purdue 2-point conversion with 61 seconds left. The Boilermakers’ lone win in the series came in the first meeting in 1979. The 13-7 triumph was the largest margin of victory between these two new conference foes.
Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel is once again a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy: Gabriel began the season as the Heisman favorite but faded following a slow start. Well, after throwing for 341 yards and rushing for 32 with three total touchdowns against Ohio State last week, he’s right back in the picture. Gabriel currently has +320 betting odds to take home the Heisman, according to Caesars Sportsbook. While Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty remains the favorite at +175, his edge over Gabriel has narrowed considerably.
Oregon is looking to start 7-0 for the first time since 2013: Oregon has had plenty of success over the years, but it’s enjoyed a start this strong. If the Ducks win Friday they’ll be 7-0 for the first time since 2013. That was the first year after Mark Helfrich replaced Chip Kelly, and Marcus Mariota was the Oregon quarterback. The Ducks reached 8-0 that season before falling on the road to No. 6 Stanford. They’d finish the year 11-2 with a win over Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
How to watch Oregon vs. Purdue live
Date: Friday, October 18 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Ross-Ade Stadium — West Lafayette, Indiana
TV: Fox | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Oregon vs. Purdue prediction, picks
Listen, I think Oregon’s going to avoid the upset loss here. But going on the road to play on a Friday night after what may have been the biggest win in program history is the perfect recipe for a letdown. Plus, while Purdue lost last week, they made an incredible comeback against Illinois to force overtime. It looks as though something may have finally clicked on offense for them. So if sports betting apps are going to give me nearly four touchdowns, I’ll take them. Pick: Purdue +27.5.
All odds via Caesars Sportsbook. Check out the latest Caesars promo code to get in the game.
SportsLine’s proven computer model is calling for five outright upsets in Week 8 of college football. Visit SportsLine now to see them all, plus get spread picks for every game from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times.
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