No time to celebrate; the Oregon Ducks need to move on from their big win on Saturday over Michigan quickly to prepare for a short turnaround before heading out on the road. On Friday night, the Ducks will be in East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans, looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Ducks and Spartans are heading in opposite directions. Oregon is rising in the national conversation, while Michigan State has plummeted to 3-7 and won’t qualify for a bowl game in year one under Pat Fitzgerald. Still, the Spartans could look to play spoiler as the home underdog against a team playing with everything on the line.
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FanDuel Sportsbook has opened the betting line with Oregon favored by 13.5 points. The Ducks’ offense has been rolling in recent weeks, thanks to clean and explosive play by Dylan Raiola at quarterback. That has helped boost the total points spread to 44.5 points, despite Michigan State’s offense ranking second-worst in points per game in the Big Ten this season.
The Ducks are also heavy favorites on the money line, boasting -500 odds to win the game, while the Spartans hold +385 odds to pull off the upset.
Both programs’ last win came against Michigan, as the Ducks won 31-7 at home this past weekend, and the Spartans won in Ann Arbor 15-6 two weeks ago. Michigan State played a tightly contested game at home against Washington last week, but the offense was shut out in the second half of a 21-14 loss.
Oregon hosted Michigan State in 2024 on a Friday night for the only Big Ten matchup between the two programs. The Ducks cruised to a 31-10 victory thanks to a pair of touchdown passes from Dillon Gabriel and 168 yards and a score on the ground from Jordan James.
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The Ducks have not been to East Lansing since 2015, when it was a top-10 matchup between the two programs. Michigan State squeaked out a 31-28 win after Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. overthrew Byron Marshall for a potential game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes. The Spartans went on to make it to the College Football Playoff that season.
Oregon and Michigan State will kick off on Friday night from Spartan Stadium at 5 p.m. PST. The game will be broadcast live on Fox.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon opens as 2-TD road favorite over Michigan State
