Two teams heading in opposite directions in the Big Ten will meet on Halloween afternoon in Autzen Stadium, but it's the declining team that has oddsmakers backing them.
The Oregon Ducks will host the surging Northwestern Wildcats in Eugene on Halloween. The Ducks are coming off yet another underwhelming offensive performance on the road against Illinois, falling 21-10. Northwestern, meanwhile, continued its ascent with a 42-14 thumping of Rutgers at home.
FanDuel Sportsbook has opened Oregon as a slim favorite, with the Ducks laying 3.5 points at home against the Wildcats. It's expected to be a tight game, as Oregon has -178 money line odds, while Northwestern has +146 odds. The Wildcats have scored in bunches lately, likely helping to inflate
the total points spread to 49.5 points.
Even with a loss, the Ducks are likely favorites because of the question marks surrounding the team that could be answered before both teams hit the field. Dan Lanning mentioned that receivers Evan Stewart, Messiah Hampton and Jalen Lott, as well as freshman offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho, all of whom missed the game against Illinois, are expected to be back in action on Halloween.
There are other questions for Oregon to answer offensively, namely whether or not Dante Moore will return to an already lost season, or if the Ducks will stick with Dylan Raiola moving forward. Lanning also said "all things are on the table" when asked after Saturday's loss if he would make a change at offensive coordinator, with Drew Mehringer continuing to fail to move the offense.
Illinois snapped a streak of 61 games for the Ducks in which they scored more than 10 points in a game, showing just how far the offense has fallen without Moore and under Mehringer's leadership.
Northwestern, meanwhile, has run the ball well all season under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and quarterback Aidan Chiles has grown into a budding star in the Wildcats' offense. Northwestern's aggressive run-first offense has made the Wildcats contenders this season in the Big Ten, while Chiles has tossed 12 touchdowns against one interception.
Oregon will look to get back on track and slow down the Northwestern rushing attack in a midday matchup in Eugene on Halloween. The game is set to kick off at 12:30 p.m. PT and will stream only on Peacock.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon opens as slight favorite vs. Northwestern in Halloween matchup
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