The Oregon Ducks welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to Eugene on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 PM PST on NBC.

When the No. 2 Buckeyes and No. 3 Ducks take the field, it will mark the first-ever top-5 matchup in Autzen Stadium history. These two faced each other ten times, with Ohio State leading the series 9-1. Oregon won the last meeting of 2021 at Ohio State, 35-28.

Ohio State has made it through its first five games in 2024. They have outscored their opponents 234-30 in the 5-0 start. They are coming off a 35-7 win over Iowa.

The Ducks are 5-0 and starting to hit their groove. They defeated Michigan State 31-10 in their last outing.

Oregon vs. Ohio State odds

The Ducks enter Saturday’s showdown as slight underdogs. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Ohio State is favored by 3 points. The over/under is set at 54 points.

It’s a rare sighting to see the Oregon Ducks as underdogs at home. The last time the Ducks weren’t favored in a home game was in 2018, when they hosted the Washington Huskies. In that game, the Huskies were three-point favorites, according to Vegas Insider. Oregon won in overtime 30-27.

Speaking of teams that are more often than not favored in games, there’s the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State entered this season as the favorite to win the Big Ten championship at +150 and had the second-best odds to win the national championship at +325 per ESPN betting.

Oregon vs. Ohio State Preview

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Ducks a 35.9 percent chance of beating Ohio State.

This is very low considering the match spread is only 3 points and the match is being played at Autzen Stadium. What gives Ohio State the advantage in the eyes of so many?

Ohio State’s defense has made a case for being the best in the country. They have given up just 6 points per game in their 5-0 start. This Buckeyes defense is stacked from the defensive line to their secondary. Oregon will have its hands full with edge rushers such as JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. Additionally, the Buckeyes secondary is like Velcro. Cornerback Denzel Burke leads the Buckeyes in interceptions with 2. All three of these guys are projected as early NFL draft picks.

As for Ohio State’s offense, unlike in recent years, they rely on the run game. The running back duo of Quinshon Judkins and Treveyon Henderson has combined for 805 yards on the ground and nine rushing touchdowns. How can the Ducks counter this Buckeye offense and pull out the win?

Ohio State may have a slight edge in terms of talent on the field, but the Ducks can still get along at most positions. The position where Oregon appears to have a clear advantage is at quarterback. To be fair to Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard, he may not have done well this year because Ohio State has won every game from the start and there was no need to get pass-happy.

Ducks’ quarterback Dillon Gabriel is coming off a solid season and has a reputation as a good college quarterback. However, he has been shaky in the red zone over the past two weeks with three interceptions. He needs to clean that up so the Ducks can win. It will be interesting to see how he handles this Buckeye defense as this is likely the best unit he has faced in his six-year collegiate career.

Score prediction Oregon vs. Ohio State

The Oregon Ducks have lost one game at Autzen Stadium in the last five seasons, but they haven’t played a team of Ohio State’s caliber. Oregon needs to lean on the run game with Jordan James. Ohio State will want to do the same with their running back duo and that could wear down Oregon’s defense. Ball control will be a big key.

Each defense makes sure the other quarterback beats him and doesn’t just get a cut in the run game. In a close, low-scoring game, I have the Ducks covering the 3-points and winning outright.

Oregon 24, Ohio State 23.