Online betting handicappers continue to be impressed with the fourth ranked Oregon Ducks as they have the most explosive offense in the country.
Chipping Away at Title
Head coach Chip Kelly has taken the Oregon program to the next level as he led the Ducks to a Rose Bowl berth last season in his first year on the job and has them terrorizing opposition defenses so far in 2010. Oregon is 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread and has a huge Sbg sportsbook matchup at home this weekend against #9 Stanford with the winner having the inside track to the Pac 10 title, if not the BCS title itself.
Oregon did not want to have any doubts about their commitment to Kelly and announced that they have extended his contract through the 2015 season with a deal that is worth over $20 million. Kelly made internet betting history last year as he was the first rookie coach to win a Pac 10 title. He has also worked to clean up a bad off the field image at Eugene as the Ducks had several brushes with the law that included last year’s starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who was kicked off the team and now plays for Ole Miss.
Juggernaut
The Ducks are averaging an insane 57.8 points per game and are multi dimensional. Quarterback Darron Thomas has taken over for Masoli and done a nice job with 822 yards passing and a 10/3 touchdown/interception ratio. Thomas is averaging 7.8 yards per pass attempt. LaMichael James has been a sensational asset out of the backfield as he is averaging 8.2 yards per carry with 4 touchdowns and has already totaled 475 yards on the ground.
Improved Defense
Online betting handicappers were concerned about the Ducks defense and ability to play physical football after they were dominated by Ohio State in last year’s Rose Bowl but the unit has shown marked improvement and ranks 4th in the country for points allowed.
Favored to Repeat
Oregon is the internet betting favorite to repeat as Pac 10 champions though it won’t be easy as the conference looks to be the most improved in the country and is even being mentioned as the next best circuit after the Southeastern Conference. With Kelly in firm command the wins and payouts are expected to continue for a long time to come.