Michigan State at Oregon

What appears to be a very interesting early season out-of-conference game, I think will turn out otherwise. Michigan State had a limited offense last season, but the defense was so good that they often had short fields to work with, and did not have to score a whole lot of points. We are going to find out a lot here early, as both of these teams feel that they have enough to make the final four. Michigan State is going to do fairly well, but I just don't see the defense dominating the way it did last season, as it has lost some key pieces. Michigan State also benefitted from a pretty soft road schedule last season, and this by far will be their biggest road challenge and it comes early - and they better bring their track shoes. Marcus Mariotta already put 3 TD passes on his Heisman Trophy resume in the opener as the Ducks put up 62 points. The toughest venue the Spartans played in on the road last season was at Notre Dame, which resulted in their only loss, and I don't think this team is good enough defensively to keep Mariotta and company out of the end-zone enough to get the cover. The Ducks are 14-3 ATS in their last 17 after rushing for 200+, and have what it takes to win this one. Make the play on Oregon.