The Oregon Ducks take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in a non-conference battle in Week 2. The game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The Ducks are listed as 23.5-point road favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 55.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and best bet for this Week 2 matchup.
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon Prediction, Preview
Oregon Preview
It was not the opening game that Oregon would have hoped for. The Ducks have serious national title aspirations, and they did not look like a title-winning team in Week 1. However, it was only the first game of the year, and the important thing is that they got the win against Boise State – even if it was a narrow 34-27 victory. For what it’s worth, the Ducks struggled against Boise State two years ago but ended up going 12-0 and winning the Big 10, so there is plenty of time to improve. In the week following that tight win over Boise State in 2024, Oregon went on the road to Oregon State and won 49-14. The Ducks will hope for a similar result here.
Oklahoma State Preview
If Oregon is feeling bad about its Week 1 performance, it is nothing in comparison to what happened with Oklahoma State. There was a lot of optimism coming into this season in Stillwater. After 20 years in charge, things had started to get really ugly under Mike Gundy. Oklahoma State decided to make a big change and move on from the legendary figure. They brought in Eric Morris from North Texas, who brought with him a huge part of his roster, including standout quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Oklahoma State fans were hoping for a transition like Curt Cignetti saw when bringing his JMU team to Indiana. The result in Week 1 could not have been further from that. The Cowboys lost 24-10 against Tulsa. Mestemaker and the offense looked terrible against the Golden Hurricane, which is terrifying to consider with an angry Oregon team on deck.
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon Pick, Best Bet
My best bet is on Oregon to cover as a 23.5-point favorite. The Ducks struggled in the opener, but they have proven under Dan Lanning that they can bounce back quickly from bad games and get right the next week. This is still one of the best offenses in the country with Dante Moore, Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan and Jordon Davison leading the way. Dan Lanning should be putting a challenge to his defense to rebound from what we saw last week against Boise State.
Dante Moore started to gain momentum in that second half last week, and the Oregon offense really got cooking; it was the defense that struggled the most against Boise State. However, the defense has a great chance to get right against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys’ offense looked awful last week, scoring just 10 points against Tulsa in a loss. Oregon should get after Drew Mestemaker and force mistakes. This Oklahoma State team full of North Texas transfers is clearly not ready to compete at a high level, and Oregon should roll them in this spot.
