Civil War: The Prediction

Game time is now just a tad over three hours away. Here are some final keys to the game.

• Oregon State needs to get the lead first. If the Ducks shoot out to an early lead it's going to be very hard on them.
  
• Contrastly, the Ducks want to score as early as possible - to put the pressure on their rivals.
  
• The Beavers also need to play at their own pace. When the Ducks score it's usually in a minute and a half or less - OSU's drives are typically much longer. If the Ducks score the Beavers shouldn't feel like they need to score immediately - take your time, do it right. UO will allow you to score points.
  
• Defenders on both sides of the ball need to stick to the game plan - especially Oregon State. The Ducks zone read/spread offense feeds off of defenders getting out of position.
  
• One player that hasn't been mentioned in any blog or major news article is going to make a major impact on this game and likely determine the outcome. It happens every year. Who will it be?
  

It's going to be one hell of a game. To me it really comes down to two things - defense and Autzen Stadium. Can the Beavers tune out the crowd? And can they defend the spread?

This game is going to be close. It will take 40 points to win it. Hopefully it lives up to the hype.

I can see reasons to pick either team...However. I have yet to see Oregon State effectively defend the spread. Because of that...I'm picking Oregon, 42-38. And I'll probably be wrong.