ESPN's College Gameday crew makes their picks for UCLA-Oregon

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Not only is the UCLA-Oregon one of the most important Big Ten Conference games so far this season, it’s one of the most compelling matchups across the sport in Week 6. While the game’s not quite on the level of Alabama-Georgia, there’s still a lot on the line at Autzen Stadium.

With it being such a pressing matchup, ESPN’s College Gameday crew made their picks for the UCLA–Oregon showdown, with the UCLA Bruins getting a bit more support than you might expect for a team that went just 3-9 last year. 

Pat McAfee: Oregon

Desmond Howard: Oregon

Nick Saban: Oregon

Kirk Herbstreit: UCLA

Bryce Young (guest picker): UCLA

While Saban, McAfee and Howard are all riding with the proven commodity, in Dan Lanning’s Ducks, Herbstreit and former Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young both show some faith in Bob Chesney’s feisty Bruins.

Perhaps the biggest question for Saturday’s game is how Oregon second-string quarterback Dylan Raiola will look against a Bruin defense that has had time to game plan for him.

Raiola shined against USC’s defense but we’ll see if Colin Hitschler can dial up some defenses to limit Raiola’s potency. Hitschler’s defense has shined against San Diego State and Maryland but struggled hard against Purdue and Cal. 

Which UCLA defense shows up on Saturday will have a large part in deciding the game.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: ESPN's College Gameday crew makes their picks for UCLA-Oregon

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