Oregon football roundtable predictions for Ducks Week 11 game vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

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The Oregon Ducks got a much-needed bye week to kick off the month of November, which always gets chaotic in the college football world. After an ugly and physical win over the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 9, Dan Lanning’s team was able to reset and refocus last week ahead of a tough final stretch of games, which includes ranked matchups in three of the final four weeks.

Now they head to Iowa City, where they get set to face the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes in what is expected to be another very physical game in poor weather.

On paper, it’s a game where the Ducks seem to have a slight advantage, but there are a lot of people in the college football world who believe that Oregon should be on upset alert this weekend. The Ducks are looking to prove that they aren’t just a good team, but a team worthy of competing in the College Football Playoff at the end of the year.

So far, we’ve broken down the matchup, identified major keys to victory, and covered the injury news heading into Saturday. Now it’s time to make some predictions.

To preview the game, we go through our weekly roundtable with the writers from Ducks Wire to offer our opinions and predictions for what’s to come. Here’s another edition of the roundtable.

Bye Week Improvements

Question: Oregon got the benefit of a bye week before going on the road to Iowa. What is the one thing that you think they most needed to improve on this week off?

Zachary Neel: For me, it’s about the offense getting comfortable, and that starts with Dante Moore. The Ducks are going to face some good defenses going forward, and the offense needs to feel confident in what they can do well, whether it’s running or passing the ball. I hope that Moore and Will Stein spent a lot of time over the past week and identified exaclty what they feel good about running, and threw the rest out for the time being.

Don Smalley:The offense line has regressed some over the past couple of weeks, and that’s a bit concerning. The Ducks need to establish a running game to set up play-action to keep the Iowa defense off-balance.

Bjorn Bergstrom: How to generate more disruption at the line of scrimmage against opposing offenses. That means both sacks and tackles for loss, in which the Ducks rank 107th and 116th, respectively. If they’re to make it through this four-game stretch, they’ll need to get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks and force negative plays in the run game. Whether that’s through personnel switches or scheme changes is something defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi hopefully figured out.

Cause for Concern in November

Question:The rest of Oregon’s schedule is tough, for sure, with games against Iowa, USC, and Washington. Which of the remaining games gives you the most concern?

Zachary Neel: That last game of the year at Washington always makes me nervous. There’s a real possibility that it’s basically a play-in game for the CFP, with the loser missing out on the postseason. Those are some high stakes for a rivalry game.

Don Smalley:This Iowa game concerns me the most. It’s on the road in a tough place to play against a quality team. The Hawkeyes can come up and bite you if you’re not prepared. They’re very underrated. USC at home doesn’t concern me at all, and although the Huskies are good, they’re far from being great. Oregon won’t overlook them.

Bjorn Bergstrom: I’m tempted to say USC or Washington because of their skill position players, but I think Oregon matches up well with both. I’m anxious to see how the Ducks come out of the bye week and perform at Kinnick Stadium against Iowa. The Hawkeyes cannot be underestimated and are as physical as it gets. It won’t be easy to come away with a win.

College Football Playoff Rankings

Question: On Tuesday night, the Ducks came in at No. 9 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. Your biggest takeaway? Too high? Too low?

Zachary Neel: I think it’s about right, to be honest. I know that Oregon is No. 6 in the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25, but I have no problem with them being lower, due to their strength of record. If they win out, they’re in. That’s all that matters.

Don Smalley:I think it’s too low. Oregon’s only loss was against No. 2 Indiana. But they’ll have plenty of chances to improve that ranking against their fellow ranked teams, No. 20 Iowa, No. 19 USC, and No. 23 Washington.

Bjorn Bergstrom: The committee clearly is not a huge believer in the Ducks. I’m surprised that they’re behind BYU, but putting Oregon behind Texas Tech is downright awful, if I’m being honest. The Ducks lost to undefeated No. 2 Indiana; the Red Raiders lost to a 6-3 Arizona State team that is extremely lucky to have six wins. It doesn’t add up.

Offensive Proving Ground

Question: Oregon’s offense has been great against bad teams and very average against good teams. What are you expecting to see this weekend vs. Iowa?

Zachary Neel: My heart tells me that we’re going to see Oregon figure some things out and move the ball consistently with a balance between the run and the pass. My head tells me that there are going to be a handful of punts, and getting to 24 points is going to be difficult.

Don Smalley: I think the bye week has allowed Oregon to fix some things offensively. Iowa’s defense is very good, but Oregon’s offense should be good enough to get the job done.

Bjorn Bergstrom: I have to be honest here. I’m not expecting a very clean game considering that’s the standard that the Ducks have set against competent defenses. You’d hope the bye week would help, but again, visiting Kinnick Stadium against a stout, physical Hawkeyes defense is as tough as it gets.

How Does Oregon Win?

Question: Someone from the future comes to you and tells you that THIS happens in Oregon vs. Iowa on Saturday, leading to an Oregon win. What is THIS?

Zachary Neel: If someone tells me that Oregon scores 20 points, then I think they win this game 99% of the time. Iowa’s defense may be great, but the offense is bad, particularly in the air.

Don Smalley:Iowa’s offense isn’t great. If the Duck defense causes one or more turnovers, the Ducks should win this one handily.

Bjorn Bergstrom: The Ducks’ defense completely shuts down the Hawkeyes’ ground game, forcing them to throw the ball. Quarterback Mark Gronowski throws two interceptions and Iowa is held to under ten points.

Gambling Corner

Question: Gambling Corner: You get $100 to spread across the point spread (Oregon -5.5), the moneyline (-235), and the over/under (40.5 points). How are you allocating your funds?

Zachary Neel: I’ve got $75 on Oregon -5.5, and the other $25 on the over.

Don Smalley:$30 on the Ducks covering and the rest on the over.

Bjorn Bergstrom: All $100 on under 40.5 points. This game will not be pretty and will fly under that mark.

Final Score Prediction

Question: Final Score Prediction: Who wins the game?

Zachary Neel: Oregon 28, Iowa 17

Don Smalley: Oregon 27, Iowa 17

Bjorn Bergstrom: In-your-face physicality, home-field advantage, and an inconsistent Ducks offense lead me to believe that the Hawkeyes will come away with the upset win. Iowa 20, Oregon 17.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon football predictions for Ducks’ Week 11 game vs. Iowa

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