‘The Only 2 People I’ve Seen Pick #UCLA,’ ‘Oregon Just Has the Better Roster’ — Kirk Herbstreit, Bryce Young Take Bruins at Oregon on GameDay
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Kirk Herbstreit and guest picker Bryce Young picked No. 21 UCLA to win at No. 13 Oregon on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday, while Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee took the Ducks.
Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter sides with the majority, giving Oregon a 69.5% chance to win at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks will play without starting quarterback Dante Moore, who is out with a concussion. Dylan Raiola, a transfer from Nebraska, makes his first start for Oregon.
GameDay Panel Divided as Unbeaten UCLA Visits Oregon
UCLA at Oregon is the only matchup of ranked teams on Saturday’s slate besides No. 2 Georgia at No. 6 Alabama. GameDay set up in Tuscaloosa for that game, moving indoors to Coleman Coliseum because of Hurricane Isaias, now a post-tropical cyclone.
The panel divided 3-2. Howard, Saban and McAfee went with Oregon before Young, who won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama in 2021 and now starts at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers, went the other way. Herbstreit joined him in taking the Bruins on the road.
By contrast, PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter, which simulates the rest of the season 100,000 times, gives UCLA a 30.5% chance to win.
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“Bryce Young and Kirk Herbstreit are the only 2 people I’ve seen pick #UCLA to win,” one fan wrote.
UCLA is 4-0, and 2-0 in the Big Ten, under first-year coach Bob Chesney. The Bruins ran for 266 yards in a 54-3 win at Maryland on Sept. 26.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and a touchdown in that win. Iamaleava’s PFN Impact grade of 75.4 this season ranks 75th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.
Dylan Raiola Steps in as Dante Moore Sits Out With Concussion
Moore returned to practice this week but was ruled out on Oregon’s availability report Wednesday night. He has been recovering from a concussion since taking a hit to the head while sliding at USC on Sept. 26, and he was taken off the field on a stretcher.
“Dante was out there at practice for us today,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Monday at his weekly news conference. “Similar to what we said before, we’re gonna do what’s best for Dante moving forward.”
Raiola took over after Moore’s injury at USC and completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in a 41-27 win. He also went 11-of-11 for 124 yards and three touchdowns in an 84-0 win over Portland State.
Raiola’s PFN Impact grade of 81.3 this season ranks tied for 40th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks, while Moore’s PFN Impact grade of 82.4 ranks 37th.
“No, there isn’t a shift,” Lanning said of Raiola’s move into the starting role. “If he can just play like he played last time every single time, I think we’d be sitting in a really good situation.”
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“As much as I would love UCLA to win this game, I think Oregon just has the better roster and more ways to beat you,” one UCLA fan wrote Friday.
Oregon has lost once this season, 39-31 at Oklahoma State on Sept. 12, in a game in which the Ducks ran for 90 yards.
Looking Ahead in Week 6 to Oregon
Saturday’s Week 6 game at Oregon carries playoff weight for UCLA. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter puts the Bruins’ playoff chances at 22.5%, rising to 46.1% with a win and falling to 12.2% with a loss.
The PFN CFB Meter gives Oregon a 73.7% chance to make the playoff, a figure that climbs to 84.2% with a win and drops to 49.8% with a loss.
“Feels like a day that we could see a big upset,” another fan wrote of Saturday’s Big Ten slate.
Both teams play at home in Week 7, with UCLA hosting Wisconsin and Oregon hosting Nebraska, Raiola’s former team.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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