Michigan State Spartans football at Oregon Ducks

Angelique S. Chengelis, Madeline Kenney, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News predict the outcome of Friday's Michigan State-Oregon game at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (9 p.m., Fox/760 p.m.).

▶Angelique S. Chengelis: The Spartans are coming off a tough home loss against strong Ohio State and now play on the road against Oregon, which has found a groove after a somewhat slow start and is 34th in offense with an average of 454 yards per game without the classic explosive ones Oregon plays. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel has been efficient, throwing nine touchdowns against him in interceptions, but he could have trouble with MSU's pass rush — the Spartans are second in the Big Ten with 15 sacks. Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles is a talent, but he is young and has made some mistakes this season. These need to be cleaned up, and if they are, the Spartans have a chance in every game. But that's on the road in one of the toughest and loudest venues. Pick: Oregon 34-10

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel leads the nation with an .815 completion percentage.

▶ Madeline Kenney: Michigan State came away from Saturday's loss to No. 3 Ohio State feeling like it left a lot of points on the field. The Spartans moved the ball early and appeared to be able to match the Buckeyes' intensity out front, but that momentum faded as an overloaded Ohio State team wore down Michigan State. But come Sunday, the Spartans' motto was to “wash away” the loss and focus on Oregon, an opponent Jonathan Smith knows all too well. Seeing the Ducks as rivals has been ingrained in Smith since his playing days at Oregon State, but he said Friday that he would take a neutral stance on Oregon this time around. If Michigan State can limit turnovers, operate better in the red zone and get third-down stops, the Spartans might be able to make the Ducks sweat a little. Oregon, on the other hand, had a slow start to the season but has improved each week. Dillon Gabriel has been extremely reliable and the offense seemed to have picked up steam in the last two games. Pick: Oregon, 34-17

▶ John Niyo: The schedule won't let up, and neither will the injuries. This is a big problem for Michigan State as it faces a top-10 team for the second straight year. The Spartans haven't shown an ability to play mistake-free football, as only Auburn has committed more turnovers among Power 4 teams this season. And they don't take advantage of their chances either, as they only have seven touchdowns to show for their 18 chances in the red zone. Against an Oregon team that is both talented and efficient, that won't be enough. Even though the Ducks don't get the big plays right, they do just about everything else right, as evidenced by Dillon Gabriel's 82% completion rate. Pick: Oregon, 38-17

▶ Bob Wojnowski: The Spartans' brutal schedule continues, although No. 6 Oregon hasn't been quite as explosive as expected. Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel is particularly efficient with nine touchdown passes and one interception. Just like last week against the Buckeyes, MSU can hang on if it can keep the football. The Spartans' running game is promising with Kay'ron Lynch-Adams, and receivers Jaron Glover and Nick Marsh can make big plays. All analysis on the Spartans at this point is focused on QB Aidan Chiles, who can terrify a defense and his own team with eight interceptions. If the Spartans' struggling offensive line holds up and they run the ball, they can keep it reasonably close. Pick: Oregon, 42-16