Oregon Ducks quarterback battle: Will Tyler Shough hold off transfer Anthony Brown?

The University of Oregon is the +240 slight favorite on the moneyline odds at William Hill sportsbook to repeat as the Pac-12 Conference championship game winner in football even though the Ducks have lost one of the best quarterbacks in school and conference history in four-year starter Justin Herbert, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chargers. It's expected to be a two-man race to win the starting job in camp between Tyler Shough and Boston College transfer Anthony Brown.

Very unlikely either guy will fill Herbert's big shoes next season as Herbert was 29-13 as a starter – averaging 37.2 points in those games with the Ducks -- and 27-8 over his final three seasons. At home, Oregon was 19-3 under Herbert and averaged a whopping 42.8 points. He finished second in school history and among all-time Pac-12 leaders with 10,541 passing yards and 95 TD passes.

Shough seemed to be the likely replacement as the 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore out of Arizona got into five games last year and was 12-for-15 for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Sister site 247Sports ranked him as the No. 7 pro-style recruit in the country in the Class of 2018 out of Arizona. No. 1 in that class? Guy by the name of Trevor Lawrence, currently the +400 second favorite at William Hill to win the 2020 Heisman for Clemson.

Oregon's post-spring depth chart had Shough as the No. 1 quarterback, but then in early April, Brown made things interesting by announcing his transfer to Eugene, and he's eligible immediately as a graduate of Boston College. Brown suffered season-ending injuries both last year and in 2017 but has started 28 games for a Power 5 program, while obviously Shough never has.

While Shough is more of a prototypical pocket passer, Brown rushed 129 times for 423 yards and four touchdowns in his Boston College career. So, he's not Lamar Jackson but mobile.

Coach Mario Cristobal brings back 12 starters overall and just four on offense (star tailback CJ Verdell is back) for the Ducks. CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli ranks Oregon's overall 2020 schedule (if it's completed in a pandemic) as the third-toughest in the conference. The Ducks open Sept. 5 against FCS superpower North Dakota State and can't afford to be caught looking ahead to Ohio State's visit on Sept. 12. The Buckeyes project as around TD favorites on the college football odds currently.

In Pac-12 play, Oregon obviously plays every North Division school and faces good South programs USC and Arizona State but both are in Eugene. The Ducks do avoid two-time South champion Utah. Oregon upset the Utes 37-15 in last year's Pac-12 title game.

No NCAA win totals out yet at William Hill, but Oregon likely will be set at 9.5 victories -- the SportsLine Projection Model forecasts 8.9 wins. The Ducks currently project as betting favorites in every regular-season game but vs. Ohio State. 

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