No. 23 Oregon and No. 12 Ohio State will pit their reshaped offenses against one another on Saturday when the Ducks (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) travel to Columbus to face the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1 Big Ten) with major College Football Playoff implications on the line.

A fourth loss would almost certainly eliminate Oregon from CFP contention, while a second-straight Ohio State defeat would plummet the Buckeyes further in the polls.

Star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan is expected back from injury in time for Saturday’s 12:30 pm PT kickoff, but the Ducks defense will have its hands full game-planning to slow down Ohio State wide receiver and Heisman hopeful Jeremiah Smith.

Here are three bold predictions, including a few dedicated to receivers named Jeremiah.

Jeremiah McClellan Scores in His Return

The Oregon offense received a shock when McClellan went down with a broken foot during warmups against Portland State in Week 3.

In the first two weeks, the junior had posted seven catches for 170 yards (24.3 yards per catch) and a touchdown and appeared poised to easily surpass his 557 yards and three scoring grabs from last season.

It’s a much different Ducks offense than the last time McClellan suited up. Quarterback Dante Moore (concussion) is unlikely to return this season, and assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson has assumed play-calling duties following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer.

Prediction: New-look offense. Same old McClellan. Quarterback Dylan Raiola continues to find a groove under Johnson’s play-calling after throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns last week against Northwestern.

McClellan puts an exclamation point on his return with his second touchdown catch of the year.

Oregon Ducks Hold Jeremiah Smith Under 75 Yards

Jeremiah Smith has been torching defenses all season long to the tune of 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns, both good for second in the nation behind Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree (1,110 yards, 14 touchdowns).

That averages out to 133.4 yards per game. However, Smith has failed to eclipse 100 yards in a game since blistering Illinois and Iowa for 217 and 206 yards, respectively, a span of three games.

Oregon ranks No. 20 in the FBS on third down defense (31.4 percent), but has been susceptible to big plays recently, such as the 64-yard touchdown from Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles to wide receiver Griffin Wilde and the 75-yard untouched scoring run by Illinois running back Aidan Laughery.

Prediction: The Oregon defense doesn’t keep Smith out of the end zone, but holds the potential top-10 NFL draft pick to fewer than 75 receiving yards, his lowest total since hauling in 68 yards against Indiana two weeks ago.

Oregon Ducks Erase Another Halftime Deficit

Oregon has a habit of falling behind early in games. All told, the Ducks have trailed at halftime in five of their eight games, rallying to win three of them over No. 25 Boise State, Nebraska and Northwestern.

If you exclude Oregon’s 84-0 win over Portland State, Lanning’s squad has posted 109 second-half points versus FBS opponents, compared with 73 points before the break for a 49.3 percent increase.

The Ducks have scored just 26 first-quarter points this season, a stark difference between their 65 fourth-quarter points.

Prediction: Ohio State has led at halftime in seven of its eight games, outscoring opponents 178-59 in the first half. Only one of those teams, Indiana, which trailed at three points, went into the break within one score of the Buckeyes, while the average halftime lead in the remaining six games was around 21.2 points.

The same holds true on Saturday at the Horseshoe, where Oregon once again finds itself coming from behind to take a lead in the second half as Raiola and the offense rediscover their rhythm.

Whether they win, however, is up to Raiola and the defense.