In a battle of two schools with quite different offensive systems, the California Golden Bears (+11) are set to pay a visit to their conference rival No. 10 Washington State Cougars (-11) at Clarence D. Martin Stadium. This showdown will kick off fairly late for bettors on the East Coast (10:45 p.m. ET) and ESPN will televise the action.
California Golden Bears vs. Washington State Cougars Betting Preview
In this Saturday Pac-12 game, Washington State is getting picked as the big favorite and the team’s currently giving up 11 points. The Golden Bears are also receiving +315 moneyline odds while the Cougars are -425. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 55 points. There could be some solid in-game betting possibilities during the match.
This matchup’s betting odds have shifted slightly from where they were initially posted. The opening line was -11 and the game’s O/U was originally set at 55.5.
Each of these teams has posted a positive return this year as the Golden Bears have gained 1.1 units while the Cougars are up 4.2 units.
The Golden Bears are 5-3 straight up (SU), including 2-3 SU against Pac-12 opponents. The Cougars are 7-1 SU overall and 4-1 SU in conference play.
The Golden Bears are coming off a 12-10 victory over Washington last week where Chase Garbers completed 16-of-23 passes for just 153 yards. Patrick Laird (83 yards on 22 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Garbers (two yards on 10 carries) led the running attack. Vic Wharton III (five receptions, 45 yards) and Laird (four catches, 28 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Washington State just put together a 41-38 win over Stanford. Gardner Minshew II completed 40-of-50 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns. James Williams (30 rushing yards on eight attempts, two TDs) handled the running game as Dezmon Patmon (10 receptions, 127 yards) and Williams (nine catches, 79 yards) led the receiving corps in the win.
California has run the ball on 54.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Washington State has a rush percentage of 28.5 percent. The Golden Bears have produced 184 rush yards per game (including 186 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have 11 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Cougars are totaling 71 rushing yards per game (65 in conference) and have 15 total rush TDs.
Based on the numbers this season, it appears that the Golden Bears could hold an advantage in terms of effectiveness in the ground game. Their running backs has logged 4.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 3.7 YPC to opponents. The Cougars have registered 3.4 yards per carry and allowed 3.9 YPC to opponents.
The Golden Bears offensive scheme has logged 209 yards per contest through the air overall (213 per game versus conference opposition) and has 11 passing TDs so far. The Cougars have recorded a superb 405 pass yards per contest (396.0 against Pac-12 competition) and have 27 total pass scores.
Defensively, California should have the upper hand when it comes to limiting the pass. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 147 yards and pass for 166 yards per game. The Washington State defense has allowed 196.4 yards per game to opposing passers and 133.4 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Bears are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.41 to opponents, while the Cougars have given up a 5.27 ANY/A.
Offensively, Garbers has amassed 646 passing yards this season, and has completed 66 percent of his 98 attempts with six passing scores and four interceptions. Garbers has a 5.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 7.81 over the last two games.
Gardner Minshew II has completed 255-of-363 passes for 2,860 yards, 22 TDs and four INTs for Washington State. His ANY/A sits at 8.35 for the season and 7.89 over his last two outings.
These two programs faced off last year with the final outcome being a 37-3 win for California.
RELATED: Week 10 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Pick: California Golden Bears at Washington State Cougars
SU Winner – Washington State, ATS Winner – Washington State, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Over/Under for California’s last game going into it was 45.5. The under cashed in the team’s 12-10 win over Washington.
As a team, California has averaged 4.7 yards per carry across its last three outings and 5.0 over its last two.
Washington State has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and only 3.2 over its last two.
Washington State has lost two fumbles this season while California has let nine get away.
In its last three contests, California is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
The Over/Under for Washington State’s previous outing was set at 55.5. The over cashed in the team’s 41-38 victory over Stanford.
Over its last three matchups, Washington State is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
The Golden Bears offense has registered four pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Cougars have put up five such plays.
The California defense has allowed five pass plays of 40+ yards, while Washington State has given up six such plays.
The California offense has created eight rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Washington State has created two such runs.
The Golden Bears defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Cougars have given up 13 such runs.
The Washington State defense has recorded 22 sacks on the year while California has 18.
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