A couple of schools with quite different offensive systems, the Washington State Cougars (-7.5) are set to take on the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium. This key conference showdown kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to Pac-12 Networks.
Betting Preview: California Golden Bears vs. Washington State Cougars
California is a live dog in this one and is currently getting 7.5 points. The Cougars are also receiving -330 moneyline odds while the Golden Bears are +250. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 51 points, and if one school catches a lucky break early, it would likely create a worthy live betting scenario.
The line opened at 7 while the total hasn’t moved since being set initially at 51.
The less-than-stellar Cougars have lost 16.6 units so far and are 3-5 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 4-4.
The Golden Bears are up 0.7 units this season. The team is 3-5 ATS and has an O/U record of 1-7.
The Cougars are 4-4 straight up (SU), including 1-4 SU against Pac-12 opponents. The Golden Bears are 4-4 SU overall and 1-4 SU in conference play.
When these two teams met last year, Washington State won by two field goals 19-13.
The Cougars are reeling from a thin 37-35 defeat to Oregon on October 26Their defense allowed the Ducks to run for 306 yards on 47 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. CJ Verdell was on another level for the Ducks in that one with 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts, along with 56 yards on four catches. On the offense, Anthony Gordon completed 32 passes for 406 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. Max Borghi (54 rushing yards on eight attempts, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack. Brandon Arconado (nine receptions, 130 yards, two TDs) and Borghi (eight catches, 70 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
California was just blanked 35-0 by Utah back in Week 9. The defense let the Utes run for 231 yards on 50 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. Zack Moss was on a different level for Utah, recording 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts, along with 89 yards on three catches. For California, Spencer Brasch completed seven-of-19 passes for 47 yards. Christopher Brown Jr. (24 yards on 10 rush attempts) led the running game while Jordan Duncan (two receptions, 16 yards) and Ben Skinner (two catches, 15 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Washington State has run the ball on 24.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while California has a rush percentage of 57.9 percent. The Cougars have produced 85.5 rush yards/game (including 82.2 per game versus Pac-12 opponents) and have eight touchdowns on the ground this year. The Golden Bears are logging 116.9 rushing yards per game (98.6 in conference) and have six total rush TDs.
It seems like the Cougars may be the more disruptive team in the trenches, as their offensive line has allowed only 13 sacks while the D-line logged 38 sacks. The Golden Bears O-line has given up 36 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 31 times.
The Cougars offensive scheme has averaged an astonishing 436.4 yards through the air overall (412.6 per game versus conference opposition) and has 34 passing scores so far. The Golden Bears have produced 177 pass yards per contest (135 against Pac-12 competition) and have 10 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Washington State has allowed 193.4 rush yards and 256.9 pass yards per game. The California D has allowed 213.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 160.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Golden Bears are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 5.5 to opponents, while the Cougars have allowed a 7.09 ANY/A.
Offensively, Gordon is already up to 3,018 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 70 percent of his 346 attempts with 28 scores through the air and only eight interceptions. He has an 8.99 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 7.39 over the last two outings.
Max Borghi (461 rushing yards, six rush TDs, 341 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns on the year), Brandon Arconado (482 receiving yards, three receiving TDs) and Easop Winston Jr. (524 receiving yards, nine TDs) have each played significant roles lately.
In the home locker room, Devon Modster has managed to complete 35-of-76 passes for 380 yards, two TDs and three INTs. Modster’s ANY/A stands at a terrible 2.49 for the year and 4.06 over his past two outings.
Similar to the Cougars, expect a balanced attack offensively from California this Saturday. As a trio, Devon Modster, Christopher Brown Jr. and Jordan Duncan have collectively accounted for 214 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns the last two outings.
Washington State Cougars vs. California Golden Bears Betting Pick
SU Winner: Washington State, ATS Winner: Washington State, O/U: Under
Team Betting Notes
- The California defense has registered 20 sacks on the year while Washington State has 17.
- The California offense has lost three fumbles this season while the Washington State offense has lost four.
- The Cougars offense has produced seven pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Golden Bears have accounted for three such plays.
- The Washington State defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while California has given up five such plays.
- The Washington State offense has created six rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while California has created seven such runs.
- The Cougars defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Golden Bears have given up eight such runs.
- The Over/Under for California’s previous game was set at 37. The under cashed in the 35-0 defeat to Utah.
- In its last three matches, California is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
- In its last three games, Washington State is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Washington State’s last game was set at 67.5. The over cashed in the team’s 37-35 defeat to Oregon.
- As a team, Washington State has averaged 4.4 yards per carry over its last three games and 4.8 over its last two.
- California has averaged 2.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 2.0 over its last two.
