Cal – washington State
Time: 10:30 PM ET
Spread: WAS -3.5
Total: 73
Betting odds courtesy of Bovada
The California Golden Bears are 3-1 on the season and 1-1 in Pac-12 play but will find itself 3.5-point underdogs to the Washington State Cougars in college football odds this week.
Cal ranks 7th in the nation in passing yardage with 366 per game, while the rush hasn’t been too bad either, ranking 63rd with 172.3 yards per game. Cal defeated Northwestern and Sacramento State in Weeks 1 & 2, and lost to Arizona 49-45 in Week 4 after having a bye week. Last week, Cal defeated Colorado in double-OT.
At QB, Jared Goff has been sensational. He’s passed for 1,348 yards on the season with a 62.5 percent completion ratio and 10.53 yards per reception. Most impressively, he has 17 TDs on the year while having thrown just three interceptions. Cal has eight receivers with 100 yards or more, paced by Trevor Davis’ 220 yards. Davis has scored one of the 18 receiving TDs for Cal. Sophomore Kenny Lawler has been a great end zone target. The 6’3” WR has caught for 160 yards this season and already has five TDs.
In the backfield, Daniel Lasco has done the bulk of the work. In 55 carries, he’s rushed for 347 yards, a 6.3 yards per carry average. Khalfani Muhammed has been good for short yardage and end zone opportunities, and he leads the team in rushing TDs with four of the Golden Bears’ seven.
Washington State lost Weeks 1 & 2, but came back with a Week 3 win over Portland State. On Sept. 20, the Cougars faced then- No. 2 Oregon and nearly prevailed, losing by just one TD. Last week, the Cougars snuck by Utah 28-27.
The Cougars lead the nation in passing yardage, which means this may be a high scoring affair, won in the air. The Cougars average 480.8 yards per game by the pass, but get just 52.2 yards from the rush. Still, Washington State has scored 33.8 points per game, while surrounding 30.2 per contest (90th).
QB Connor Halliday has 2,318 yards on the season with a 67.2 percent completion ratio. He’s thrown 20 TDs and seven INTs on the season, with a 149.7 QB rating. The Cougars have four receivers with 380 yards or more, paced by Isiah Myers with 478 yards on 36 receptions. He’s caught a team-tying lead of five receptions, while Vince Mayle has accounted for five of the 21 Cougars’ receiving TDs, as well.
Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks have been decent in the backfield, if not possibly under utilized. The pair both average over four yards per carry, and Wicks has scored the lone Cougars’ rushing TD.
TRENDS:
CAL: OVER 4-0-1 in games after allowing more than 450 total yards in previous game; UNDER 3-0-1 in last 4 in OCT; UNDER 5-1-1 in last 7 following ATS loss
WS: OVER 3-0-1 in last 4 OCT games; OVER 4-0 in last 4 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in previous game; 5-0 ATS in last 5 conference games.
Head-to-head: UNDER 3-0-1 in last 4 meetings; Road Team 8-2 ATS in last 10 meetings.
