No. 8 WSU Cougars (6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS) at California Golden Bears (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS)
College Football Week 7
Date/Time: Friday, October 13, 10:30PM EST
Where: Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA.
TV: ESPN
by Wilson, NCAA Football Handicapper, Predictem.com
Point Spread: WSU -14/CAL +14
Over/Under Total: 53
Theres a new kid in townand Im not referring to the famous Eagles song lyrics either. The new kid in town is the No. 8 Washington State Cougars who have started their season off at 6-0 and have steadily climbed the rankings in D1 college football. The first huge hurdle came in week two when the Cougs knocked off a scrappy Boise State team 47-44 in double overtime. The next main-stage test was week 5 at home versus the perennial powerhouse then No. 5 USC Trojans who they beat 30-27, and most recently, the Cougs played their first road game of the season at Oregon where they downed the Ducks 33-10. For the first time in a lot of years both Washington State and the University of Washington are ranked in the top ten. If both these teams stay healthy and keep winning games their annual rivalry game The Apple Cup should be one heck of a battle especially if both teams are undefeated. However, the season is one game at a time; can WSU keep the momentum as they travel down to Berkeley for a matchup with the Golden Bears?
California actually leads the all-time series 46-27-5. Both teams have claimed home wins in the last two years with most recent by WSU at home last season over the Bears 56-21. Cal has some talent on both sides of the pigskin but it is questionable if it is enough to compete with this high powered, high flying offense and defense in Washington State. The Cougar defense has been as good as any D in the country to this point in the seasonthey are fast, big, and smart. WSUs D has registered a total of 21 sacks already this year which is tied for 7th in the nation. In addition to the sacks, the Cougs D also ranks 6th in the country in TFL (Tackles for loss) with 49. With this kind of defense which is efficient against the pass and the run it is no wonder the Cougs are perfect on the season and rewarded in the polls. The Golden Bears will have a lot to deal with come Friday night.
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Offensively, Washington St. is as potent as any other highly ranked team in the country. We all know Head Coach Mike Leach has a system, the Air Raid is not only lethal but it utilizes several different receivers including RBs out of the backfield which makes QB Luke Falk even more of a
threat. Moreover, WSU has a number of dynamic RBs who have established quite the running attack to compliment the Air Raidthis causes serious fits for defensive coordinators. Who do you double? Who do you let go? What defensive packages can we show and not get burned on? The concerns never end. The Cougs have way too many options offensively for the Bears to address, and I havent even mentioned the kicker Erik Powell, who just received his 2nd straight Pac-12 Player of the Week award after hitting 4 FG against Oregon last week. WR Tavares Martin Jr. is second in the country with seven receiving touchdowns. Falk is pretty good toohe is the current NCAA active passing leader with 12,893 passing yards and 108 touchdowns.
The general public’s perception of this game is that California will need more than a little luck to cover this spread. HOWEVER, laying two scores on the road in a place they don’t generally play well and in a letdown situation, the more probable result is that Cal covers. It wouldn’t even surprise me if the Bears pulled off a straight up upset!
Wilson’s Pick to Cover the Point Spread: 75% of your bet on the Cal Bears at +14 and 25% on the Cal money line! Luck to ya. Bet this game for FREE by taking advantage of a GIANT 100% bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $1000 at MyBookie.