California Golden Bears vs. Utah Utes Betting Odds, Analysis, Football Pick

The Cal Bears aren't known for their success on the road, but they are 3-2 straight up and 5-0 against the spread over their last five Pac-12 road contests. Cal is in for a good test this week when it visits Utah for homecoming in Salt Lake City on Saturday night.

Point spread: The Utes opened as seven-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 24.5-23.5 Golden Bears

Why the California Golden Bears can cover the spread

At 5-0, Cal is off to its best start since 2007 following last week's 34-28 come-from-behind victory over Washington State. The Bears trailed 21-7 late in the first half but outscored the Cougars from there 27-7 to avoid the upset.

Cal got a gift early in the third quarter when Wazzu's punter fumbled on a fake, which Bears senior Stefan McClure picked up and returned 45 yards for a score. And quarterback Jared Goff continued his rise up NFL draft charts by hitting on 33 of 45 throws for 390 yards and four scores against one interception.

Two weeks ago, the Bears opened conference play with a 30-24 victory at Washington, and just before that, they beat Texas in Austin 45-44. So Cal is already 2-0 on the road this year.

If the Bears can tighten up on defense, they've got a chance to pull off an upset Saturday.

Why the Utah Utes can cover the spread

Utah is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS after rocking Oregon two weeks ago 62-20 in Eugene, winning that game in runaway fashion as a 10-point underdog. The Utes then had last week off.

Utah never trailed against the Ducks, snapping a 6-6 tie with three second-quarter touchdowns and then pulling away in the second half, at one point scoring 42 unanswered points. On the day, the Utes racked up 530 yards of offense, 273 on the ground, held the ball for almost 37 minutes and won the turnover battle 3-0. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson threw for 227 yards and four scores and ran for 100 yards and another touchdown, while the defense limited the supposedly explosive Ducks offense to just two touchdowns.

The Utes opened this season with a 24-17 victory over Michigan, a win that looks even better after what the Wolverines have done since. If Utah can come up with another performance like the one against Oregon, it should win and cover this week too.

Smart pick

Utah owns a couple of impressive victories, but Cal looks like an up-and-coming program led by a future NFL player at quarterback. The Bears are also in their third season under new head coach Sonny Dykes, and college football programs often make big strides in their third seasons under new coaching regimes. The smart money here backs the Bears.

Betting trends

• California is 5-0 ATS in its last five games on the road against the Pac-12.
• The total has gone under in six of California's last eight games in October.
• Utah is 5-1 ATS in its last six games at home in October.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.