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California Golden Bears vs. Washington State Cougars Odds, Betting Pick
November 1, 2018
California owns the recent rivalry with Washington State, winning 11 of the last 13 meetings straight up, including a shocking upset last season. But the Cougars are 2-3 SU and 3-2 against the spread over the last five meetings. Washington State shoots for revenge on Cal on Saturday night in Pullman.
College football point spread: The Cougars opened as 11-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)
College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 30.1-26.2 Cougars (College football picks on every game)
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Why the California Golden Bears can cover the spread
Cal is 2-0 both SU and ATS the last two weeks after upsetting Washington in its previous outing 12-10.
The Bears spotted the Huskies the first seven points of the game, pulled to within 7-6 at the half and then took the lead on a pick-six on the last play of the third quarter.
Cal let Washington pull to within two points in the fourth quarter but ran the last five minutes off the clock to preserve the outright victory as 12-point home dogs.
The Bears only came up with 242 yards of total offense but held Washington to 250. Cal also owned a 33/27 edge in time of possession and won the turnover battle 2-0, creating at least a plus-7 point differential.
The Bears are now 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in the five games Chase Garbers has started at quarterback this season.
Why the Washington State Cougars can cover the spread
The Cougars just reached 7-1 SU on the season and a perfect 8-0 ATS with a 41-38 victory at Stanford last week.
That game was tied at 38-38 with a minute-and-a-half to go, but the Cougars got a huge 35-yard pitch-and-catch from quarterback Gardner Minshew to wide receiver Jamire Calvin on a third down, setting up a game-winning field goal with 19 seconds left.
Washington State produced 497 yards of total offense as Minshew, a budding Heisman contender, hit on 40 of 50 throws for 438 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
The Cougars have now outgained each of their eight opponents this season. At 4-1 in conference play, Washington State now leads the Pac-12 North by a half-game over second-place Washington, as it seeks its first-ever appearance in the conference championship game.
Smart betting pick
Cal won this matchup last season in shocking fashion—37-3 as a 16-point home dog—but that's not going to happen this time around.
The Bears are struggling on offense, while the Cougars are averaging 39 points per game in Pac-12 play. They also own an 11-game home winning streak, which includes a 9-2 run ATS.
The smart money here gives the points with Washington State.
College football betting trends
The total has gone under in Cal's last three games versus Washington State.
Washington State is 5-0 ATS in its last five games versus its conference.
Cal is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games on the road versus teams with winning records.
All college football odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.