Pac 10 Showdown - California Golden Bears vs Oregon Ducks
by BetUS Staff
Saturday, September 26th – Autzen Stadium
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Line: California -5.5 O/U 55.5
California: The Week That Was
Who says California can’t win on the East Coast? It was another early morning start for the West Coasters when they played at Minnesota last week and unlike their similar contest against Maryland last year, Cal was up for this game.
Even though Cal looked really good as a team, it was still only spurts. What’s troubling is that they allowed Minnesota to come back and tie the game 21-21 in the fourth quarter.
With USC losing, the Golden Bears have an opening but they still can’t fully be trusted on the road.
Oregon: The Week That Was
The Oregon Ducks have had a rough couple of weeks to start the season. They got beat up by Boise State on the opening night of the season and then struggled to beat Purdue.
But the slate is now clean thanks to a win over a Top 25 team. The Ducks toppled Utah at home last week and with it, ended the nation’s longest active winning streak.
The Ducks regained some credibility with their win but they really did scrape by. There are still some visible problems, such as the offensive and defensive lines. Also, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has looked very inconsistent. Those have to get cleaned up before we can trust Oregon as a Top 25 team again.
The Week That Is:
It’s a Pac 10 battle of two teams that we’re not fully sure about. There’s no question that Cal is the better squad here but they are a Jekyll and Hyde when they are at home and on the road. Last week, they got by Minnesota but a trip to Eugene is going to be significantly tougher.
The good news for Cal is that Oregon is just really struggling on both lines of scrimmage. That means that their defense should be able to contain Masoli and the Ducks attack. They’ll probably put on some film from the Boise State game and use that as a blueprint.
On offense, the Bears will hand off a lot to Jahvid Best, who is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he should carry this team to victory. Kevin Riley will make enough throws to keep the Ducks on their heels.
Keep in mind that Cal has a big game against USC next week so they may look ahead a little bit. It’s not going to be pretty but Cal will get the win.
College Free Pick: Oregon +5.5 over 55.5
