It’s an “on paper” Pac-12 mismatch on the board Friday afternoon, with the UCLA Bruins (8-3, 5-3 in Pac-12) heading north to take on against the Cal Golden Bears (4-7, 2-6). UCLA had a shot at the College Football Playoff after starting the season 8-1, but lost back-to-back games to Arizona and then-No. 7 USC. Now, fifth in the conference, UCLA is just hoping to finish strongly, landing a decent bowl game. The Cal Golden Bears, meanwhile, have lost six of their last seven. They can’t wait until the nightmare’s over.
Let’s check the latest college football odds, stats, injury reports and college football lines for UCLA vs California. We’ve plenty of NCAA football odds for you to consider.
UCLA’s Finishing Funky
No. 17 UCLA is in a bit of a funk, an 0-2 record both on the ledger and against the spread in the last two weeks. The loss to crosstown rival Southern Cal is understandable, even as two-point favorites.
However, the real stinger was Arizona, beating the Bruins 34-28 on the road as 19½-point underdogs. It was the first time UCLA failed to cover in consecutive games since early in the season. In between, UCLA went 5-1 ATS between Weeks 4 and 10.
UCLA isn’t the CFP hopeful it once thought itself to be, but still a ranked team going against a Pac-12 rival that’s had a godawful season. UCLA is also a top-five offense opposing a scoring defense outside of the top 75 in the nation. UCLA averages over 39 points per game, explaining the 60½ point total.
Even in defeat, the Bruins’ offense hasn’t been the issue. They scored 45 points against USC last week in a game that went over 90 points, and 28 before that versus Arizona. Both games went over 60 points, as did a Week 10 50-36 win over Arizona St.
A weak defense means even Cal can do its part to send this over.
Cal’s End is Here
The California Golden Bears enter at 4-7, eighth in the Pac-12 and 1-6 in their last seven. Do not be fooled by their Week 12 victory over Stanford. Stanford’s dead-last in the conference, and Cal only beat the Cardinal by a touchdown.
Cal is 4-4 against the spread (ATS) in conference play, but UCLA is one of the tougher Pac-12 teams to play. Even with the Uclan’s recent issues, the Bears are going to have a tough time slowing the Bruins down offensively.
California can’t match those fireworks, but with Jack Plummer leading a halfway-decent passing game, perhaps the home side makes things interesting. At least a while.
UCLA vs California Game Injuries
UCLA vs California Head-to-Head
UCLA is 2-0 against the men of Berkeley, 8-4 since 2010. The Bruins are 6-5 ATS in that span.
UCLA vs California Game Information
- Game: UCLA (8-3, 5-3 in Pac-12) vs California (4-7, 2-6)
- Day/Time: Friday, Nov. 25th, 4:30 p.m. ET
- Location: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
- UCLA vs California Live Stream: ESPN
UCLA vs California Betting Lines
UCLA vs California Picks & Prediction
This 10-point spread feels like a gift in what could be a blowout win by the Bruins. A couple of weeks ago, before losing to USC and Arizona, 10 may have been 15. We don’t think UCLA became any worse during the last two weeks. In fact, they’re perhaps an even more dangerous team coming off two frustrating losses.
Offense of UCLA is good. Defense of UCLA isn’t good. If the Bears can score a few times, this game should easily go over the total.
The UCLA Bruins are listed at -355 in our Vegas NCAAF lines. This means that if you wager $100 on UCLA, you have a chance to win $28. The California Golden Bears are +282, offering a chance to win $282 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives UCLA a 78.02% chance to win, with California at 26.18%.
UCLA vs California Trends
UCLA vs California Edge
UCLA vs California Results
UCLA vs California Game Summary
