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The California Golden Bears are hoping that Friday the 13th could prove to be unlucky for their opponent this year. The Washington State Cougars are coming to Berkeley and are looking to keep their dream for an undefeated season alive. They have already knocked off USC and Oregon, and are already starting to gear up for their games against Stanford and Washington. An upset by California would throw a wrench into those plans, but not too unsurprising considering the nature of this rivalry.
Watch this regular season Week 7 matchup live on Friday, October 13, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Kabam Field in Berkeley, California. This game will be broadcast on ESPN.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Washington State -15
California +15
Odds Analysis
California was supposed to be a trainwreck this season, but hopes were raised after three straight wins to start the year. The Golden Bears knocked off two other Power Five teams before conference play got underway and the hope was that those wins would set the tone for a surprising year. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be, as California has lost by 10, 21, and 31 points these last three weeks.
Following their upset win over USC two weeks ago, everyone was calling for the Cougars to go down against Oregon last week. That was despite the fact that Justin Herbert wasn’t going to be available because of an injury. Washington State got off to a slow start, but didn’t pay heed to the doubters and ended up rallying in the second half for a 33-10 win. It was the fourth straight cover for the Cougars.
Coaching Angle
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox wanted to change the culture of the program when he arrived in Berkeley at the start of the year. Sonny Dykes was an offensive mastermind, but couldn’t care less about the defensive side of the ball, and that led to a plethora of shootouts and inconsistent results.
Wilcox has brought some defense to Berkeley, but it has come at a price. The offense has not been very effective this year, and the Golden Bears have been unable to run the ball. They are averaging just 2.9 yards per carry as the offensive line has been unable to protect quarterback Ross Bowers.
This defense is making small strides, but is much better than it was last year. The Golden Bears are still outside the Top 100 in total defense, but are no longer getting gashed in every single game, and have been a lot more competent on this side of the ball.
Player to Watch
Quarterbacks are always going to throw the ball a lot in Mike Leach’s offense. That puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback to not make mistakes and Luke Falk has done exactly that this season. Falk has already thrown the ball 262 times in six games, but has limited his interceptions. He has thrown just two picks all season long, compared to 19 touchdowns.
While there is a lot of underneath stuff in Leach’s offenses, that’s still an impressive figure. If a quarterback throws an interception on two percent of his passes, that’s typically considered successful, so he has been performing great. The running game is still struggling, so it’s been up to Falk to move the chains with his arm.
Free ATS Pick
In the past, a game between these two teams was a wild, back and forth affair where you weren’t sure who would win until the last possession. That’s not the case anymore, but there could still be some surprises here.
I won’t call for the upset, but Wilcox is a good defensive mind and will have something prepared against a Wazzou team that can’t run the ball. Look for Cal to get the cover.
College Football Odds: Washington State 30, California 24
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