The nationally-ranked Utah Utes will try to keep their perfect record alive in Week 5, taking on Pac-12 opponent the California Bears on the road. The No. 18 Utes are fresh off a win over USC, their biggest of the season, and will head to California with a lot of confidence despite being slight underdogs.
Cal is 2-2 so far this season, and while its record isn’t as good as Utah’s, the Bears will be at home. That could make a huge difference as they are listed as slight favorites to give Utah its first loss of the year.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 5 game is set for Saturday, October 1, 2016, at 3 p.m. ET at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Utah +2.5
California -2.5
Over/Under 67
Odds Analysis
It’s rare for a ranked team to be an underdog to an unranked one, but that’s the case here. The gamblers are jumping on it, as Utah is being selected to cover the spread by 59 percent of the money coming in.
While the scoring total is already set pretty high, the bettors certainly envision a shootout forthcoming. The “over” is the choice on nearly 82 percent of the wagers in the earlygoing this week.
Matchup to Watch
The Utah defense against California’s passing game. The Golden Bears rank second in the nation for passing yards per game so the Utes will have their hands full this week.
Behind Cal quarterback Davis Webb, the offense is averaging 459.3 passing yards a game. He has completed 138-of-222 passes for 1,837 with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Webb has the benefit of having Chad Hansen has his top target and also has options in Melquise Stovall and Demetris Robertson. The Utes have given up only 182 passing yards per game so it will be interesting to see which side wins this battle.
Key Player
Hansen -- The Cal star is the country’s leading receiver right now. In his first five games as a Golden Bear, Hansen has caught 50 passes for 656 yards with six touchdowns.
In last week’s loss to Arizona State, Hansen had 10 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. His season-high came in Cal’s Week 3 win over Texas where the junior had 12 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
He will be a big part of the game plan this week against Utah and has the potential to be a big playmaker.
Free ATS Pick
The Utes certainly helped solidify their case as a real threat this year with their 31-27 win over the Trojans last week. The team also has victories over Southern Utah, BYU and San Jose State this year. This will be Utah’s second road game of the year so far.
Utah quarterback Troy Williams is 75-for-120 for 993 yards this season with six touchdowns and four interceptions. Three of those interceptions came in the same game against BYU in Week 2, although the defense played well enough to pick up the win.
Cal started the season with a 51-31 win over Hawai’i and also captured an impressive win over No. 11 Texas in Week 3, winning 50-43 at home. The Golden Bears’ other loss this season was to San Diego State.
Both teams believe they can win this game. Utah has been solid but hasn’t faced great competition, while Cal has been up and down but shown it has a high ceiling.
When in doubt, go with the better quarterback and the home team. The spread is at a good spot right now as Cal can cover with a win by a field goal, so jump on it. The Bears should hand Utah its first loss of the season in this matchup, which could be a wild one.
College Football Odds: California 38, Utah 35
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