Cal vs. BYU Total Prediction
A pair of teams that won their season openers last week will meet on Saturday night at 10:15 p.m. ET when the BYU Cougars host the Cal Golden Bears. Will the game turn into a defensive struggle for bettors?
Game Snapshot
389 Cal Golden Bears at 390 BYU Cougars
10:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, September 8, 2018
Lavell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Cougars are 3-point favorites to beat the Golden Bears. The total, meanwhile, sits at 46.5 points. As of this writing, 62% of the public betting tickets wagered on this matchup are on the Cougars.
Cal Golden Bears
Cal head coach Justin Wilcox said Monday that he probably won’t name a starting quarterback until just before kickoff on Saturday night against BYU. Ross Bowers, the junior incumbent, does not have this job on lock. Bowers struggled in the opener against UNC, a Cal victory. Redshirt freshman Chase Garbers also played, as did redshirt sophomore QB Brandon McIlwain, the transfer from South Carolina. Wilcox said he isn’t try to play coy with BYU, he’s just allow the QB competition to play itself out. “We planned on playing them all and giving them opportunities,” Wilcox said. “… I think all three of them can play better, and I think all three of them would tell you the same thing.”
BYU Cougars
BYU senior QB Tanner Mangum completed 18-of-28 passes for 209 yards, one touchdowns and no interceptions in Saturday’s 28-23 road upset at Arizona. Mangum was playing in his first game action since November when he suffered an Achilles injury which required season-ending surgery. The 24-year-old signal caller threw for 3,377 yards and 23 touchdowns back in 2015, but he was named the backup in 2016 to Taysom Hill. He came back last season, but something was off. Mangum and the Cougars really struggled in 2017. Perhaps this will be a storybook ending to a roller coaster ride of a college career. So far, the final act is off to a good start. BYU hosts California next week in the team’s home opener in Provo.
Betting Trends
Cal
The over is 4-1 in the Golden Bears’ last five games played in the month of September.
BYU
The under is 5-0 in the Cougars’ last five games against the Pac-12 conference.
Prediction
The Golden Bears were solid defensively last week in their win over North Carolina, especially the secondary. That said, the passing game for Cal was inept and with problems at quarterback, I don’t see how the Bears move the ball efficiently on Saturday night in Provo. BYU finished last year with a 4-9 record but the Cougars are clearly a different team this season. Their defense held long-shot Heisman candidate Khalil Tate in check last week and should play well against Cal’s signal-callers this weekend. I like the under.
College Football Prediction: Cal/BYU under 46.5