California Golden Bears vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/01/2022

by Rod Pearson

Friday, Sep 30, 2022
Game Time: 5:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 1, 2022
Venue:  Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
Where to Watch:  PAC-12 Network

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cal +4, WSU -4; Over/Under:  53.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cal +4, WSU -4; Over/Under:  53.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cal +4, WSU -4; Over/Under:  53.5 points
 

Season Record

California Golden Bears:  3-1 (1-0) (6th place, PAC-12)
Washington State Cougars:  3-1 (0-1) (8th place, PAC-12)
 
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Recent Form
California Golden Bears:  won their last game at home against the Arizona Wildcats 49-31.
Washington State Cougars:  lost their last game at home against the Oregon Ducks 44-41.

 

California Golden Bears vs Washington State Cougars Preview and Analysis

 
California is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 2nd road game of the season here as they are 0-1 in their road games this year. This will also be their 2nd conference game of the college football season this year as they are 1-0. They won against the Arizona Wildcats in their last game at home 49-31. Jack Plummer started that game at QB and he completed 18/28 passes for 245 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jaydn Ott led the team in rushing with 274 yards and 3 TDs on 19 rushing attempts. Jeremiah Hunter led the team in receiving with 82 yards and 1 TD on 5 receptions. Craig Woodson led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles. Ryan Puskas and Orin Patu led the defense in sacks with 1 each while Daniel Scott and Isaiah Young each came away with 1 interception for them in that one.
 
 
 
WSU is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall to start their college football season and they will be playing their 4th home game of the season as they are 2-1 in their home games this year. This will also be the 2nd conference matchup on their conference schedule this season as they are 0-1. They lost against the Oregon Ducks in their last game at home 44-41. Cameron Ward started that game at QB and he completed 37/48 passes for 375 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Nakia Watson led the team in rushing with 36 yards and 1 TD on 12 carries. Renard Bell led the team in receiving with 84 yards on 6 receptions while De'Zhaun Stribling also had 84 receiving yards and 1 TD on 5 catches. Jaden Hicks and Sam Lockett both led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles. Francisco Mauigoa came away with the only interception for them while no one on the defense recorded any sacks in that one.

 

California vs Washington State Prediction

The current betting odds have WSU listed as a 4 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. WSU just had a heartbreaking loss at home to Oregon in a game where they had a double digit lead very late in the 4th quarter and managed to blow it, losing the game by 3 points in the end. They played very well in that game though and they were the better team for over 3 quarters as they really controlled the pace of the game. California had a very big win at home last week as they were down big to Arizona early but they fought their way back in the game to win by almost 20 points. They scored almost 50 points in that game but WSU has a much better defense than what they saw last week so scoring points is going to be a lot harder for California in this game. Cal doesn't have a good defense either so WSU will be able to put up points on them while their defense holds Cal from scoring a lot in this game. WSU is going to be upset after the way they lost to Oregon last week and they will be looking to take it out on Cal here. The best way to place a bet here is on WSU to cover the spread in this game.
 
California Washington State Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 1, 2022 (5:30 pm ET start time) is WSU 31 Cal 21.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today. And if you enjoyed this California Golden Bears Washington State Cougars prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
 

NCAAF Betting Trends

 
California Golden Bears: 7-1 ATS as an underdog. 19-8 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points. 23-16 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 49.5 and 56. 
Washington State Cougars: 15-25 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 10-16 ATS as a home favorite of 7 points or less. 11-5 UNDER off a home cover where the team lost as an underdog.
 

Key Injuries

 
California Golden Bears:  None.
Washington State Cougars:  Z. Beason (WR) Ques Sat - Eligibility. R. Tialavea (OL) out for season - Lower Body. C. Moore (WR) out for season - Undisclosed.
 

Notable Quotes

 
"That's explosive. We've been talking about it for a long time. You've seen it in flashes. We saw it a bunch today. He's a dynamic guy and has the ability to take it to the house from a lot of spots." - Justin Wilcox after his team’s win against Arizona in their last game.
 
 
“It hurts. We’ve got a lot of kids who are disappointed in there. They should be proud of the way they played and fought. … To win big football games, you gotta execute in the biggest moments. Oregon did and we didn’t.” - Jake Dickert after his team’s loss against oregon in their last game.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
California Golden Bears
WR Hunter, Jeremiah
WR Sturdivant, J.Michael
WR Anderson, Mavin 
TE Terry II, Jermaine 
QB Plummer, Jack
RB Ott, Jaydn
FB Tagaloa, Beaux 
 
Washington State Cougars
WR Stribling, De'Zhaun 
WR Ollie, Donovan
WR Victor, Lincoln
WR Bell, Renard 
TE Riviere III, Billy
QB Ward, Cameron
RB Watson, Nakia 
 

Statistical Leaders

 
California Golden Bears
Passing: J. Plummer (975)
Rushing: J. Ott (463)
Receiving: J. Hunter (305)
Touchdowns: J. Ott (6)
 
Washington State Cougars
Passing: C. Ward (1082)
Rushing: N. Watson (260)
Receiving: D. Ollie (263)
Touchdowns: D. Stribling (4)
 
Coaches:
California Golden Bears: Justin Wilcox (6th season)
Washington State Cougars: Jake Dickert (2nd season)


Rod Pearson

About the Author:

Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life.  He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years.  In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective.  Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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