The California Golden Bears (-6.5) are heading east to face their in-conference foe Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the action and this afternoon matchup is scheduled to get underway at 4:00 p.m. ET.
California Golden Bears at Oregon State Beavers Betting Preview
In this Saturday Pac-12 matchup, California is getting picked as the favorite and is currently giving up 6.5 points. The Golden Bears are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Beavers are +210. Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 59.5 points. Should the favorite starts trailing early, it will likely create a worthy live betting opportunity.
With the spread opening at 7 and the O/U initially set at 59, betting odds have swayed a bit.
The Golden Bears are 1-4-1 against the spread (ATS) and are down 3.1 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have recorded an O/U mark of 1-4. The Beavers are down 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 2-4 ATS and own an O/U record of 5-1.
The Golden Bears are 3-3 straight up (SU), including 0-3 SU against conference opponents. The Beavers are 1-5 SU overall and are also 0-3 SU in conference play.
The Golden Bears are most-recently on the rebound after a 37-7 defeat to UCLA last week. The Golden Bears defense allowed the Bruins to eat up the clock by rushing for 207 yards on 55 attempts, including three rush TDs. On the offense, Brandon McIlwain completed only 22 passes on 40 attempts for 168 yards and two interceptions. Patrick Laird (94 rushing yards on 17 attempts, one TD) spearheaded the running attack. Vic Wharton III (five receptions, 35 yards) and Laird (four catches, 13 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Oregon State most-recently suffered a brutal 56-37 defeat to Washington State. As a group, the Beavers collectively completed 18-of-26 passes for 221 yards. Conor Blount went 15-for-21 for 172 yards while Jack Colletto was three-of-five for 49 yards. Jermar Jefferson (138 yards on 24 rush attempts, four TDs) and the signal-caller Blount (19 yards on 11 carries) spearheaded the running attack while Trevon Bradford (eight receptions, 68 yards) and Timmy Hernandez (six catches, 92 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
California has run the ball on 52.3 percent of its offensive plays this year, including 48.2 percent across possessions in conference play. Oregon State has an overall rush percentage of 59.0 percent, and has kept it on the ground 65.6 percent of the time when playing Pac-12 opponents. The Golden Bears have rushed for 179 yards per game (including 178 per game against Pac-12 opponents) and have eight scores on the ground this year. The Beavers are logging 212 rush yards per game (212 in conference) and have 17 total rushing TDs.
The Golden Bears offense has averaged 215 yards through the air overall (227 per game against conference opposition) and has eight passing scores so far. The Beavers have put up 242 pass yards per outing (169.0 against Pac-12 competition) and also have eight total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, California seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 164 rush yards and 170 pass yards per game. The Oregon State defense has given up 271.8 yards per game to opposing passers and 269.5 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Bears are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 4.23 to opponents, while the Beavers have given up a staggering 9.17 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, McIlwain is up to 398 yards on the year. He’s completed 56 percent of his 78 attempts with two scores through the air and four interceptions. McIlwain’s got a 2.85 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 2.59 over the last two outings.
Conor Blount has completed 70-of-105 passes for 872 yards, six TDs and one INT for Oregon State. His ANY/A stands at 7.13 for the season and 5.46 over his last two games.
These two programs faced off a year ago with the final outcome being a 37-23 win for California.
RELATED: Week 8 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
Free Prediction: California Golden Bears at Oregon State Beavers
SU Winner – Oregon State, ATS Winner – Oregon State, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The California defensive unit has sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times this season. Oregon State has registered five sacks.
Oregon State has lost six fumbles in 2018 while California has lost eight.
The Golden Bears offense has created three pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Beavers have accounted for six such plays.
The California defense has allowed four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Oregon State has given up five such plays.
The California offense has created four rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Oregon State has created 18 such runs.
The Golden Bears defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Beavers have given up 19 such runs.
The Over/Under for Oregon State’s last matchup was set at 65. The over cashed in that 56-37 loss to Washington State.
Over its last three matches, Oregon State is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matchups, California is 0-3 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for California’s last game was set at 53.5. The under cashed in the team’s 37-7 loss to UCLA.
California has produced 4.9 yards per carry across its past three games and 4.4 over its last two.
Oregon State has averaged 4.4 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.3 over its past two.
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