Texas vs. Cal Prediction
Is No. 11 Texas in a trap game when it hits the road to face California tonight at 10:30PM ET on ESPN?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Texas is favored on the road in this game, as the Longhorns are getting odds of -7 points against the Golden Bears. The over/under total for the game has been set at a lofty 81 points. These two have split their last two meetings, but the Longhorns have covered the spread in both contests.
Texas is off to a 2-0 start with a 50-47 OT win over Notre Dame and a 41-7 win over UTEP. The Longhorns have covered the spread in both victories. The Longhorns are putting up 466.5 yards per game right now while holding opponents to just 526 yards per game. Freshman quarterback Shane Buechele has thrown for 524 yards and six touchdowns thus far to lead the offense while the team has 408 rushing yards over two games.
After beating Hawaii 51-31 in the season opener, the Bears slipped up last week, losing to San Diego State, 45-40 on the road. The Bears covered the spread in the loss while not covering in the win. Their offense has been stellar thus far, putting up an average of 617 yards per game. However, the defense is giving up 472.5 yards per game. Davis Webb has been firing the ball around, throwing for 963 yards and nine touchdowns in two games while Chad Hansen has caught 28 passes for 350 yards and three scores.
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Cal suffered a tough loss last week but now returns home for its home opener. Texas has looked good, but is making its first road trip of the year and Buechele is making his first road start. That can be a tough environment for a young kid, especially with the pressure growing on Texas with each win that they might actually contend for something special this year. Cal is going to find a way to move the ball with Webb and it will be up to Buechele to answer. Can he handle the pressure? For this game, I think Cal keeps it close and may even get the upset.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 3 PREDICTION: CALIFORNIA +7