The Hurricanes head across the country to take on the Golden Bears to close out Saturday night. Miami remained undefeated after a very close call last week. The Cal Bears enter Saturday 3-1 after a tough loss a few weeks back. Miami will be 10 point favorites and the total is sitting at 53.5 for this Miami vs. California matchup that kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Miami Hurricanes (-10) at California Golden Bears (+10) o/u 53.5
10:30 p.m. ET, Friday, October 4, 2024
California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
TV: ESPN
Public Betting: Public Bettors Backing Hurricanes
As of this writing, our CFB Public Betting page shows that 64% of bets are on Miami. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Miami Hurricanes
The Hurricanes narrowly escaped last week with a victory after Virginia Tech threw up a last second Hail Mary to the end zone that was originally called a touchdown. After review, the call was reversed and Miami survived with a 38-34 win. Cam Ward threw for 343 yards and 4 touchdowns, however he did add 2 interceptions and a fumble. The Hokies offense managed 189 yards through the air for two touchdowns and an interception. The Hurricanes really got beat badly on the ground, allowing 206 combined yards.
California Golden Bears
The Golden Bears dropped their first game of the season to Florida State 14-9. Cal traveled to Tallahassee for their first ACC conference game. A blocked 38 yard field goal would have made it a 2 point game with 6 minutes left. Cal forced a quick punt and drove down the field but needed to find the end zone. They turned it over on downs at the FSU 23, falling just short. Fernando Mendoza threw for 303 yards and an interception. He was also sacked 7 times. Jaydn Ott led the ground game with 73 yards on 16 carries. The defense held DJU to 177 passing yards and a touchdown but also picked him off once.
Miami vs. California Betting Trends
Miami is 3-2 ATS in their last 5 games
The OVER is 7-1 in Miami’s last 8 games
California is 2-2 ATS in their last 4 games
The UNDER is 5-0 in California’s last 5 games
Miami vs. California Prediction:
I like the Hurricanes to cover the 10 point spread on the road. Miami had a huge wake up call in their last game just narrowly pulling out the victory and they are due for a big bounce back performance. California is the only team to lose to Florida State so far this season and the Golden Bears couldn’t find the end zone in that game. Cal is coming off of a bye week so they should be healthy and prepared but Miami got an extra day of rest as well with their last game being on Friday. They also traveled to California a day earlier than usual and have been pushing back their normal schedule each day this week to prepare for the late kick off.
Fun fact: Cal field goal kicker Ryan Coe is 5-11 this season. Two of those misses were from 50+, three came from the 30-39 yard range and one was from 20-29 yards. I sure would hate to be a struggling field goal kicker going into a game with all the hype and buzz of hosting College GameDay for the first time in school history. Sounds like a lot of pressure.
Despite what happened last week, the Hurricanes still have a strong defense that is 17th in the country at 16.5 points per game. Miami averages 3.3 sacks per game, good for 11th in the country. Cal has allowed 7 sacks and 6 sacks in their last 2 games. Also, they haven’t played a team anywhere close to the caliber of this Miami squad, beating FCS school UC Davis, the 2-3 Auburn Tigers, the 1-3 San Diego State Aztecs, and giving Florida State their only win of the season. Cal should struggle to score against a very good Miami defense. Any field goal attempts will be far from a guarantee for the Golden Bears. Miami has a very powerful offense and the Golden Bears won’t be able to keep up.
Miami vs. California Prediction: Miami -10