Oregon vs. California College Football Prediction for Friday October 21, 2016.
Two of the most disappointing teams in the Pac-12 conference will do battle when the Oregon Ducks visit the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, California, Friday night. Both teams are coming off a loss but have had some time to regroup after a well needed bye week. The game has a 10.30 PM EST start and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
Oregon vs. California Prediction
The Ducks are just 2-4 straight up and a terrible 0-5-1 ATS on the season. They lost 70-21 as a 10-point underdog against Washington on October 8 their last time out and allowed opposing QB Jake Browning to throw for 304 yards and a school-record six touchdowns. Freshman QB Justin Herbert is expected to make his second career start under center after completing 62 percent of his passes and throwing for 179 yards and a pair of touchdowns with one interception against Washington.
Oregon is 5-1 ATS in its last six games coming off a double-digit loss at home, and it boasts the league’s top running game at 257.8 yards per game. Perhaps the Ducks can take advantage of a California D that allowed Oregon State to rush for 474 yards in a 47-44 road loss as a 13.5-point favorite their last game.
The Golden Bears are 3-3 straight up and against the spread on the season, but a perfect 2-0 in both columns home at Memorial Stadium. The team is just 1-5 ATS in its last six Friday night games and 1-4 ATS in its last five conference games. It’s also worth nothing that they’ve lost seven straight matchups against Oregon and gone 0-5 ATS in the last five.
Davis Webb averages 376 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season, but he was limited against Oregon State with a hand injury, so the bye week really came at a perfect time for Cal.
The Pick
California is a mild favorite (-2.5 to -3), and I recommend to give the points on the home team. The Golden Bears have a well balanced attack and can attack both on the ground and through the air.
