California vs. Oregon State Odds
| California Odds | -2.5 [BET NOW] |
| Oregon State Odds | +2.5 [BET NOW] |
| Moneyline | -138/+112 [BET NOW] |
| Over/Under | 46.5 [BET NOW] |
| Time | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | FS1 |
After getting blown out in a rare Sunday game against UCLA, California will head north to take on the 0-2 Oregon State Beavers.
Cal had its first game against Washington canceled due to COVID-19, and then it had to reschedule its second game to play UCLA instead of Arizona State. Now with only four games left in the season, it'll look to win out to have a shot at playing in the Pac-12 title game.
Oregon State lost its second straight game to a team from the state of Washington last week. The Beavers are coming off their best season in almost five years. They will need a win on Saturday to get things back on track if they want their program to continue moving in the right direction.
California Golden Bears
Offense
The offensive side of the ball was a struggle for the Golden Bears last year. California was near the bottom of the Pac-12 in both Passing and Rushing Success. However, the Golden Bears are on the upward trajectory under fourth-year head coach Justin Wilcox after playing in bowl games the last two seasons.
Chase Garbers is back at quarterback for Cal after going 7-1 as a starter last year. In 2019, Garbers lit up the Pac-12 by throwing for 8.2 yards per attempt and 14 touchdowns, compared to only three interceptions. He struggled in his first start against UCLA, throwing for only 133 yards and an interception. The biggest issue is he had no time to throw, as the Bruins sacked him five times.
Cal has every running back returning in 2020 but will need to improve its 3.5 yards per carry average. Oregon State wasn't able to stop Washington or Washington State in its first two games, giving up 6.1 yards per carry in the losses. The Golden Bears will have to find a run game if they are going to find success in Corvallis on Saturday.
Defense
The defensive side of the ball is where the Golden Bears succeeded last year. They were top-25 in the country in defensive passing and rushing explosiveness. They also ranked 42nd in the country in yards per play allowed at 5.3.
The problem with Golden Bears is they had to say goodbye to their three best defensive players from last season. They still bring back a ton of talent on the defensive line in the form of sixth-year seniors Luc Bequette and Zeandae Johnson, who have 50 career starts between them. They also return leading tackler Kuony Deng at linebacker.
They'll have a tough task trying to stop this Oregon State rushing attack on Saturday. The Beavers are No. 1 in the country in Rushing Success through their first two games.
Where California is going to struggle is in its secondary. It lost its two starting safeties from last season. Even though Tristan Gebbia has struggled, he should be able to throw the ball around on Cal's secondary.
Oregon State Beavers
Offense
It's going to take a lot to replicate the offensive numbers Oregon State put up last season. Jake Luton led the Beavers to a top-40 ranking in both Passing and Rushing Success. So far through their first two games, they haven't been anywhere close to repeating those numbers.
Gebbia has taken the reins for Luton, but he has really struggled through his first two starts, throwing for only 5.8 yards per attempt. The Beavers have a solid group of receivers, including redshirt senior Trevon Bradford, who caught seven balls for 78 yards and a touchdown in their opener. But unless Gebbia improves, the passing attack is going to be the Beavers' weakness.
However, the Beavers offense is going to revolve around star running back Jermar Jefferson. The junior was hampered by injuries last year and against Washington but has run the ball for 5.8 yards per carry in his first two games.
The issue for Oregon State this season is going to be its offensive line. The Beavers lost three starters from last season and will need to gel quickly if they're going to repeat their offensive numbers from a year ago.
Defense
In 2019, Oregon State boasted one of the worst defenses in the Pac-12. The Beavers were in the bottom-30 of college football in Defensive Passing Success, Rushing Success and Havoc. However, the good news for Oregon State is it returns 82% of its defensive production from last season.
The defense is led by outside linebacker Hamilcar Rashed Jr., who broke the school record for sacks (14) and tackles for loss (22.5) last season. Oregon State also has every starter back in its linebacking contingent, which is poised for a breakout year.
The defensive line is lacking the talent needed to compete with the elite teams in the Pac-12, but it does bring back a lot of experience in Jordan Whittley and Isaac Hodgins.
The secondary could be the area in which Oregon State shows its biggest improvement. The Beavers have all four starters back and added a couple of transfers to increase their depth.
Oregon State struggled to stop Washington in the first half last week, but it held the Huskies to only 4.76 yards per play in the second half.
Betting Analysis & Pick
Cal was supposed to be a team on the rise in the Pac-12, but after the opening blowout loss to UCLA, it looks like things are headed in the wrong direction. Despite its opening two losses, Oregon State's offense has been stellar on the ground and should be able to control the tempo in this game.
I have Oregon State projected as -3.11 favorites at home, so I think there's plenty of value on the Beavers at +3.5.
Pick: Oregon State +3.5 (down to +1)
