An interconference showdown is scheduled for this Saturday afternoon as the California Golden Bears go over to Colombus to take on the Buckeyes. How should we approach this game from a betting standpoint?
Buckeyes, Miller cruise in Columbus
Buckeyes quarterback
Braxton Miller ran for three touchdowns in last Saturday’s win, while finding
tight end Jake Stoneburner for a fourth through the air. Miller finished with 141 rushing yards, while
receiving targets Devin Smith and Corey Brown united for 105 yards on six
catches each.
Ohio State’s defense
grabbed three interceptions, while holding UCF to 7-for-15 on its third-down
conversions. The Buckeyes gave up just
one touchdown in the second half, but were flagged over both sides of the ball
for 10 penalties, totaling 79 yards.
The contest’s combined
47 points dipped below the ‘total’ of 50, bringing the UNDER to 1-1 in Ohio
State’s first two weeks of action.
Miller guided the offense to 25 first downs, controlling the ball for 33
minutes of possession.
Golden Bears surge past Southern Utah
California came up with
30 points in the fourth quarter as part of last Saturday’s 50-31 victory
against Southern Utah, while failing to cash tickets as a 32-point home
favorite. The Golden Bears notched 518
total yards, with 289 coming through a ground attack of 38 rushing attempts
(7.6 YPR).
California’s Isi Sofele
was one of three different running backs to take in a touchdown from the
backfield, finishing with a team-high 104 rushing yards. Golden Bears quarterback Zach Maynard
completed 17-of-23 passes, with wide outs Chris Harper and Keenan Allen logging
a combined 12 receptions for 163 yards.
Allen notably began the fourth quarter catching a 19-yard score from
Maynard, while later reaching the end zone again with a 69-yard punt return.
The Golden Bears’
defense held Southern Utah to 79 rushing yards (2.3 YPR), while allowing
10-of-20 third-down conversions.
California’s Marc Anthony returned an interception 61 yards for a
touchdown during the opposition’s 36 minutes with the ball.
Back the Buckeyes at home
Saturday’s kickoff is
slated for 12 p.m. (ET), with ABC providing television coverage in most
markets. The weather forecast in
Columbus calls for a 77-degree day, with calm winds and a 50-percent chance of
thunderstorms.
I am adding Ohio State
to my afternoon’s college football picks, agreeing with the early ‘steam’ in
laying the big number.
The Buckeyes have given
up a stingy 13 PPG over their first two home contests, with California unlikely
to penetrate with the kind of lengthy scoring plays from last week’s
victory. Ohio State has collected at
8-1-1 ATS in its last 10 meetings with Pacific 12 Conference foes, with the
span including last September’s 37-17 triumph over the Colorado Buffaloes as a
16 ½-point home favorite.
California has allowed
31 points in both of its season’s matchups thus far, while giving up 34.5 PPG
in last year’s six road contests. The
Golden Bears putting 50 of their own points on the board from last week set
Maynard and Co. to be devalued here, with California logging a 0-4 ATS mark in
its last four spots that followed scoring 40 points or more.
Look for Ohio State to make a statement win here, while California
packs it in early, looking ahead to visiting the USC Trojans in conference
play next week. The Buckeyes should make
up for falling short of cashing against last week’s closing line, resuming
their solid run of a 10-3 ATS record over the team’s last 13 early-season
matchups held in September.