College Football Predictions: California vs. Washington Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 23 September 2011 23:54

Our preview of the college football game between California and Washington will include predictions on the final score.

The California Golden Bears (3-0) and the Washington Huskies (2-1) are all set for Saturday’s 3:30 PM ET game, and our preview will better explain what to expect when these Pac-12 schools kickoff.  Fox Sports Net has the television rights to the California vs. Washington game so make sure to check your local listings if you want to watch the action live.

California started off their season with a 36-21 win over Fresno State at home before barely holding on for a 36-33 road win at Colorado despite being outgained by 212 yards.  The Golden Bears defeated Presbyterian 63-12 last time out and all 3 of their games have gone over the Las Vegas betting total score.

Washington struggled quite a bit in their 30-27 season opener against Eastern Washington before knocking off Hawaii 40-32 next time out.  Things didn’t go as planned in the Huskies’ last game as they fell 38-51 on the road against a tough Nebraska squad.  Washington's clashes have gone over the Las Vegas total in the last 2.

Washington took home a 16-13 road win as 7.5-point underdogs last year, while the Huskies again pulled the 42-10 upset as 6.5-point underdogs in 2009.  5Dimes Sportsbook has the college football odds favoring Washington at -1, while 65% of tracked bettors are putting their money on the Huskies to excel at home.  The over has been a winning bet in 6 of the last 8 meetings between Washington and California, and tonight’s total will be set high at 58.5.

California quarterback Zach Maynard (724 yards, 51.6%, 9 TD, 3 INT) leads an offense that throws for 277.3 yards per game while adding another 179.0 on average on the ground.  The Golden Bears are scoring 45.0 points per game on the season and their mix of run and pass is tough to contain.  Washington’s defense has not been strong, allowing 36.7 points on 452.0 total yards per game.  In other words, we expect California to put up at least 30 points on Saturday.

Washington’s Keith Price (691 yards, 64.4%, 11 TD, 3 INT) has been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, and he’s aided by a running game that puts up 148.3 yards per game.  That being said, you have to take those offensive statistics with a grain of salt since they’ve been amassed largely against poor defenses in the first 2 games of the season.  California’s rush defense has been astounding, and the Golden Bears allow just 65.3 yards on the ground with an average of just 2.4 per carry.

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Price seems like a good enough quarterback to move the ball if the rushing attack isn’t pitching in much, but ultimately California is the team I’m making my predictions on in this preview.  Look for the California vs. Washington game to be close at halftime before the Golden Bears start moving the ball at will.  The Huskies will eventually slip up and not be able to answer, and I think we are going to see an upset.

California vs. Washington Score Predictions:

California 34

Washington 31