Categories
NCAA Football

UCLA Bruins vs Cal Golden Bears Gambling Prediction & Week 6 Preview

Bruins vs Golden Bears NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping

The UCLA Bruins and the California Golden Bears couldn’t be having much different seasons at this point in 2012. The Bruins are 4-1 under new head coach Jim Mora Jr., while the Golden Bears are 1-4 with their head coach, Jeff Tedford, officially on the hot seat.

No. 25 UCLA Bruins (4-1) vs California Golden Bears (1-4)
Saturday October 6, 2012
Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
10:00 PM ET
Moneyline: UCLA -140, California +120 from BetOnline
Spread: UCLA -2.5
O/U: 55.5

ATS Matchup Stats | Gambling Insight!Buy Ray’s Picks!

Memorial Stadium hasn’t been kind to the Bruins as of late, but the team is looking to turn that around in week six of the 2012 college football season.

UCLA Bruins

The UCLA Bruins’ only loss this season has come against a gritty Oregon State Beavers squad that has caught a lot of people off guard early in the year. OSU had a career night out of their quarterback when the two teams met, and they displayed one of the best defenses in college football—two things you won’t likely see from California this weekend.

The Bruins have struggled mightily in Berkeley dating back more than a decade, but with Jim Mora’s making his first visit as head coach, throw history out the window for this week’s matchup.

CLICK TO GRAB OUR Expert CFB Picks for 2012 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting!

The crowd will be a big factor in this game, so keeping the youngsters on the team cool and collected will be a vital part of the game plan.

UCLA’s defense has been very good this season, as they’ve allowed just 20.2 points per game (35th in the country), but it’s their offense that has made them the success story they are at this point in the year. Averaging 317 yards through the air (18th in the nation) and 243.4 points on the ground (13th in the nation), this team is averaging 36.8 points per game and has outscored their opponents (with the exception of Oregon State) by a combined score of 164-74.

California Golden Bears

The California Golden Bears are off to the team’s worst start since Jeff Tedford took over the head coaching position in 2002. The team is preparing to face its third ranked opponent in its last four contests, and as a result, their fans are heading into the sixth week of the season without too many good feelings surrounding their program.

Cal hasn’t been good on either offense or defense this season—in case you’re keeping score, that’s a problem. They’re just 80th in the nation in points per game (25.6), and their defense hasn’t helped out much either allowing 30.2 points per contest (86th in the nation).

Quarterback Zach Maynard has thrown the ball for a decent 1,053 yards up to this point, but his completion percentage is just 57.6 percent, and he has just five touchdowns to his four interceptions. Cal has had serious troubles protecting Maynard, and as a result, they’ve allowed the most sacks in the nation through the first five weeks of the season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

Cal has beaten UCLA every time they’ve met in Berkeley for nearly the last 14 seasons. Home-field advantage will be theirs, but it might be just about the only advantage they have. The spread on this game is UCLA by 2.5 points, but if Cal plays the same uninspired football they’ve been playing up to this point, the game could be much more in the Bruins’ favor.

With a win on Saturday, the Bruins will open the season with their best six-game start in the last seven years. That’s quite the motivation for a team trying to stay in the top 25, so look for them to stay in the conversation for Pac-12 contention following their week six matchup.

Trends

Bruins are 4-1 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 450 totals yards in their previous game.
Bruins are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in Bruins last 4 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Under is 4-1 in Bruins last 5 games following a S.U. win.
Under is 8-2-1 in Bruins last 11 games following a S.U. win of more than 20 points.
Under is 6-0 in Golden Bears last 6 home games.
Under is 7-1 in Golden Bears last 8 games following a S.U. loss.

O/U Pick: Under 55.5
Score Prediction: UCLA 34 – California 20

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"