Fresno St. vs CAL Free Week 1 College Football Pick + Betting Preview
The neutral site game being dubbed the “TicketCity Battle by the Bay” will get under way on Saturday night as Candlestick Park plays venue to its first ever regular-season college football game when the California Golden Bears host the Fresno State Bulldogs for just the third all time meeting between the two schools.
Fresno State vs California
Venue/Stadium: Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California
Time/Date: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 3, 2011
CFB Odds From: 5 Dimes
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Cal -9.5 -110
Over/Under: 48.5 -110
Click here for the ATS Gambling Report for this game!
Fresno State won both of those meetings, the first at Berkeley on Sept. 9, 1995, squeaking out a 25-24 win and then again at Fresno Sept. 23, 2000, with the Bulldogs a 17-3 winner.
Since then the two have not met on the gridiron since Jeff Tedford, a former Fresno State quarterback, became the head coach of the Golden Bears prior to the 2002 season.
Now just two wins away from becoming Cal’s all-time modern-era victory leader, Tedford has made the decision to hand the rock to quarterback Zach Maynard who will be making his first start since transferring from Buffalo in 2009.
Maynard played in all 12 games and started 11 in his 2009 sophomore season with the Bulls completing 218-of-379 passes for 2,694 yards and 18 TDs with 15 interceptions. He was also Buffalo’s third-leading rusher with 300 yards on 87 carries and one touchdown on the ground. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
As for Fresno State, all eyes will be on the quarterback first-year quarterback Derek Carr who will usher in a new era at Fresno State a decade after his brother David led the Bulldogs to national prominence.
But as highly touted as Carr has been, and with deep threat receivers Devon Wylie and Jalen Saunders as solid targets, don’t expect coach Pat Hill to abandon a run game that should remain strong behind Robbie Rouse, who was second in the WAC in rushing last season.
While the G-Bears offense may take time to develop, the defense could excel behind linebacker Mychal Kendricks, the Bears’ active leader in tackles (152), tackles for loss (152) and sacks (10.5). And although Cal’s defensive line is unproven, the rest of the defense could present problems for the untried Carr.
Meanwhile, besides Bulldogs defensive tackle Logan Harrell who had 10.5 sacks last year, the remainder of the defense could be exposed by a mobile quarterback such as Maynard.
NCAA Gambling Trends:
Over is 6-2 in FRSST last 8 games in September.
Over is 8-3 in FRSST last 11 non-conference games.
FRSST are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
CAL are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games in September.
Over is 6-2 in CAL last 8 games in September.
Over is 18-7-1 in CAL last 26 non-conference games.
Matt’s Prediction: Fresno State 27, California 24
The Golden Bears although being removed from Memorial Stadium for renovations, will still be backed by an electrifying home crowd that will make it even more difficult on Carr in his college game day debut. However, Bulldogs special teams coach Pete Alamar held the same position at California just two years ago, and his unit could be the difference in a very close game.
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