Buckeyes vs Bears NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes and California Golden Bears are set to face off in Week 3, which will give Cal a chance for revenge from last season. The Golden Bears gave up a 72-yard touchdown pass in the final minutes to give Ohio State a 35-28 win.
Week 3 – No. 4 Ohio State (2-0) @ California (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 7:00 PM ET @ Memorial Stadium
Moneyline: N/A
Spread: -14.5
O/U: 64.5
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The Buckeyes are coming off of a 42-7 win over San Diego State, while California struggled to take down the Portland State Vikings in Week 2. The Golden Bears will be heavy underdogs in this one, and if all goes according to plan, the Buckeyes will show why when the clock strikes zero.
Ohio State
When it comes to Ohio State, there’s the white elephant in the room that is Braxton Miller’s health. The Heisman candidate quarterback encountered a sprained MCL in his right knee, but the Buckeyes should feel good about their chances at this point.
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Not only has Urban Meyer stated that Miller should be good to go, but the team got a solid performance out of backup Kenny Guiton in his absence last week, giving them confidence should he suit up again on Saturday.
Tackling is going to be a major focus for OSU in this one. The Golden Bears have adapted a new pass-heavy offense under Sonny Dykes, and getting athletes in space has become a priority.
The secondary will be forced to keep up with the pace of Cal in this one, especially following the 512 yards of offense they gave up in this matchup last year.
Offensively, the Buckeyes should have their way with the Golden Bears. Cal is 106th in points allowed thus far, and 116th in yards given up per game. If Miller is healthy, expect him to be the star of the show.
If he’s beat up—or absent—don’t be surprised to see the running backs get in on the action more than usual. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
California
Cal has struggled up to this point, following a tight win against Portland State and a disappointing loss to Northwestern. This isn’t exactly the matchup to regain momentum, but the home crowd will be ready to rally the entire way through.
Cal is the No. 1 passing team in the country, as it’s averaging an astonishing 472.5 yards per game through the air. The question here is whether the Golden Bears should utilize their strength or establish a ground game against the Buckeyes.
The truth is that Cal isn’t good enough in the rushing attack to have a statement game on the ground; however, it can certainly keep the defense honest by establishing the play-action game.
If the Bears have any hope of opening up the pass, utilizing Brendan Bigelow is going to be crucial. He rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns last year against OSU, and remarkably, he did it on just four carries. The key to such an outlandish performance?
Poor tackling from the Buckeyes. If Ohio State slips up two years in a row, the Golden Bears will have the advantage this time around.
The problem for Cal is that as well as they play, they must rely on OSU making mistakes. This is a Buckeyes team that hasn’t looked sharp for parts of the season, but chances are, it’ll put together a decent performance with momentum on its side.
Expect both teams to come out firing, but don’t expect home-field advantage to mean as much as it historically has across the NCAA. Cal is just 1-4 Straight Up in its last five contests at home, so it’s not farfetched to think Ohio State will pull away and win convincingly.
Score Prediction: Ohio State 50 – Cal 23
