The last few weeks have not gone well for both No. 20 Cal and UCLA. The Golden Bears were beaten for the first time two weeks ago, with golden boy Jared Goff having a stinker of a game. Meanwhile, the Bruins were embarrassed on Thursday night by a resurgent Stanford. The two California schools will get their chance to return to the win column as they renew their long-standing in-state rivalry on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Read on below as we preview this all-Pac-12 California clash. And for more intense Week 8 college football action, check out our previews of Utah vs. USC and Tennessee vs. Alabama.
Betting on the California Golden Bears (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12)
Jared Goff said his game against Utah was probably the worst game of his life, and it’s hard to argue with him. The much-hyped junior threw a career-high five interceptions – four in the first half alone – in the Golden Bears’ 30-24 loss to the Utes.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Give credit to Goff and the rest of his Cal teammates, though. Despite that disastrous first half, they regrouped and held Cal to just two second-half field goals. They also caused three Utes turnovers, which pushed their total number of forced turnovers to 21 on the season, easily the most in the nation.
Look for that very opportunistic Cal defense to capitalize on any mistakes UCLA’s freshman quarterback Josh Rosen makes. Rosen has thrown seven picks in his first six games, including three in his last two– both losses.
At the same time, look for Goff to bounce back from his disastrous start against Utah. Even with that one horrific game, Goff is still having a very solid 2015 season, averaging 328 passing yards with a 17-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Goff so nearly led the Golden Bears to a huge home win over UCLA last season. He went 25-of-41 for 303 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 36-34 Cal loss.
The explosive nature of Goff and the Cal offense – one that has 14 pass plays of 30-plus yards this season, second-most in the Pac-12 – makes it tough for any team to completely pull away and cover. Cal is 6-1 ATS in its last seven road games.
The UCLA Bruins’ season is in ruins after a disastrous run which has seen them lose back-to-back games against Arizona State (38-23) and at Stanford (56-35). The Bruins were simply bullied in the line of scrimmage on both occasions as they surrendered an incredible 502 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in those two games.
The silver lining for UCLA for this week, though, is that they won’t have to face another dominant rushing team in Cal. The Golden Bears prefer the pass, which the Bruins have defended quite well this season. UCLA is averaging just 176.2 passing yards per game while holding opposing QBs to a 108.3 passer rating, both of which are easily the best marks in the Pac-12.
On the flipside, the Bruins could be the ones doing the dominating through the ground. Cal hasn’t been great against the run, and couldn’t contain Utah’s Devontae Booker, who rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Paul Perkins is no slouch, either, and he leads a Bruins running game averaging close to 200 rushing yards per game.
UCLA has historically had the better of its state rival at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins are 8-2 (7-3 ATS) in their last 10 home games against Cal.
Writer’s Prediction
UCLA controls the game on the ground, which Cal has no answer for. Goff makes things interesting with a couple of late touchdowns, but it won’t be enough. The Bruins beat the Golden Bears, 35-28.
