This weekend in college football is a bit of a snooze fest if i am being honest, with only a single ranked game on the docket. However, we still get some good action to tune into when the #8 Miami Hurricanes visit the California Golden Bears. Miami is a massive -10 favorite in this game on the road, with a total set at 54.5 over at BetMGM.
The Hurricanes have solidified themselves as a top 10 team in the country with their stellar play early, and one of the biggest reasons for that has been QB Cam Ward. The Washington State transfer has been phenomenal for Miami in his first five games for them, racking up 1,782 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has thrown four interceptions, which is a tad much, but he has still been outstanding. So much so that he is currently in second place right now in the Heisman Trophy race.
Last week was the biggest test for the Hurricanes so far, and I don’t mean in terms of the actual team they were playing. They faced unranked Virginia Tech at home as a whopping -17.5 favorite, and barely came away with a 38-34 victory. The Hokies almost won the game on a hail mary at the end, but it was ruled an incomplete catch, and that saved Miami from their first loss of the season. That would have been a very bad one as well, so they are thanking their stars it was incomplete.
California is sitting at 3-1 to start their season, which I think is better than most would have imagined for them. They have wins over Auburn and San Diego State on their resume, but that loss to Florida State the last time we saw them looks even more embarrassing considering how terrible the Seminoles look this season. Still, it was only a 14-9 loss on the road, so you can’t slam them for that.
QB Fernando Mendoza hasn’t been explosive in the passing game, but he has been effective enough, with five touchdowns and two interceptions. The defense has really been the best asset to the Golden Bears. They have allowed a grand total of 46 points in four games, so just over 10 points per game, which is fantastic. They will be seriously tested by Ward when the Hurricanes come into town, but they will be at home to feed off of that crowd energy.
I’ll need to look at the betting splits for this one before wagering, but Miami has become quite the public team so far this season. I’d be pretty shocked if anyone was betting on the Golden Bears, even though the Hurricanes will have to travel across the country for this game. That matters a lot more than people think, and rest could be a factor here for Miami.
I would venture to lean toward betting California +10 here, as that seems like too many points to me at first glance to be laying on a road team that is traveling so far.
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