The No. 8 Washington Huskies look to put on another aerial display as they host the California Golden Bears on Saturday night. Washington (3-0) defeated Michigan State 41-7 last week and boasts a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender in QB Michael Penix Jr. Cal (2-1) rallied to beat FCS school Idaho 31-17 last Saturday. Last year in this matchup, the Huskies held on for a close road win 28-21.
Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Huskies are favored by 20.5 points in the latest Cal vs. Washington odds, while the over/under is 59 points, per SportsLine consensus. Before entering any Washington vs. Cal picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a stunning profit of nearly $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
The model has set its sights on Washington vs. Cal. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for Cal vs. Washington:
- Washington vs. Cal spread: Washington -20.5
- Washington vs. Cal over/under: 59 points
- Washington vs. Cal money line: Washington -1170, Cal +708
- Washington vs. Cal picks: See picks here
- Washington vs. Cal live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why California can cover
If Cal is to keep it close against the Huskies, it will need the services of sophomore running back Jaydn Ott, who missed the Idaho game last week due to injury. In two games thus far this season, he has rushed 40 times for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Last year against Washington, he was bottled up with only 38 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Without the services of Ott against Idaho, Isaiah Ifanse had 137 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.
The quarterback situation is more murky for the Golden Bears with both Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley playing well but not great thus far this season. Jackson has thrown for 270 yards on 29 of 54 passing with three touchdown passes and two interceptions, while Finley is 32 for 47 for 326 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Whoever is Cal's quarterback on Saturday will likely have to go toe-to-toe with one of the nation's best in Penix Jr.
Why Washington can cover
There is a good reason why Washington's QB is among the favorites for college football's most prestigious trophy at this point. Penix Jr. has thrown for 1,332 yards in three games with 12 touchdowns and only one interception. In each of the Huskies' wins, he has topped the 400-yard passing mark as neither Boise State, Tulsa nor Michigan State have been able to slow him down.
The stable of receivers Washington has at its disposal almost seems unfair. Rome Odunze has caught 22 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns while Jalen McMillan (20-311-3) and Ja'Lynn Polk (13-300-2) also have been significant contributors. The Golden Bears have been fairly stingy against the pass thus far, allowing only 185.7 yards per game, though they're in for quite the challenge this weekend. See which team to pick here.
How to make Washington vs. Cal picks
The model has simulated California vs. Washington 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Washington vs. California, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cal vs. Washington spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up nearly $2,500 on its top-rated college football spread picks since its inception, and find out.
