UCLA Bruins vs. California Golden Bears Odds and Prediction

UCLA vs. California Prediction, Odds, Line, Spread, and Picks - November 25 | 2022 NCAA Football Season

Modified Nov 25, 2022 15:23 EDT

California v USC - QB Jack Plummer looks to pass as the Cal Golden Bears took on the USC Trojans.

The (#18) UCLA Bruins (8-3) will travel to Berkeley, California, to take on the Cal Golden Bears (4-7) in an interstate rivalry game. UCLA leads the series 56-34-1 and has won the previous two matchups by 52 points. The Bruins have lost two straight, most recently falling to the USC Trojans in dramatic fashion, 48-45. Offensively, the Bruins shined, with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson going for 390 total yards and six touchdowns against three interceptions in the loss. Fellow backfield mate Zach Charbonnet ran for 95 yards on 19 attempts while grabbing four catches for 29 yards.

Unfortunately, their downfall came on defense, allowing USC to accumulate 649 yards and six touchdowns.

UCLA vs. California Betting Odds

Team	Spread	Over/Under	Moneyline
UCLA Bruins	-11.5	062	-455
Cal Golden Bears	+11.5	u62	+335

All Lines Provided by BetFred Sportsbook

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California won last week in another rivalry game over Stanford, 27-20. The Golden Bears outscored their opponents 21-3 in the fourth quarter, using a fumble recovery for a touchdown to bury Stanford. Quarterback Jack Plummer, a former starter at Purdue, finished 23-of-43 for 280 yards and a touchdown against two picks.

Tale of the Tape

UCLA is in year five of the Chip Kelly era. The former Oregon Ducks head coach is on pace for his best season with the Bruins. They have one of the best backfield duos in the country in the form of Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet. Thompson-Robinson is third in the Pac-12 in passer efficiency, while Charbonnet leads the conference in rushing yards (1,240) and rushing yards per attempt (7.3). They house the best rushing attack with a whopping 236.7 yards per game on 6.2 a pop. Overall, they are fourth in the conference in yards per game.

The Bruins are one-dimensional on defense. They are stout against the run, but can get passed on as they did last week against USC. Opposing passers complete 66.7% of their passes for 274 yards and two scores per game. In addition, they are middle-of-the-pack in terms of turnovers.

California is in the midst of yet another average season with Justin Wilcox at the helm. A win on Friday would mark the team's second straight 5-7 season. Offensively, the Golden Bears are much more capable of passing than running. Jack Plummer averages 254.6 yards per game and has tossed 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The run offense has been abysmal, averaging an embarrassing 99 yards per game on 3.6 yards per carry. However, leading rusher Jayden Ott has been decent on 157 rushing attempts, scampering for 842 yards and eight scores.

Cal's defense is one of the worst in the conference in defending the pass. They surrendered nearly 300 yards passing per game on a 65.3% completion percentage. However, they were much better against the run, allowing only four yards per attempt.

UCLA vs. California Prediction

From a matchup perspective, the California Golden Bears have the edge. Meanwhile, UCLA is fresh off a heartbreaking loss to in-town rival USC. UCLA will emerge victorious, but take the home team with nearly two touchdowns.