Washington State vs California Expert College Football Picks 11/9/2019

Saturday, November 9, 2019

California Memorial Stadium

Devon Modster and the California Golden Bears host the Washington State Cougars at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday, November 9, 2019. California opens this matchup as 7.5-point underdogs. The Cougars are 3-5-0 ATS and 4-4-0 when betting on the total. The Golden Bears are 1-7-0 when wagering on the over/under and 3-5-0 against the spread.

In their last outing, the Washington State Cougars faced the Oregon Ducks and were defeated 37-35. Running the show from under center for the Cougars was Anthony Gordon who went 32/50 with 406 yards passing and tossed 3 touchdowns. He threw 2 interceptions during the game. Max Borghi paced the team on the ground during the game. He tore off a long run of 16 yards and he notched 1 touchdown during the game. He scurried for 54 yards via 8 carries which had him averaging 6.8 yards per run. Brandon Arconado led the team in receiving yardage by racking up 130 yards on 9 receptions. He averaged 14.4 yards per reception during the game. The Cougars ran the football 15 times and earned a total of 40 yards giving them an average of 2.7 yards per rush. In the game, the Cougars racked up 27 1st downs and they totaled 4 penalties for 36 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In all, they totaled 65 plays for a total of 446 yards. When it comes to their defensive performance, Washington State allowed 21 catches on 30 throws totaling 222 yards, and a completion percentage of 70.0%. On the ground, the Cougars allowed 306 yards on 47 carries which gave them an average of 6.5 yards per run allowed. On the day, they conceded 528 yards but weren't able to add any takeaways.

The Cougars head into this game 4-4 for this year. For total yardage, they currently sit at 2nd in the Pac-12 and 13th in D-1 with 4,175 yards. They are one of top scoring teams in the nation with an average of 41.8 points per game, which has them at 8th in D-1. As a unit, they are averaging 85.5 rushing yards per contest which is 12th in the Pac-12. The Cougars have one of the middle tier defenses in the country, giving up 29.8 points per contest putting them 8th in the Pac-12 Conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Cougars have conceded 3,491 yards. Opponents are completing 64% of the passes they throw against them and averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. When talking about rushing yards, Washington State is giving up 193.4 yards per contest which has them at 12th in the Pac-12 Conference and 99th in college football. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 5 yards per rush which has them at 12th in the conference and 109th in the country overall. Overall, they have conceded 1,547 rushing yards through 8 games.

Related: Gambling 101 Series on How Odds are Calculated - Watch Tony George Explain

In their last contest, the California Golden Bears went up against the Utah Utes and took the defeat by a score of 35-0. Christopher Brown Jr. led the team on the ground for that game. His longest run of the day went for 8 yards but he wasn't able to run one in for a touchdown. He racked up a total of 24 yards on 10 carries which meant he was running for 2.4 yards per carry. Jordan Duncan was the leader in receiving yardage with a tally of 16 yards on 2 catches. He earned an average of 8.0 yards per catch for that game. Leading the way at QB for the Golden Bears was Spencer Brasch who went 7/19 with 47 yards through the air but wasn't able to get any balls in the endzone via the pass. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. The Golden Bears ran the ball 20 times and generated 25 yards which gave them an average of 1.3 yards per rush. In the game, they ran 42 plays which gave them a total of 85 yards. Overall, the Golden Bears racked up a total of 6 first downs and they had a total of 2 penalties for 15 yards telling us that they had a strong outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, California allowed 15 catches on 22 tries totaling 242 yards, and a completion percentage of 68.2%. In the running game, the Golden Bears allowed 231 yards on 50 runs which gave them an average of 4.6 yards per carry allowed. Overall, they conceded a total of 473 yards but didn't add to their total of forced turnovers.

Related: Get college football predictions on all of today's games

The Golden Bears head into this matchup 4-4. California needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 117.1 rushing yards per game, ranking them 116th in the nation. As a team, they have compiled a total of 937 yards rushing through 8 games, so they'll need to look to improve on these numbers if they want to compete with the better teams in the nation. The Golden Bears average 294.1 yards per contest overall putting them 125th in D-1 and 12th in the conference. The Golden Bears are conceding 20.8 points per contest ranking them 3rd in the Pac-12 Conference and 28th in college football. Their pass defense is one of the middling units in the country. They are allowing 213.1 passing yards per game. For passing yards allowed per game, the Golden Bears are ranked 2nd in the Pac-12. When it comes to points allowed, they have allowed 166 total points. In terms of yards rushing, they are conceding 160.6 yards per game ranking them 66th in Division 1 and 7th in the conference. For the 2019 season, they have conceded 1,285 yards on the ground and 12 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Cougars/Golden Bears NCAA football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Golden Bears +7.5

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here