PAC-12: Washington State vs California 10/1/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Washington State Cougars and Cal Golden Bears clash Saturday in PAC-12 week 5 college football action at Martin Stadium. The Cal Golden Bears look to build on their 3-1 record. The Washington State Cougars also look to get off to a 4-1 start.

The Cal Golden Bears have lost 6 of their last 7 road games. Jack Plummer is completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 975 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Jeremiah Hunter and J. Michael Sturdivant have combined for 530 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns, while Mavin Anderson has 11 receptions. The Cal Golden Bears ground game is averaging 177 yards per contest, and Jaydn Ott leads the way with 463 yards and 4 touchdowns. Defensively, Cal is allowing 20.5 points and 382.3 yards per game. Jackson Sirmon leads the Cal Golden Bears with 36 tackles, Xavier Carlton has 2.5 sacks and Isaiah Young has 2 interceptions.

The Washington State Cougars have won 6 of their last 9 home games. Cameron Ward is completing 68.9 percent of his passes for 1,102 yards, 10 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Donovan Ollie and De’Zhaun Stribling have combined for 483 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, while Renard Bell has 12 receptions. The Washington State Cougars ground game is averaging 99.8 yards per contest, and Nakia Watson leads the way with 260 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Washington State is allowing 20.5 points and 387.5 yards per game. Daiyan Henley leads Washington State with 38 tackles, Brennan Jackson has 2 sacks and Chau Smith-Wade has 1 interception.

The Golden Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games and 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Cougars are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 home games and 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games overall. The under is 4-1 in Golden Bears last 5 road games. The under is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games overall. The Golden Bears are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Washington State. The road team is 12-5 ATS in their last 17 meetings.

Give these teams credit for where they are 4 games through the season, and the truth is there’s not a ton of separation between these clubs. What I’m looking at is the over in this spot. The California Golden Bears are 76th in total defense and 91st in pass defense. The Washington State Cougars are 78th in total defense and 110th in pass defense. Both quarterbacks should be able to move the ball. We could see some scoring from both teams here. I’ll take a shot with the over.