The California Golden Bears will travel cross country to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday, October 12. Everyone in the Keystone State will be tuned in to see if Pitt can stay undefeated. However, Cal has the potential to pull off the upset.
Which team has the edge in this matchup? Check out our betting guide for all of the info you need for this ACC showdown. Enjoy the game and best of luck with all of your Week 7 college football picks.
This game opened at Pittsburgh -3.5 and most online sportsbooks have kept that number as of Tuesday morning. However, there are a couple of prominent shops that are dealing Pittsburgh -3 with odds of -115 or so.
According to the sportsbooks, bettors and fans alike should expect some fireworks from both offenses. The total is currently sitting in the 59 to 59.5 range. A high-scoring game makes a lot of sense, especially since both defenses rank outside the Top 50 in yards per pass allowed.
If you watched last week's game against Miami, you have to feel a little bit sorry for Cal. The Golden Bears blew a 25-point lead in the second half against the Hurricanes, mainly because of miscues on the defensive end. The Bears will have to shake off that heartbreaking loss if they want to pull off the road upset.
Fernando Mendoza has done a good job of leading the Cal offense so far this season. The 6'5" sophomore has thrown for 1,177 yards and 7 touchdowns. He's done a better job of pushing the ball down the field over the last two weeks, especially to wideouts like Nyziah Hunter (4 receiving touchdowns).
Cal's defense has been pretty stout against the run this season, as they're only allowing 3.4 yards per carry (28th in the country). The Golden Bears have also gotten after opposing QBs quite often, as they rank 27th in sack rate. Xavier Carlton leads the way with 4.5 sacks.
It's amazing how much better this Pitt offense looks with freshman Eli Holstein at the helm. The Alabama transfer has thrown for over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns so far this season. Holstein has thrown for over 300 yards in 4 of his 5 starts in 2024.
Konata Mumpfield has been Holstein's favorite target, as he's hauled in 26 receptions for 426 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Desmond Reid is also a threat to break off big runs, so Cal will have to make sure they wrap him up as quickly as possible.
Pitt's defense has fared quite well against the run this season, as they rank 23rd in yards per carry allowed. The Panthers' leader on that side of the ball is Kyle Louis, who has already registered 2 sacks and 2 interceptions.
This feels like a square play, but I just don't see how Cal can be in the right frame of mind after blowing such a big lead last week. Sure, Justin Wilcox will do his best to rally the troops, but that's the kind of demoralizing loss that can linger for a week or two.
Pitt has a bye week coming up, so there's no look-ahead factor to be worried about. Cal's defense has been stingy this season, but they've struggled on third downs and in the red zone. That could be a serious problem against this well-oiled Panthers offense.
Cal will be the best defense Holstein has seen so far, so that's a bit of a concern. That said, it's not enough to keep me off Pitt. Let's lay the field goal with the Panthers.