Miami Hurricanes vs California Golden Bears Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 10/05/2024

Game Time: 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, October 5, 2024

Venue:  California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -10.5, California +10.5; Over/Under:  54 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -10.5, California +10.5; Over/Under:  54 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Miami-FL -10.5, California +10.5; Over/Under:  54 points

Miami Hurricanes:  5-0 (1-0) (1st place, ACC)

California Golden Bears:  3-1 (0-1) (13th place, ACC)

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Miami Hurricanes:  won their last game at home against the Virginia Tech Hokies 38-34.

California Golden Bears:  lost their last game on the road against the Florida State Seminoles 14-9.

Miami-Florida is entering this game with a 5-0 record overall and they have a 1-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 2-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Virginia Tech 38-34. Cameron Ward was the starting QB and he completed 24/38 passes for 343 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. Damien Martinez led the team in rushing yards with 60. Elijah Arroyo led the receivers with 88 receiving yards on 2 receptions and 1 TD. Ja'Dais Richard led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Raul Aguirre Jr. led the defense in sacks with 1. Mishael Powell came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

California is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They lost their last game against Florida State 14-9. Fernando Mendoza was the starting QB and he completed 22/36 passes for 303 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Jaydn Ott led the team in rushing yards with 73. Mason Starling led the receivers with 68 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Cade Uluave led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 6 assisted tackles while Xavier Carlton and Nate Burrell each led the defense in sacks with 1. Miles Williams came away with the only interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have Miami listed as a 10.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Miami has looked really good in their games this season with their 5-0 record overall and their 1-0 conference record. They were rolling in their first 4 games of the season, beating up on some really bad opponents, but now they are coming off their first big scare of the season. They are coming off a home win against VA Tech in their last one, but they only won that game by 4 points and could have easily lost with some controversy on the final play of the game. They escaped that game with a win to stay undefeated and now they won't be overlooking their opponent in this game after that scare. Meanwhile, California has looked good in their games this season with their 3-1 record overall, but they are 0-1 in their conference games after folding in their first real test of the season. They have been getting by against some weaker teams but now they are coming off a loss in their last one, and that was their first conference game as a team from the ACC. They lost a bad 14-9 game on the road to Florida State, Florida State who has had a disastrous start to the season after going undefeated last year. Cal doesn't have the offense to put up points like Miami can and Cal struggled against Florida State's defense in their last one, Miami having a much better defense than Florida State. Miami will be looking to get the bad taste out of their mouth from that last win and prove they are still the best team in the ACC this season. The best way to place a bet here is on Miami to cover the spread in this game. 

Miami California Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 5, 2024 (10:30 pm ET start time) is Miami-FL 41 California 13.

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Miami Hurricanes: 8-4 1H ATS in road lined games. 5-1 1H ATS after a game with a turnover margin of -2 or worse. 6-3 OVER when the total is between 49.5 and 56. 6-3 OVER after scoring 37 points or more last game. 9-4 OVER when playing against a team with a winning record. 

California Golden Bears: 2-6 ATS when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%). 2-7 ATS versus good rushing defenses - allowing 120 rushing yards/game or less. 1-4 ATS vs. good defensive teams who give up 17 or less points/game. 8-3 OVER off a loss against a conference rival. 9-4 OVER after 1 or more consecutive straight up losses. 7-1 OVER when playing against a top-level team (Win Pct. > 75%).

Miami Hurricanes:  R. Mack (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Rivers (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Brown (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Rodriguez (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Bain (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. I. Taylor (DB) Questionable - Arm. I. Thomas (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Porter (DB) Questionable - Undisclosed.

California Golden Bears:  T. Merriweather (WR) Out - Undisclosed. J. Ott (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Grayes (WR) Out - Undisclosed. S. Vatikani (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. W. McDonald (OL) Questionable - Undisclosed. J. Williams-Thomas (RB) Questionable - Knee.

“I saw an incomplete pass. That's all I can say.” - Mario Cristobal after his team’s win against VA Tech in their last game. 

“We had plenty of opportunities. We did not capitalize on it. They did. We have to find ways to score points. Nine’s not enough. I don’t care who you’re playing.” - Justin Wilcox after his team’s loss against FSU in their last game. 

WR Brown, Samuel 

WR George, Jacolby

WR Restrepo, Xavier 

TE Arroyo, Elijah

QB Ward, Cam 

RB Martinez, Damien

WR Brady, Jonathan 

WR Anderson, Mavin 

WR Grizzell, Trond

TE Endries, Jack 

QB Mendoza, Fernando

RB Ott, Jaydn 

Passing: C. Ward (1782)

Rushing: D. Martinez (250)

Receiving: X. Restrepo (422)

Touchdowns: X. Restrepo (5)

Passing: F. Mendoza (892)

Rushing: J. Thomas (267)

Receiving: N. Hunter (182)

Touchdowns: N. Hunter (4)

Coaches:

Miami Hurricanes: Mario Cristobal (3rd season)

California Golden Bears: Justin Wilcox (8th season)