Even coming off a 63-point victory for Syracuse, while California suffered a pretty convincing home loss to UCLA late Saturday night, FanDuelhas still opened the line in favor of the Golden Bears ahead of the teams’ first conference matchup of the season. Cal is currently a 1.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 55.5.
Part of me feels like this is the right line based on what we’ve seen from these teams in the past, but another part of me thinks the Orange should be favored here, especially
with the game being played at home and considering the results from Week 1.
There are a lot of factors that have gone into my decision, but I believe ‘Cuse +1.5 (and even the -108 moneyline) is the best play you can make for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff this Saturday.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Cal is the health of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. There was a moment in the middle of the second half of the Cal-UCLA game when the quarterback appeared to come up a little gimpy, seemingly dealing with an issue involving his ankle.
He stayed in the game, but he didn’t look like the same quarterback afterward. Sagapolutele threw multiple interceptions and struggled mightily throughout the fourth quarter, raising questions about whether the apparent injury played a role in his late-game struggles.
On the other side, Syracuse looked really good in Week 1! Granted, it came against New Hampshire, but I continue to struggle to find many negatives when it comes to Steve Angeli whenever he steps on the field. He simply looks like a pro under center, and Fran Brown clearly has full confidence in him to run the entire playbook.
The Orange should also get Justus Ross-Simmons back this week, while Umari Hatcher looked like the real deal in his Week 1 performance.
If Syracuse’s offense can put up 30-plus points, I have a hard time seeing a scenario where the Orange lose this game.
Another factor that shouldn’t be overlooked is the difficulty of traveling across the country and playing on the road. Regardless of the opponent, that is a major challenge. Cal will have to deal with a long flight to Syracuse, a three-hour time-zone difference and the overall unfamiliarity that comes with playing across the country.
For a roster that is largely comprised of West Coast players, this is a completely different environment than what they are accustomed to.
At the end of the day, Fran Brown always keeps fans on their toes, and I have a feeling, just like the Clemson game last year, that he is going to go for it. It is not the biggest game of the season, but for a team coming off a 3-9 season, it really is a tone setter for the rest of the season.
Whether it’s another surprise onside kick, a flee flicker or a double-pass, I think you can expect to see some of that from Syracuse and that the fans will rally behind the team and the Dome will be rocking.
So take the line where it is at right now while you can, I think it is only going to tilt in Syracuse’s favor more and more as the week goes on.
What are you going to be taking for the game on Saturday?
