Cal: 5.5 wins, +105 over/-135 under
Source: ESPN
The Golden Bears will improve as Jared Goff ages. In his sophomore year, he lead a team that finished 6th in the country in passing yards per game and 11th in points per game. He’s young and still full of potential, so there will be high expectations for him this season.
So why is Cal still expected to finish with a losing record this season? Defense. Cal gave up a whopping 39.8 points per game last season, 123rd in the nation. They gave up more than 50 points three times last year, but still managed to go 2-1 in those games. That’s the power of Goff. Still, this defense better shape up, otherwise it’ll be a pretty long season at Berkeley.
And yes, 4 of the 5 worst teams in the Pac-12 according to Vegas are in the North. The South is going to be an absolute bloodbath.