The NCAAF action continues with Week 3 on Saturday, September 24, with this Pac-12 duel in Berkeley, California, and here you can get the best Wildcats vs. Golden Bears betting pick and odds.

Arizona and California will play their fourth game of the NCAAF season when they face at California Memorial Stadium. The Golden Bears are -3 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 50.5 points. These conference foes have met once in 2021, and the Wildcats won 10-3 in Arizona.

Wildcats edged the Bison at home

The Arizona Wildcats responded to a heavy home loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs with a narrow 31-28 victory over the North Dakota State Bison. This game could go either way as we had five lead changes, but the hosts prevailed in the end and covered a +3 spread.

Arizona didn’t commit a single turnover and totaled nearly 400 yards, while the visitors collected only 13 yards more than the Wildcats. Jayden de Laura completed 20 of 28 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. He connected with Jacob Cowing for the only TD pass, while Dorian Singer led all the receivers with 88 yards on eight catches. On the ground, the Wildcats had 165 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Jerry Roberts added nine total tackles and now has 31 for the season, ten more than safety Jaxen Turner.

Golden Bears failed to score in the fourth quarter in a loss to Notre Dame

The California Golden Bears came to Notre Dame with a 2-0 record and as 13-point dogs, and although they covered the spread, they suffered a 24-17 defeat in the end. California played well in this one and had a 17-14 lead at the end of the third quarter, but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish scored ten unanswered points in the final 15 minutes to book a win.

The Golden Bears were pretty equal with Notre Dame, recording 296 yards opposite the Irish’ 297, while California had one first down more than the hosts (18-17). Jack Plummer wasn’t accurate as he completed only 16 of 37 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown, but he also added one rushing touchdown. J. Michael Sturdivant caught Plummer’s pass for a TD, while Jeremiah Hunter led all the receivers with 66 yards on five receptions. Linebacker Jackson Sirmon dominated defensively with 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Trends:

Arizona:

  • 9-24 ATS in the last 33 road games
  • 16-34-1 ATS in the last 51 games following an ATS win

California:

  • 7-3 ATS in the last ten games overall
  • 5-2 ATS in the last seven conference games
  • 5-0 ATS in the last five games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game

Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears Pick  

Arizona is a higher-scoring team than California as the Wildcats are averaging 28.7 ppg opposite California’s 23.7, but in this game, I am backing defense to prevail, and the Golden Bears have a better one. While Arizona allows 29.0 points per game, California is allowing just 17.0 ppg, which is a top 40 defense at the moment. The Wildcats are 0-6 ATS in the last six H2H meetings in California, while the home team is 9-2 ATS in the previous 11 H2H duels.

Pick: Take the Golden Bears at -3 (-110)

The Total

Arizona is scoring five points more than California on average, but I am backing the hosts to control the Wildcats, just like they did to UC Davis and UNLB, allowing 13 and 14 points, respectively. Even if the Wildcats score around 20 points here, I don’t expect to see a high-scoring affair because California is not very efficient offensively. Under is 5-2 in the last seven H2H meetings; Under is 22-8 in the Golden Bears’ previous 30 conference games, while Under is 12-5 in California’s last 17 home games.Pick: Go Under 50.5 points (-110)