Auburn vs. Cal Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 2: Tigers Road Favorites Over Golden Bears
The Auburn Tigers are favored over the Cal Golden Bears in Week 2. However, the margin may be too wide as we make our top prediction for the Auburn vs. Cal game, based on the best college football odds.
It's challenging to anticipate what to expect in Week 2 when mediocre Power 5 teams meet inferior opponents in Week 1. In the Tigers' 59-14 victory over the UMass Minutemen, they rushed for 289 yards and scored six touchdowns. Quarterback Payton Thorne had a relatively average performance in his debut start for the Tigers, throwing for only 141 yards and one touchdown."
Meanwhile, the Golden Bears were even better on the ground, rushing for 347 yards and six touchdowns in their 58-21 win over the North Texas Mean Green. Running back Jaydn Ott ran for 178 yards and two TDs, while fellow running back Isaiah Ifanse added three touchdowns of his own.
Where do we lean with our college football predictions for Week 2?
Here is our best Auburn vs. Cal prediction and college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Auburn vs. Cal prediction: Week 2
Cal +6.5 (-110 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
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The season started shaky for the Tigers' defense. It allowed the Minutemen an eight-play, 89-yard touchdown drive, which knotted the game at 7-7 early in the first half. Auburn settled in after that and caused two turnovers, but did let the Minutemen move the ball over midfield on numerous occasions.
What's most concerning for the Tigers when making our college football best bets for Saturday is that Minutemen running back Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams rushed for 101 yards on 14 carries. The Golden Bears have a really good running back group, and if the Tigers struggle to stop the run, they may never get their offense on the field.
Even when their offense is playing, what did it do in Week 1 that makes them 6.5-point road favorites? Auburn has plenty of guys who can run the ball, but Thorne did nothing in Week 1 to prove he's any better than he was last season with the Michigan State Spartans.
Finally,
this is simply a fishy line. Are the Tigers favored only because they’re an SEC
school? If they’re so much better than the Golden Bears, why didn’t
our best sports betting apps give them the key number? It feels like bettors are being baited
into taking the Tigers. After Week 1, and based on what each of
these teams has to offer, go with the hosts.
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Auburn vs. Cal best odds
FanDuel (-110)
DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
---|---|---|---|---|
+6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 | +6.5 |
-110 | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
There's no discrepancy in this spread at any of our best sports betting sites. There hasn’t been much action on this game yet, so it’s hard to tell which way the public will go, but with this number below 7, expect wagers to back the Tigers early. Whether it moves the line or not remains to be seen.
Each of our best sportsbooks offer value, so it may pay to wait a bit and see if any of these books move the spread to 7. If they do, jump on that line immediately.
Auburn vs. Cal odds
Auburn vs. Cal odds analysis
The Tigers opened as 6.5-point favorites, and the spread hasn't changed. Most wagers back the Golden Bears, but there's been very little action on this game to this point. As kickoff gets closer, expect bettors to back the Tigers, which may move this spread to -7. We doubt it goes any further than 7.5.
The total for this game opened at 54, and while it's stayed there at a few sportsbooks, it's dropped to 53.5 at others. Over 66% of wagers back the Over, but oddsmakers don’t seem too worried about that. This line feels right, and with both of these teams relying on the run, lean to the Under as well.
Auburn vs. Cal game info
- When: Saturday, Sept. 9 at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 58 degrees, 1% chance of precipitation, 7-mph winds
Auburn vs. Cal prediction made 9/6/23 at 1:58 p.m. ET.
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