The Cal Bears have had their way with Eastern Washington and Maryland with a combined score of 111-20. The high powered Bears have also done it in the comforts of home cooking in Berkley. This week the schedule gets tougher. Despite being a two touchdown favorite at Diamond Sports don't expect the Bears to substituting by the fourth quarter in Minneapolis this weekend.
The last time the Bears traveled east was to Maryland last year and as a two touchdown favorite against the Terps they lost by double digits. This is going to be another difficult trip for the Bears with an 11am start time in the Golden Gophers new TFC on campus stadium. It might take the Bears till halftime to wake up for this game and by than the Golden Gophers strong armed quarterback could very well have thrown a few touchdowns to the end zone to All-Big Ten receiver Eric Decker. So far this year the Gophers have yet to wow anyone with a unimpressive home opener against the Air Force 20-13 and it took overtime to knock off Greg Paulus and a much improved Syracuse team in the Carrier Dome. This week the Gophers are going to have to come out and smack the Bears right in the mouth and do it early because it will only be a matter of time before the Bears awaken from their jet lagged hibernation.
What the Gophers do have going for them is a new winning attitude under head coach Tim Brewster and experience at the skill positions where they can score with the Bears. Don't expect the Bears to hang 50 on the Gophers as the crowd is expected to be very raucous and looking for a signature win under quarterback Adam Decker who has the weapons at receiver and the running game to keep up with Cal. The lofty #8 ranking is the extra motivation the Gophers have to come out swinging combined with the jet lag this game has the makings of a classic upset if not the game will be closer than the 14 point spread.
Some excellent incite on the Cal/Minn game. I'll be looking to All Around Sports for future picks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Walt, was a tight game heading into the fourth quarter but the odds makers win this one with the game landing right on the line. This is the type of game for people with money. Find a half dozen sports books and some will have the line sitting at 13.5 and others will have it at 14.5 and you win both ways. Tough to do and not really worth the headache unless its a good number like a touchdown or field goal multiples.
ReplyDeleteHope you took Florida State in the night game. the Noles have so much to play for and in big games their talent seems to rise, especially when they hold a decisive team speed advantage. Can never underestimate the experience at BYU though.