- What: UCLA vs California
- When: Friday, November 25th at California Memorial Stadium, 4:30 PM ET
- How to watch: FOX
Online college football betting in the Pac-12 will take center stage on Black Friday as the #16 UCLA Bruins visit the California Golden Bears in Berkeley at California Memorial Stadium in Week 13, the last weekend of regular season football before bowl season. The kick-off is scheduled for 4:30 PM ET. The Bruins just lost a 48-45 heartbreaker to USC, their LA rivals. That dropped them back to sixth place in the conference. They'll be looking to end a two-game cold streak Friday, also getting upset by Arizona in Week 11. Cal meanwhile, is sitting at 4-7 but just beat Stanford over the weekend, 27-20. Keep reading for the UCLA vs California betting picks.
Before we get into the betting preview, lines, and prediction for this conference clash, make sure to check out our reviews of the top online sportsbooks.
UCLA vs California Odds
 | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | -10 (-115) | -360 | Ov 61 (-110) |
| California | +10 (-105) | +290 | Un 61 (-110) |
The Bruins are a 10-point favorite here. They're just 4-3 against the spread in 2022. The Golden Bears have moneyline odds of +290 and owns an ATS record of 6-5. UCLA destroyed California in 2021, winning 42-14. While Chip Kelly's group is 4-1 in the last five meetings, they have compiled only two wins in the previous 10 on the road at Cal.
Bruins Need a Win
Although UCLA is already bowl eligible, they desperately need a victory to finish out the campaign. The loss to Arizona was a complete shocker and they did give the Trojans a serious run for their money in Week 12, but USC proved to be too much in the end. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been money this year and he showed well on Saturday, completing 23 of 38 passes for 309 yards while throwing for four touchdowns. However, Robinson was picked off three times all in crucial moments. That killed the Bruins' chances of winning this one. He's currently dealing with a hand injury but is back practicing. He'll likely play in the season finale.
Running back Zach Charbonnet also continued to thrive in the backfield, rushing for five yards per carry, taking his average to 7.2 yards on the year. The Bruins defense is allowing 421.3 yards per game and struggles to stop their opponents through the air, ranking 253rd in the nation. That is Cal's top source of offense. UCLA needs to tighten it up downfield defensively.
California Impressive Against Stanford
The Golden Bears might be under .500 and out of contention for a bowl game, but taking down Stanford is always a feather in the cap. After going scoreless in the second and third quarters, they put up 21 points in the final period, capping it off with a fumble return TD by Jackson Sirmon. Offensively, QB Jack Plummer completed 23 of 43 throws for 280 yards and a lone score but was also intercepted twice. Thankfully, that didn't come back to haunt him. RB Jaydn Ott had his way on the ground, rushing for 97 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.
As previously mentioned, California's best chance at doing damage on Friday is getting the passing game going because the secondary isn't a strong suit for the Bruins. The run game can also be a factor, but UCLA is relatively solid up front. Defensively, the Bears have a very, very difficult task at hand. Sure, Thompson-Robinson is inaccurate at times, but he can kill you with his big arm. This guy is a true playmaker. If Plummer is productive and the pass defense contains UCLA's signal-caller, Cal has an opportunity to hand their Southern California rivals a third consecutive loss.
UCLA vs California Betting Picks
Personally, I don't see UCLA losing again. They're too strong of a team to do so and possess far too many weapons offensively. It may take them some time to get going in the hostile environment in Berkeley, but I believe the Bruins will ultimately cover and head into bowl season with their heads held high.
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