California Golden Bears vs Syracuse Orange Matchup

Check out our free Syracuse Orange vs California Golden Bears pick and preview for this CFB week 12 game in Berkeley. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 12 CFB matchup.

California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley will be the site for this week 12 matchup between the Syracuse Orange and California Golden Bears. The game is set for 3:00 ET on Saturday, November 16th, with the CW handling the television broadcast. The over/under line is 55.5 points, and the Golden Bears are the -8-point favorites at home. Syracuse comes in with a 6-3 record, while California is 5-4 on the season.

Orange vs. Golden Bears Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Syracuse Orange at California Golden Bears
Where: Berkeley at California Memorial Stadium
Date: Saturday, November 16th
Betting Odds CAH -8, SYRA +251 | CAH -320 O/U 55.5

Orange Preview:

Syracuse enters Week 12 with a 6-3 record, but they have no shot at winning the Atlantic Coast, according to projections. However, they are a lock for bowl eligibility. The Orange are 2-1 on the road and 1-2 at home this season, and they rank 64th in our power rankings.

Syracuse’s ATS record stands at 2-4, with a +3.1 average scoring margin. They are 1-2 against the spread on the road and 1-2 at home. As the favorite, they’ve gone 1-2 ATS this season.

Their over/under record is 2-4, with Syracuse games averaging 60.2 points. The average over/under line is 54.4 points, and this week’s line is set at 55.5 points.

Orange Offense Breakdown

Syracuse’s offense has been centered around their passing game, leading the nation in passing attempts and completions per game. They are 5th in passing yards, averaging 353.8 yards per game. Overall, they are 34th in our offensive power rankings, scoring 31.7 points per game. They are also 10th in third-down conversions, with a 48.9% success rate.

Kyle McCord has thrown for 3,153 yards, completing 64.1% of his passes, with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His passer rating is 92. Leading the ground game, LeQuint Allen has 652 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 4 yards per carry. Jackson Meeks has 653 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 55 catches.

Orange Team Defense

Syracuse's defense has allowed an average of 28.6 points per game this season, including 37 points in their recent loss to Boston College. They gave up 386 total yards, with 321 rushing yards on 48 attempts, while allowing just 65 passing yards on 13 attempts.

Opponents have averaged 155.8 rushing yards per game against Syracuse, while quarterbacks have posted a 95.7 passer rating, completing 66.3% of their throws. Syracuse’s defense has faced the 31st fewest rushing attempts and the 53rd fewest passing yards, averaging 198.9 yards per game through the air.

Golden Bears Preview:

Syracuse’s ATS record stands at 2-4, with a +3.1 average scoring margin. They are 1-2 against the spread on the road and 1-2 at home. As the favorite, they’ve gone 1-2 ATS this season.

Their over/under record is 2-4, with Syracuse games averaging 60.2 points. The average over/under line is 54.4 points, and this week’s line is set at 55.5 points.

Golden Bears Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 12, California’s offense is averaging 28.7 points per game, ranking 48th in the nation. Our power rankings place them 75th. Their strength lies in the passing game, where they are 24th in yards, averaging 279.2 per game. They are 17th in completions and 27th in attempts, with a completion rate of 68.3%, 11th nationally. They are 38th in passer rating.

Fernando Mendoza leads the team with 2,480 passing yards and a 69% completion rate, earning a passer rating of 99. He has thrown 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. On the ground, California averages 119.4 rushing yards per game. Jaivian Thomas has 503 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and averages 6 yards per carry. Nyziah Hunter leads the receivers with 390 yards and five touchdowns.

Golden Bears Team Defense

California’s defense has been strong this season, ranking 18th nationally by allowing just 19.3 points per game. They’ve been particularly effective against the run, giving up only 103.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 16th in the country.

In their recent game against Wake Forest, Cal’s defense allowed 36 points but also forced three interceptions. They held Wake Forest to 112 rushing yards on 39 attempts, while giving up 274 passing yards.

Orange vs Golden Bears Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Across their five previous road games, Syracuse has an ATS mark of 2-3. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-3 while averaging 26 points per game.
California has a 2-3 record in their last five home games. In this stretch, they averaged 21 points per game while allowing 23. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
As the betting underdog, the Syracuse Orange have an ATS mark of just 1-2 in their last three games. Syracuse posted a straight up mark of 1-2 in these matchups.
In their last three games as the betting favorite, the California Golden Bears have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-1 in these scenarios.