College Football Lines – Nevada To Be Tested Against Cal

Those who test themselves against the college football lines have noticed that the Wolf Pack of Nevada looks like a juggernaut right now, but this is a team that has yet to be really tested, and that test should come on Friday night against California, in a game that is slated to begin at 10 PM ET at Mackay Stadium (artificial turf) in Reno. In the college football lines, California, the 24th-ranked team in the coaches’ poll, is a three-point favorite, with the total posted at 66 points.

California Golden Bears (2-0 SU, 1-0 ATS) at Nevada Wolf Pack (2-0 SU, 1-0 ATS)
Live at Mackay Stadium, Reno
Friday, September 17 — 10 PM ET
TV: ESPN2

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College Football Lines:
California -3
Nevada +3
Total 66

There are few things that look as powerful in college football as Nevada’s "Pistol" attack. This is a unique formation in college football, where the quarterback stands a few yards behind the center, in a short shotgun, if you will, but he has a running back behind him. Signal-callers need to be nimble with their feet and their mind in this offense, and Chris Ault, the Hall of Fame coach who conceived the Pistol, has the right guy to trigger in Colin Kaepernick, who stands 6’6" and possesses both a strong arm and some very quick feet. This Chicago-area native deserves at least a token mention among the Heisman Trophy candidates in the college football lines, but he’s not there.

Kaepernick was one of three Nevada rushers to top 1000 yards last year, and that was a first in NCAA history. Vai Taua, who was the team’s leading runner last year but was ruled ineligible to play in the Hawai’i Bowl, has returned and ran for 118 yards against Colorado State last weekend. Kaepernick, who had 161 yards on the ground, had 402 yards of total offense, and the Wolf Pack rolled by CSU 51-6, accounting for its 20th cover in 24 games s a home favorite in the college football lines. In two games this season, Nevada has scored a hundred points and I wish I could give you a scouting report on senior punter Brad Langley, but he has not had to kick it yet.

Here are some of the trends as they impact our football betting prediction on this game:

• California has won 13 of its last 18 games SU
• California has covered six of its last 19 road games
• California has won four of its last six road games SU
• California has lost ten of its last 15 road games SU
• Nevada has won ten of its last 12 games SU
• Nevada has won seven of its last eight home games SU

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We’re not too crazy about Cal QB Kevin Riley, but you have to admit that he’s made some improvement. Last season Riley was not the most accurate passer, completing about 55% of his passes, but his TD-to-INT ratio of 18-8 was commendable, and he has the benefit of seven other offensive returnees around him. They saw Jahvid Best depart to the Detroit Lions in the NFL draft, but they may not have lost very much with Shane Vereen the feature back. Vereen was a California high school legend along with Best, and gained 952 yards last year when Best got injured. He hasn’t really been unleashed yet, but he is good enough to be in the Heisman Trophy discussion at +5000 in the college football lines.

I think this is a bad matchup for Nevada. Cal has a veteran offensive line that might push back the WAC entry, and California has permitted just 3.3 and 3.2 yards a carry the last two seasons. We’re not saying that they are going to stop Nevada cold, but the Wolf Pack has proven to be a much different team when they are not able to bully the competition. They may be 20-4 against the college football lines as a home favorite, but they have covered just one of their last five as a home dog, and have com up short every time they have stepped up in competition. Until they can beat someone of national importance, they are not going to be taken as seriously as they’d like. With an opponent that shows some balance on offense, we’re not sure that time is now. In our football betting prediction, we’ll lay the points with California, the two-point favorite in the college football lines.

JAY’S PLAY: CALIFORNIA -3 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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