Northwestern went 12-1 against the spread last season, tied for the best single-season ATS mark of the BCS era.

Fifteen starters return from that squad, led by versatile QB Kain Colter. But regression, at least against the spread, seems likely.

Cal, however, is young and banged-up. First-year head coach Sonny Dykes has named true freshman Jared Golf as starting quarterback.

Both teams will feature versions of hurry-up, wide-open offenses, so expect a high-scoring affair. Northwestern opened as high as an 8 ½-point favorite. The line was sitting at -6 earlier in the week. The total is set at 58 ½.

The Bears are 3-8 as home underdogs over the last 10 seasons.



View Northwestern vs California Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Bettors looking to back the visiting Wildcats in this one found them as 8.5-point favorites on the Sportsbook college football point spread at Sportsbook. Bookmark the college football odds pages to see where the over under number opens in this game.






Northwestern Wildcats Trends:
When playing in August are 5-1
When playing on turf are 5-5
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

California Golden Bears Trends:
When playing in August are 3-1
When playing on turf are 3-7
After being outgained are 5-5
When playing outside the conference are 5-5

A few Wildcats at Golden Bears trends to consider:
Northwestern is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Northwestern is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Northwestern's last 7 games
California is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
California is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games at home
California is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
California is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games


Next up:
Northwestern home to Syracuse, Saturday, September 7
California home to Portland State, Saturday, September 7