2024 NCAAF Cheat Sheet: California Bears Stats & Odds
The California Bears Are Traveling Over 20,000 Miles This Season
It’s a new era for the California Bears heading into the 2024 season.
Instead of playing in the Pac-12, California moved on to the ACC. They’re not on the Atlantic Coast, but proximity
doesn’t really matter anymore when it comes to conferences.
The insane travel itinerary might not work out in California’s favor.
It’s already been computed that California will have to travel over 20,000 miles this year.
Not only will the Bears have hectic travel in the conference, but they’ve also got Auburn on the schedule. It’s a non-conference game that will also feature long travel.
It could be problematic for California to recruit in-state players and any College Football player worldwide. The travel is ridiculous, but California knew what it was getting into when it switched to the ACC.
Look at the 2024 California Golden Bears Stats and NCAAF odds for this season below.
California At A Glance
| Odds to Win | Opening Odds | Current Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Championship | +50000 | +200000 |
| Conference | +6500 | +10000 |
| Regular Season Win Total | 6.5 (o-110, u-110) | 6.5 (o-105, u-115) |
| To Make Playoffs | Yes +7500 | Yes +7500 |
Will The ACC Be Harder?
California hasn’t had a winning conference record in 14 years. It struggled immensely in the Pac-12, and it’ll likely only get more challenging in the ACC.
The Bears won’t just lack talent. But they’ll also suffer fatigue throughout the season. They’ll have to adapt to the travel and all the wear and tear that comes with it.
On the NCAAF schedule, California’s defense won’t face high-caliber quarterbacks and the Bears have capable quarterbacks trying to compete for the starting job.
They brought in Chandler Rogers from North Texas and CJ Harris from Ohio to compete with Fernando Mendoza.
The star of the offense will be Jaydn Ott. Ott rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries last season. That’s an average of more than five yards a carry.
The offense also added former Notre Dame wide receiver Tobias Merriweather. He’s one of three newcomers at wide receiver that can produce at a high level.
That said, competition will be more challenging against ACC-caliber defenses. Florida State was electric last season, as were Louisville, Clemson, and many other teams. The 2024 California Golden Bears stats won’t be impressive this season.
Championship Odds: It’s Not Happening
California struggled to win on the Pacific with way less travel. How will the Bears find consistent success traveling over 20,000 miles this season?
While Washington made it into the CFP Championship last season, the ACC is arguably better. If FSU’s Jordan Travis was healthy, FSU would’ve made the College Football Playoff and had a chance to make it into the Final.
It’s not a stretch to believe an undefeated FSU could’ve won the CFP if healthy. Clemson, along with North Carolina, NC State, and Louisville, is also traditionally very good. It’ll be another weak season for the Bears.
They might not even make a bowl game.
Don’t consider California at +200000 odds. The Bears won’t be in the college football rankings this season.
Conference Odds: Mid-Tier
Oddsmakers think California is better than Pittsburgh, Duke, Boston College, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Stanford.
However, that leaves them behind Syracuse, North Carolina, SMU, Virginia Tech, Louisville, NC State, Miami, Clemson and Florida State.
It’s unrealistic to think California walks into the ACC and starts winning at a premier rate against these high-caliber teams with established quarterbacks.
Regular Season Wins: No Bowl Game For California
The California Bears will begin the season with a home game against UC Davis. That should at least get them to 1-0. However, on the road against Auburn, it will likely be a loss.
- At 1-1, they’ll have San Diego State at home. The Bears will likely be favorites, but it won’t be an easy battle.
Even at 2-1, California would struggle on the road against Florida State and could potentially be underdogs at home against Miami.
At 2-3, the Bears would likely lose to Pittsburgh on the road and won’t have it easy against NC State, even at home.
At this point, California would be 2-5 with a fun matchup against Oregon State at home. Oregon State’s production will likely decrease this season. Therefore, we’ll give California a win against Oregon State.
However, a road matchup against Wake Forest and a home game against an improved Syracuse won’t result in wins. At this point, California is looking at three wins with two more games.
California will probably defeat Stanford at home. But even if the Bears added a win against SMU to close out the regular season, that would only be five wins.
Not only will California lose out on the Over for wins, but it’s unlikely the Bears will make a bowl game with some of the projected NCAAF scores odds.
To Make Playoffs: Not Established Yet
The Bears don’t know who the quarterback will be to begin the season. The college football odds at +7500 aren’t good. Don’t even think about backing California to make the playoffs.
Side Bets
There aren’t many other bets to place with California. Few players on the roster can win awards or help the NCAAF team get to a bowl game.
- Fernando Mendoza is +50000 to win the Heisman this year, while Jayden Ott is +20000. California figures to hand off the ball to Ott a lot this season.
Still, without a winning record, these players’ 2024 California Golden Bears stats won’t be good enough.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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