California Golden Bears vs Fresno State Bulldogs Point Spread Picks

This game is at Candlestick Park in San Francisco and it’s a tough opener for a young Fresno State team working in a new QB. Four new offensive linemen step in, along with three unproven defensive linemen. Fresno State loses its starting QB so sophomore Derek Carr steps in. This week coach Pat Hill said of his young team, "I'm worried about how they are going to do under pressure, when they've got 70,000 in front of them at Cal, and 80,000 the next week at Nebraska?” The offensive line is the biggest question mark and the defense won’t bail out the offense, a unit that allowed 30 points per game last fall. The last game they played they got steamrolled in a bowl by Northern Illinois, 40-17. The Bulldogs are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 games overall. Meanwhile, Cal Coach Jeff Tedford returns 17 starters including 10 on offense. They go with mobile junior QB Zach Maynard who steps in after transferring from Buffalo and sat out last season. He had almost 3,000 combined passing and rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions two years ago with Buffalo. This offensive line is big and they will look to run right at Fresno, and the top two receivers return for the Bears in senior Marvin Jones and junior Keenan Allen. Cal also ranked No. 13 in the country defensively with 34 sacks and holds all the cards here. Play on Cal.