Oregon will face off against the Cal Golden Bears this Saturday in what should be one of the easier games on the conference slate. If last season taught us anything, it's that you can't take any games for granted and you need to bring your best to the table every week.
Just like we do every week, our team of writers got together to give you our final score predictions.
Graham Metzker
Prediction: Oregon 45 Cal 21
After the ultra-hyped matchup and victory over the formerly-undefeated UCLA, many Oregon fans may be writing off the following game against a 3-4 Cal taem. But don’t sleep on the Golden Bears.
One thing to keep in mind is the report from the beginning of 2022 indicating that Cal Head Coach Justin Wilcox was offered the Oregon job before Dan Lanning was, and he turned it down. If this is true, this game surely means more to Wilcox.
Add to that the terrific play of true freshman running back Jaydn Ott, and Cal allowing the fourth-least points per game in the Pac-12, and that the game is being played in Berkeley. This suddenly looks a bit more competitive.
Still, I see Oregon winning soundly. The past three Oregon-Cal meetings have all been under 41 combined points, and Oregon has scored at least 40 points in every game outside of their opener this season.
Expect Bo Nix and the red-hot Oregon offense to roll.
Josh Parker
Prediction: Oregon 56 Cal 35
The Ducks hve proven to many that they are here to play and dominate opponents after the big win over UCLA. Bo Nix delivered a fantastic game along with Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, Terrance Ferguson and the whole offensive line.
The defense still seems to struggle through the air, but made up for it with limiting UCLA’s high-power offense on the ground and forcing them to settle for field goals. This week the Ducks will travel to Cal and face a team that has had their better moments.
The Golden Bears are sitting at an overall record of 3-4 with a 1-3 conference record with wins against UC Davis, UNLV and Arizona. Though Cal lost to a terrible Colorado team, I still believe this is a team that can hurt the Ducks in certain areas with their offense, specifically through their passing game.
I expect the Ducks to go into California Memorial Stadium and have a game similar to how both the Stanford and Arizona games played out with them starting slow but dominating the rest of the way.
It's going to be difficult for any team to keep up with this Oregon offense unless their defense puts them in bad situations.
Cal is last in the conference in passing yards allowed with 275.1 a game, but they make up for it as they claim the third-best statistical run defense allowing 117.4 yards a game. It'll be tough for the Bears on defense though, as Oregon's pass game is just as if not more lethal than their ground game.
Eric Berniker
Prediction: Oregon 60 Cal 20
Traveling to Berkley to face Cal in week 9 the Oregon Ducks opened as 17-point favorites.
The Golden Bears have a formidable run defense, and the Ducks enter Saturday’s contest with the No. 1 rushing attack in the Pac, averaging 244.6 yards per game (36.7 more than UCLA) and 20 touchdowns, the second-most in the Pac.
The reason this once could get out of hand for the Golden Bears is that they rank last in the Pac-12 in passing defense.
The Ducks enter with the highest scoring offense in Pac-12 play, averaging 42.8 points per game, and have shown a willingness to score on explosive plays, especially off of play action when Bo Nix likes to look for his favorite target, deep-threat Troy Franklin.
On the offensive end Cal ranks last in the Pac-12 in third-down conversions at 40%. In the lone game that Oregon lost at the hands of No. 1 nationally ranked Georgia the Ducks allowed gave up first downs on 9-of-10 Bulldog third downs.
If Oregon can continue to get off the field on third down like they have since week one they put themselves in position to secure a big win.
Oregon is 5-2 against the spread and favored by 17. The Cal defense is formidable against the run, but it will take a loaded effort in the box to slow down Bucky Irving and reigning Pac-12 offensive lineman of the week Alex Forsyth.
Expect Oregon to throw downfield when Cal overcrowds the box.
Mark Wang
Prediction: Oregon 35 Cal 10
This should be a blowout. Oregon has been on an absolute roll, coming off the high of UCLA and College GameDay. I think Oregon comes out the gate rolling and won’t slow down. Cal scores a couple times but isn’t able to keep up with the juggernaut of Oregon's offense.
VIDEO: Bo Nix talks team success, facing Cal
Max Torres
Prediction: Oregon 52 Cal 22
Oregon's on a roll and they've shown they can play some good football on the road.
I don't see Cal slowing down Oregon's offense and this is a great opportunity for the defense to step up and deliver a dominant performance from start to finish. Jack Plummer doesn't strike me as anything special at quarterback.
Jaydn Ott is a dude, but he doesn't have a good offensive line to run behind. The Ducks should rip this line to shreds and make it a long day for a struggling Cal offense. I see three or more sacks and multiple forced turnovers.
The Ducks should take care of business from start to finish. Make a statement and show Cal they don't belong on the same field.
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