It says plenty about Cal’s season that a Virginia team on a three-game skid, coming off a 51-7 loss, still opened as a 12.5-point favorite.
That line, posted Sunday by FanDuel and DraftKings, sets the tone for Saturday afternoon’s matchup in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia is 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, but the Cavaliers have been given the edge for two main reasons: they’ve been strong at home, and Cal has been sliding hard.
Virginia is 4-1 in Charlottesville, with its lone home loss coming in a 19-16 defeat to Duke, a team that is 7-2. The Cavaliers have also dropped their last three games, falling to SMU, Duke and Wake Forest, and the Wake Forest result was especially brutal.
Cal’s recent stretch is even rougher. The Bears are 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the ACC, and they’ve lost four of their last five games. Over their past three losses, they’ve been outscored 131-37.
That backdrop only adds to the sense that Cal is walking into a difficult spot. The Athletic reported last week that the program appears to be in chaos, with a possible rift between general manager Ron Rivera and head coach Tosh Lupoi.
The Bears have been underdogs in every game they’ve played against FBS opponents this season. They were favored against FCS-level Wagner, though most betting sites did not post a spread for that game.
Road games have been a problem too. Cal is 1-3 away from home, with its only road win coming early in the season at Syracuse. In that game, the Orange controlled the numbers, but three interceptions by Kingston Lopa helped the Bears escape with a 21-18 win.
The stakes are simple for Cal now: win the final three games to become bowl-eligible for the fourth straight year and keep any shot at a winning season alive.
Virginia beat Cal 31-21 last season in Berkeley, when the Cavaliers finished with the best ACC record before losing to Duke in the conference championship game.
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For a team still sorting out its early-season rotation, that kind of balance matters as much as any one scoring burst. The Bears have found production from across the lineup, and Jevtovics efficiency has become a steady edge inside as Cal keeps building momentum through the opening week. [Read more 🡒]