The college football season is flying by with Week 6 having already arrived. Kicking off at 10:30 p.m. ET, the Duke Blue Devils will face the California Golden Bears.
Both these teams should be fairly pleased with their start to the season. Duke enters with a 3-2 record while Cal is 4-1 at this stage of the year. This is just the second time these programs have ever faced off. Their first matchup occurred in 1962 and resulted in a 21-7 Duke victory.
Duke enters as a three-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook and holds -142 odds on the moneyline. The Golden Bears are +120 on the moneyline, and the game total is set at 54.5 points.
This article will give a preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 6 matchup.
Duke at California prediction, preview
Duke preview
The Blue Devils enters with a 3-2 record, having rebounded from two early losses. They defeated Elon 45-17 in the season-opener before dropping back-to-back games to Illinois and Tulane. Duke now bounced back with victories over NC State and Syracuse, with its most recent victory being its most impressive: a 38-3 win over the Orange. It out-gained Syracuse 504-314.
Darian Mensah headlines the production at the quarterback position. The Tulane transfer has completed 69.1% of his passes for 1,573 yards, 13 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Nate Sheppard leads the rushing attack with 356 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, while adding a receiving touchdown and 96 yards through the air. Anderson Castle leads the team with four rushing touchdowns, along with 235 rushing yards and 80 through the air. Cooper Barkate ranks first in the ACC with 409 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Sahmir Hagans leads the team with four touchdowns along with his 238 receiving yards, while Que’Sean Brown has 296 receiving yards
Duke is averaging 34.8 points per game and is producing 471.8 total yards of offense per game. Of that, 319.0 yards are through the air. The Blue Devils are averaging 2.6 scores through the air and 1.4 turnovers per game overall. They are allowing 26.4 points per game to opponents and 393.8 yards per game. Duke has notched 11 total sacks and eight total turnovers this season.
California preview
California enters with a 4-1 record and is 1-0 in ACC play. It’s defeated Oregon State, Texas Southern, Minnesota and Boston College, with its lone loss coming in a 34-0 blowout against San Diego State. The Golden Bears turned the ball over three times in this matchup, two of which were returned for a touchdown.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele stands in at the quarterback position for the Golden Bears. He leads the ACC with 178 pass attempts and has completed 61.8% of these for 1,248 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions while adding a rushing touchdown. Kendrick Raphael leads the team in rushing production with 347 rushing yards and two touchdowns. LJ Johnson Jr. also has two rushing touchdowns, while Brandon High Jr. has one rushing touchdown, with the two combining for 191 rushing yards. Trond Grizzell is the leading wide receiver with 344 yards through the air and one touchdown. Mason Mini leads the team with three receiving touchdowns along with his 223 yards through the air. Jacob De Jesus also adds 245 receiving yards and two receiving scores.
California is collectively averaging 24.8 points per game and 364.8 total yards of offense this season. Of these, 257 yards come through the air, and it’s turning the ball over 1.2 times per game. The team is allowing 18 points per game and 307.2 total yards of offense. The Golden Bears have seven sacks and forced seven turnovers this season.
Duke at California pick, best bet
Duke enters with some momentum on its side and has the quarterback advantage. Mensah is a difference maker for this Blue Devils squad and has at least two touchdowns in every game this season. Duke has produced 38 and 45 points over its past two games and has hit its stride as an offense. California has not scored more than 35 points yet this year, and does not carry the same level of explosion.
The Golden Bears have been inconsistent and erratic in their offensive production. Getting shut out by San Diego State was the type of performance that changed the way they should be viewed, even if the bounce-back victory last week over Boston College was reassuring.
Duke has won each of its last nine games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked opponents and covered the spread in its last five games against conference opponents. California has lost six of its last seven home games in October and failed to cover the spread in each of its last three games against conference opponents.
