Tag: CAL

Marshawn Lynch shows off his “chicken” at Holiday Bowl event

Seattle Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch had fun with the media in San Diego at an event for the Holiday Bowl, which he played in back in 2006.

It’s always a story when former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is behind a microphone.

Speaking to the press in San Diego at a Holiday Bowl event, Lynch joked with reporters, including NBC San Diego sports anchor Darnay Tripp, about his “chicken” – a slang term for money that Lynch made famous after Seattle’s loss to the Packers in the NFC divisional round.

Lynch showed reporters his “chicken” all while rocking a “take care of yo chicken” shirt from his clothing line, Beast Mode Apparel.

Lynch trademarked the iconic phrase just after uttering it as a message to young NFL players, urging them to save money so they can enjoy retirement.

Lynch starred in the Holiday Bowl back in 2006, rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns in Cal’s dominant 45-10 win over Texas A&M.

He was asked to recall his favorite memory from the contest, and in a rare moment of candidness with the media, Lynch shared how important it was for him to let his backup, former Seahawks running back Justin Forsett, come in and share in the glory alongside him.

Forsett rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown in the contest.

Lynch played in three games for the Seahawks in 2019, returning around Christmas-time and rushing for four touchdowns, including three in the playoffs.

It is unclear if he plans to continue his playing career, or if he will find his way back to Seattle, but for now we can enjoy his presence with the media, whenever it may occur.

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California at Stanford odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s California Golden Bears at Stanford Cardinal sports betting odds and lines, with college football picks and best bets.

The California Golden Bears (5-5, 2-5, Pac-12 North) and Stanford Cardinal (4-6, 3-5) battle in the ‘Big Game.’ Each side can either knock the other from bowl contention or seriously hamper their rival’s efforts. We analyze the California-Stanford odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

California at Stanford: Three things you need to know

1. Cal RB Christopher Brown Jr., the team’s leader on the ground, is questionable due to a head injury. He joins starting QB Chase Garbers (shoulder) on the injury report. The starter was knocked from last week’s game after aggravating his shoulder injury. If Garbers cannot go, QB Devon Modster will take back over.

2. Whomever starts for Cal will see a banged-up secondary for the Cardinal. CBs Treyjohn Butler (undisclosed) and Obi Eboh (undisclosed) are questionable, while CB Paulson Adebo (undisclosed) and S Malik Antoine (undisclosed) are out.

3. Even with a healthy secondary, Stanford’s Achilles’ heel has been its pass coverage, as the Cardinal are 119th in the nation with 281.4 passing yards allowed.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

California at Stanford: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

California 34, Stanford 23

Moneyline (ML)

CALIFORNIA (+105) is worth a look as a small road underdog. With or without Brown and/or Garbers, the Golden Bears showed their depth last week with RB DeShawn Collins stepping in for a career-high 103 rushing yards. Modster has plenty of experience running the offense, too, and he might be effective with Stanford (-129) so banged up defensively.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on California to win would return a profit of $10.50.

Against the Spread (ATS)

CALIFORNIA (+2.5, -115) is a decent play if you feel the game will be decided by less than two points. Hey, it worked for me in the NC State-Georgia Tech game Thursday night, as I cashed with the Wolfpack (+2.5) whereas I would’ve lost on the moneyline. That’s a rarity, though. If you’re feeling the Bears, the better value is the ML.

Over/Under (O/U)

OVER (39.5, -110) is the play. Sure, it’s a rivalry game, and there will be a lot of hitting early on, but I am not sure Stanford has the horses to keep Cal from moving all over the field. The defense hasn’t been great even when healthy. It won’t take much to hit the Over in this one, and it has cashed three of the past four for the Cardinal, and nine of the past 13 inside the conference. For Cal, it’s a 2-0 over run after a spate of Unders in October.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Duke-California odds: Blue Devils big favorites at MSG

Previewing Thursday’s Duke Blue Devils vs. California Golden Bears sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball matchup analysis

The top-ranked Duke Blue Devils (4-0) and California Bears (4-0) hook up in the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. We analyze the Duke-California odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Duke vs. California: Three things you need to know

1. The Blue Devils are back at Madison Square Garden for the second time already this season, as they topped Kansas 68-66 Nov. 5 to win outright as a 2.5-point underdog.

2. Duke has posted a 3-1 ATS mark, but it failed to cover last time out against Georgia State in a 74-63 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium Nov. 15.

3. Cal is also 3-1 ATS in its four outings, and it also failed to cover last time out, narrowly escaping defeat as 15-point favorites against Prairie View A&M, 54-50.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Duke vs. California: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Duke 88, California 66

Moneyline (ML)

There was no moneyline listed at the time of publishing.

Against the Spread (ATS)

DUKE (-19.5, -110) is much deeper than California (+19.5, -110) as it has four players averaging double-digit points. G Tre Jones leads the way with 17.0 PPG and 5.8 APG, while C Vernon Carey Jr. has posted 14.8 PPG, newcomer G Cassius Stanley has 13.0 PPG and 1.8 SPG and F Matthew Hurt has racked up 10.8 PPG.

Cal has G Matt Bradley going for 20.0 PPG, but then it is a steep drop-off after that, with just two others in double-digits – and just barely. Bradley has averaged 3.0 turnovers per game, too, and that’s an area Cal has had some trouble. The Bears have 59 turnovers to 46 assists, including a negative ratio for Bradley. That might fly against the Prairie Views of the world, but not against Duke.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER (136.5, –106) is the play of the night in this one, even though the under is 5-2 in Duke’s past seven neutral-site games and 5-1 in Cal’s past six neutral-site battles. The Blue Devils are rolling up 84.0 PPG in four contests, while Cal is averaging 75.5 PPG in its four games. This won should be well in excess of the total.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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USC at California odds: Trojans look to stay hot at Berkeley

Previewing Saturday’s USC Trojans at Cal Golden Bears college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The USC Trojans (6-4, 5-2 Pac-12 South) and California Golden Bears (5-4, 2-4 North) will look horns in Berkeley Saturday night at 11 p.m. ET.

We analyze the USC-California odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

USC at California: Three things you need to know

1. California opened the season 4-0 SU/2-2 ATS, and spent time in the Top 25 rankings before tumbling out. The Bears followed that start with an 0-4 SU/1-3 ATS skid before winning outright at 8.5-point dogs at home to Washington State last week.

2. Sophomore QB Chase Garbers (shoulder) was knocked out of the Arizona State game Sept. 27, which coincided with the Bears’ first loss of the season. He has been cleared and the dual-threat signal caller is expected to start.

3. The Trojans are just 16-33-2 ATS across their past 51 road tilts, but they’re 6-1 ATS in the past seven trips to Berkeley and 10-4 ATS in the past 14 meetings overall against Cal.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

USC at California: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 3:50 a.m. ET.

Prediction

USC 26, California 23

Moneyline (ML)

USC (-189) still has legit hope at appearing in the Pac-12 title game, but it cannot afford any slip-ups. Normally I am not comfortable with this kind of juice on the moneyline, but the return of QB Garbers should mean a close game, and I actually like the ML better than playing the spread.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on USC to win would return a profit of $5.30.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Oh, that hook! I dislike playing games at 3.5 or 7.5. It’s just a personal preference of mine unless I really love the game. Here, I don’t feel USC that much on the road. USC (-3.5, -110) is going to be in a dogfight with California (+3.5, -110), therefore I like the moneyline better here, especially if Garbers is a little rusty in his return.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER (47.5) is worth going ever so lightly, although my preference would be to skip altogether. Cal’s offense has been moribund for most of the season, with or without Garbers. USC has some nice skill position players that can house it every time they touch the ball, though. This won’t be a defensive slog, but won’t be a slam-dunk Over play, either.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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