College Football: Best Bets and Player Props for Miami at California

Conference play is beginning to take place across the college football landscape, and one of Saturday's final games will pit two ACC programs against each other. The No. 8 Miami (FL) Hurricanes will make the cross-country trip to square off versus the California Golden Bears in Week 6.

Miami enters Saturday's matchup with a perfect 5-0 record following a narrow 38-34 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 5. As for California, they suffered a 14-9 loss to the Florida State Seminoles in Week 4 before having their bye week in Week 5 to give them a 3-1 record.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's discuss the best bets for Saturday's Miami-California showdown that kicks off at 10:30 p.m. ET.

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Miami at California Betting Picks

Cam Ward Over 2.5 Passing Touchdowns (+116)

Heading into Saturday's contest, the Golden Bears boast a defense that is ranked 21st in defensive passing success rate (34.4%). That being said, Cal's four games have come against an FCS school and three teams who rank 51st or worse in offensive dropback success rate.

With Cam Ward leading the charge at quarterback, the Hurricanes are an entirely different monster compared to what the Golden Bears have faced thus far as they are fourth in offensive dropback success rate (50.8%). Ward currently ranks second in QBR (92.7) and first in expected points added (52.1) among college signal-callers this year, which has led to Miami sitting at third in expected points added per pass (0.50) on offense.

In his first five starts for Miami, Ward has tossed a total of 18 touchdowns, posting three-plus passing touchdowns in each contest. There's a reason why Ward currently has the third-shortest Heisman Trophy odds (+550).

Despite Ward facing the toughest pass defense he's seen this season -- at least on paper -- there is value in taking him to complete three-plus touchdowns for the sixth consecutive game for the Hurricanes.

Miami -10.5 (-110)

Does California have the offense to keep up with Miami on Saturday night? The last time we saw the Golden Bears take the field, they failed to score a single touchdown against a reeling Florida State squad that got their first win of the campaign.

At the moment, Cal's offense has been underwhelming with quarterback Fernando Mendoza, sitting 61st in expected points added per pass (0.06) and 115th in expected points added per rushing attempt (-0.11). Even with a running back tandem of Jaydn Ott and Jaivian Thomas, the Golden Bears could struggle against a talented Hurricanes defense that suffered a scare in Week 5 by allowing more than 17 points for the first time this season.

Miami's defense ranks 13th in defensive success rate against the pass (31.9%) and 54th in defensive success rate against the run (37.0%). While the Hurricanes are certainly worse at stopping the ground game, California may not be able to establish the run if Ward and Miami's high-flying offense jump out to an early lead.

Having the 101st-ranked early-down expected points added per play on offense (-0.06) could be detrimental for the Golden Bears as they look to avoid falling to 0-2 in conference play in their first year in the ACC. Despite having to make the flight all the way to Cali, Miami can take care of business before getting their bye week in Week 7.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.