Cal Rated Most 'Undervalued' Football Team in Pac-12

CBSSports.com says the Bears may be the best bet based on the odds

While most of us are wondering whether there will be a college football season, gamblers are wondering which teams provide the best opportunity to make money.  In that regard, CBSSports.com suggests that Cal is the most "undervalued" team in the Pac-12 this season.

Undervalued refers to a team that is underrated or is a dark horse or has surprise potential. In other words, the article cites teams that seem likely to exceed expectations in terms of odds applied by bookmakers.

Of course, it depends on which bookmakers' odds you are considering.

CBSSports.com uses the William Hill Sportsbook, which lists Cal's chances of winning the Pac-12 title this year at +1800. That means the Bears are an 18-to-1 longshot to win the conference title.

At one time or another since the end of last season, Vegas Insider put Cal at 28-to-1, BetOnline pegged the Golden Bear at 28-to-1, and Fox Bet listed Cal at +2800.

If you are confused about the different types of numbers used in the oddsmaking, you can click here for an OddsShark calculator that can tell you the +1800 would be the same as 18-to-1.

Basically the +1800 tells you how much money you would make on a $100 bet. So a $100 bet on Cal to win the Pac-12 title at +1800 would net you $1,800 (a payoff of $1,900, including a return of your $100 bet) if Cal does indeed win the conference title. A $10 such bet who net you $180 if it pays off.

At this point, none of the sites mentioned thinks much of the Golden Bears' chances to win the conference title, based on their long odds on Cal. The odds CBSSports.com is using make Cal less of a long shot than the other sites, but CBSSports.com still rates Cal as the most undervalued team in the Pac-12.

As the site notes in its explanation, Cal's odds may go down as the season approaches and the serious gamblers get involved.

Among the other four power five conferences, CBSSports.com lists Pitt as the most undervalued team in the ACC, Tennessee in the SEC, Purdue in the Big Ten and Baylor in the Big 12.

Here is what CBSSports.com said about Cal, in explaining what it is undervalued:

Why it's undervalued: Of all the teams listed in this piece, Cal has the best case as an actual dark horse in its conference title race. To that point, it's fair to wonder if the Bears will be a touch overvalued as we get closer to the season. But Oregon and Washington suck up so much oxygen in the title race that Cal is still a bit of an afterthought. This is still a team that won eight games a year ago while missing starting quarterback Chase Garbers for almost half of them. Coach Justin Wilcox has raised the floor of this team in each of his three years, and has done arguably the best program-building job out west.

Reason for optimism: Experience. Cal brings back a lot, with the Bears projected to return 18 starters back from last year's team. While there were some growing pains along the way, Cal took a nosedive in the middle of the season when 1) Garbers got hurt and 2) when it played the toughest stretch of the season. When Garbers came back and the schedule eased up, the Bears won four of their last five games. The defense played well, overall, despite being put in a tough spot and this front seven may be the conference's next-best group outside of Oregon.

Question mark: You could talk about losing linebacker Evan Weaver, the nation's leading tackler a year ago by a country mile who was the heart and soul of the Bears' defense. That's a big void, without a doubt, but the Bears also lose starting safeties Ashtyn Davis and Jaylinn Hawkins. Not only did they lead the team in interceptions but were well-balanced defenders and big-time tacklers. While Cal doesn't lose many pieces, the quality of those pieces cannot be overstated.

Schedule: Cal is going to get its shots, that's for sure. Oregon and Washington are at home, as is a big nonconference game against TCU. However, the cross-division schedule doesn't give many freebies with a game against Utah and road trips to USC and Arizona State. That's easily every team in the top half of the conference. 

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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