Cal Football: Bears Look Like a Good Value Bet in Pac-12 Wagering

We are not encouraging anybody to waste their money on sports bets, but . . .

Cal’s football team looks like a pretty good bet for 2020 if you are basing your wagering on the William Hill Sportsbook, as noted by CBSSports.com.

Only four Pac-12 teams have longer odds of winning the Pac-12 title in 2020 than Cal, according to these betting odds. That seems a bit off considering Cal has high hopes for the 2020 season following its 8-5 finish in 2019.

But CBSSports.com notes a significant factor:

The Pac-12 is the most wide open conference in the country entering the 2020 football season, according to William Hill Sportsbook. Four teams -- two from each division -- are at +500 or better to win the conference, and there is no clear favorite like there is in three of the other four power conferences.

Here are the odds from William Hill Sportsbook, based on the CBSSports.com report:

Oregon   +220

USC  +250

Washington  +350

Utah  +500

Arizona State   +1000

Washington State   +1500

UCLA  +1800

Cal  +1800

Arizona  +2500

Stanford  +3000

Oregon State  +7500

Colorado  +15000

An explanation for betting neophytes like myself: The higher the plus number, the more you get back from a winning bet. For example, a $100 bet on Oregon at +220 would net you $220 if the Ducks win the conference title. The payoff would be $320--$100 back from your bet plus $220 in profit.

For Cal, at +1800, a $100 bet on the Bears would give you a net profit of $1,800 (a payoff of $1,900, or $100 plus $1,800) if Cal wins the Pac-12 championship.

The vital wagering information comes when CBSSports.com selects the best value bet in the conference:

Value pick -- California (+1800): Cal has been on a steady rise under coach Justin Wilcox, who is entering his fourth season with enough talent to break through in a cluttered league. The Bears are projected to bring 18 starters back from an 8-5 team, including quarterback Chase Garbers, who tossed 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions last season. The 2019 season only went south when the team lost four out of five games while Garbers was out with an injury. A young defense hit its stride at the end of last season, and once Garbers came back, this looked like one of the best teams in the league as it won four of its final five games. The Bears are clearly a better value than an equally priced UCLA team that has shown little to inspire confidence -- both on the field and on the recruiting trail -- under third-year coach Chip Kelly.

You would also think Cal has a better shot of winning the Pac-12 than Washington State, which has a new head coach and a new quarterback but has odds of +1500.

But that’s just me.

There is always the possibility that the college football schedule will be modified because of the coronavirus pandemic, and that might throw all the odds into a tizzy.

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

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