Notre Dame vs. Cal odds, spread, lines: Week 3 college football picks, predictions by computer model

Picks, predictions for Notre Dame vs. Cal on the Week 3 college football schedule

For the first time ever, a Notre Dame football coach has started 0-3 in his career. That's where Marcus Freeman finds himself after a shock loss to Marshall and looking ahead to a date with Cal in Saturday's Week 3 action.

ND took one on the chin as the No. 8 team in the polls last week when unranked Marshall out-played the Irish and sealed the win with a pick-6, dumping this team out of the top 25 for the first time since 2017.

What do the experts think of this matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Notre Dame vs. Cal football picks, predictions

Week 3 college football schedule: Notre Dame vs. Cal

Football Power Index is going solidly with the Irish, who have a strong 91.1 percent chance to defeat California in Saturday's game.

That gives the Golden Bears an 8.9 percent shot at upsetting the Golden Domers.

Oddsmakers still have faith in Notre Dame, but only just, as 10.5 point favorites this week, according to the opening line set by Caesars Sportsbook, which named the over/under mark at 43.5 points.

The computer named Notre Dame as the No. 18 team in the country in its latest college football rankings, a drop of 12 spots, and projects the team will win 7.1 games on the season.

AP top 25 voters dropped the Irish out of the official polls entirely this week.

Cal, 2-0 and fresh off wins over UC Davis and UNLV, checks in at No. 74 in the latest computer rankings and projected to win 5.7 games this season.

College Football Power Index

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance. 

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football top 25 rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Michigan
5. Clemson
6. Oklahoma
7. USC
8. Oklahoma State
9. Kentucky
10. Arkansas
11. Michigan State
12. BYU
13. Miami
14. Utah
15. Tennessee
16. NC State
17. Baylor
18. Florida
19. Wake Forest
20. Ole Miss
21. Texas
22. Penn State
23. Pittsburgh
24. Texas A&M
25. Oregon

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