Cal Is a Big Underdog Against a Team That's Lost Three in a Row

Cal is coming off a bye to face Virginia on the road on Saturday

Cal lost to Virginia last year | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s not a good sign for Cal football when a team that is riding a three-game losing streak and lost its most recent game by 44 points is a double-digit favorite over the Bears.

That’s the case for Cal this week.

Virginia (4-5, 2-4 ACC) has lost its past three games, against SMU, Duke and Wake Forest, and the Cavaliers suffered a 51-7 defeat at the hands of Wake Forest in their last game. Yet the Cavaliers opened as 12.5-point favorites over Cal for the Saturday afternoon game in Charlottesville, Virginia, according to FanDuel and DraftKings on Sunday.

Cal and Virginia both had byes this weekend.

Virginia is nearly a two-touchdown favorite for two reasons:

---The Cavaliers are 4-1 at home, and their only loss in Charlottesville was a 19-16 loss to a hot Duke team that is 7-2.

---The other, more significant, reason Virginia is a heavy favorite is that Cal (3-6, 2-4 ACC) has struggled more than Virginia recently. The Bears have lost four of their past five games, and they have lost their past three games by a combined margin of 131-37.

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Add in the fact that The Athletic reported last week that the Cal football program seems to be in chaos and that there may be a rift between general manager Ron Rivera and head coach Tosh Lupoi and it’s understandable that Cal is a big underdog.

Cal has been the underdog in every one of its games against FBS opponents this season. Cal was favored against FCS-level Wagner, but most betting sites did not post a point spread for that game.

Cal is 1-3 in road games this season, the only win coming early in the season against Syracuse, when the Orange dominated the game statistically, but three interceptions by Kingston Lopa gave the Bears a 21-18 victory.

Cal needs to win its three remaining games to become bowl-eligible for the fourth straight year and to have a chance at a winning season.

Virginia beat Cal 31-21 last year in Berkeley when the Cavaliers finished with the best ACC record but lost to Duke in the ACC championship game.