Odds, picks, prediction for Saturday’s nightcap

There is wall-to-wall action for college football bettors on Saturday, but one of the sneakiest games will bring us home.

Minnesota (2-0) travels to Cal (2-0) for a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff that packs Pac-12 After Dark vibes, even though the Golden Bears are now a part of the ACC.

The Golden Gophers are a 2.5-point favorite on the road, and oddsmakers clearly believe that points will be at a premium with a 41.5-point total.

Minnesota vs. Cal odds, prediction

Not much was expected out of Cal in 2025, but that sentiment is shifting thanks to the play of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

The freshman, who originally signed with Oregon, has been outstanding through his first two starts, most notably against Oregon State, whom he torched for 234 yards and three touchdowns.

Sagapolutele followed that up by completing 27 of 38 attempts for 267 yards and scoring a touchdown on the ground against Texas Southern, pushing Cal to 2-0 ahead of a visit from the Golden Gophers.

While Cal has been propelled by its quarterback, the defense has done the heavy lifting for Minnesota.

Betting on College Football?

Minnesota’s defensive statistics grade out as elite through two games, though the quality of competition hasn’t been daunting.

The Gophers were a trendy fade in Week 1 against Buffalo, but they held the Bulls to 10 points before shutting out Northwestern State.

Whether you think that Minnesota’s defensive metrics are being propped up by a soft schedule or not, you can only beat the team in front of you, and holding two opponents to a combined 10 points is noteworthy.

The betting market for this game will be quite interesting to monitor, as all late-night games are, but it becomes especially fun because we could see plenty of folks who are keen on backing Sagapolutele in what will be his biggest game.

That could keep this number in check for a bet on Minnesota, while also inflating the total. Something to keep an eye on.

As it stands now, Minnesota looks like a bet at anything under 3, as the Gophers’ defense should be able to key in on the freshman and force him to beat them on his own.

If he does, we tip our cap and move on to Week 4.

The Play: Minnesota -2.5 (FanDuel)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.