Minnesota At Cal 2025 - Media Predictions

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Week 3 predictions are starting to roll out.

The Daily Gopher (SB Nation) has Cal winning, 21-17
Under head coach Justin Wilcox, the Golden Bears are 6-3 against Power 4 non-conference opponents, and two of their three losses were on the road. Minnesota’s last trip to the West Coast came against UCLA a year ago and saw the Gophers look sluggish in the first half, having to rally from a 10-0 halftime deficit.
This will be a measuring stick game for both teams. It seems like a coin-flip game to me. With that in mind, I’m inclined to give the edge to the home team.

Gophers on SI has Minnesota winning 24-20
Minnesota immediately faces a huge scheduling disadvantage traveling across the country for a 9:30 p.m. CT start. Cal has gotten off to an impressive start, and it looks like a team that will be competing for another bowl game in 2025, so the Gophers certainly have their hands full.

The Golden Bears completely changed their program in the last 12 months. With a true freshman QB, first-year offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, new defensive coordinators, and GM Ron Rivera, Minnesota's stability could be an advantage.

The Gophers had a similar situation last season at UCLA in a late-night game in L.A., which could help them prepare for this one. I fully expect a close game, but Minnesota makes a late play to steal one on the road.

Picks and Parlays has Minnesota winning 31-23
The oddsmakers early line have California as a small home underdog with the over/under sitting at 50.5. The Minnesota Golden Gophers have outscored their opponents 89-10 through their first two games. Minnesota Golden Gophers win and cover ATS.

Sports Book Wire is predicting a 23-18 Cal win
The Golden Bears are underdogs, but by less than a field goal.

Sports Betting Dime has Minnesota winning 25-18
Golden Gophers COVER the -2.5 spread and the total is UNDER 44.5
 

Those initial media predictions basically confirm that most are going to see this one as a tossup.
 


Bettors World is going with the Gophers, 20-14
Despite the travel concerns, Minnesota’s defensive superiority should prove decisive. The Gophers’ ability to force turnovers and create short fields will be crucial against a Cal team breaking in new offensive pieces.

While the scheduling disadvantage is real, Minnesota’s experience and talent edge should prevail in a close contest.Expect a lower-scoring affair with the Gophers’ defense controlling tempo and limiting the Golden Bears’ ability to move the ball consistently.

Minnesota’s defensive dominance and overall program stability should overcome the travel challenges. Look for the Gophers to start slowly but pull away in the second half as their superior depth and preparation show.

Cappers Picks has Minnesota winning 34-27
Given their strong defense, the Golden Gophers have an edge. Meanwhile, the Golden Bears might struggle to score against Minnesota’s top-ranked defense.
 




College Football News has Minnesota winning a close one, 23-20
Can Cal start to get things moving on third downs?

It had two warm-up games to figure out how to easily move the chains, and it wasn't bad against Texas Southern after struggling way too much against Oregon State.

Minnesota's defense will take over on third downs, the offense will control the clock, and it'll be on to a two-week break before dealing with Rutgers.

Pick Dawgz predicts a Minnesota victory
Minnesota struggled to create separation against Buffalo in their first game of the season, but they overpowered a bad Northwestern State team in game two. The Golden Gophers will now travel across the country and we will learn a lot about them in this one. Cal has also beaten up on two bad teams, but I am worried about how they will handle Minnesota’s physicality.

The Gophers should control the line of scrimmage and I think Darius Taylor will have a huge day on the ground. I am a little worried about the Minnesota passing attack, but I will back the Gophers to get the win here.

Picks Wise is taking Cal in the game
One of the more under the radar matchups on the Week 2 college football slate comes in Berkeley, where the California Golden Bears will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a showdown between a couple of undefeated teams looking to make a move in their respective conferences this season.

Minnesota was a team that I was looking to fade heading into the season, and while the Gophers did look a bit better than I expected in their season opener, we still got to the window with the Bulls in that spot and I expect PJ Fleck’s group to struggle with this west coast road trip to close out the nonconference portion of their schedule.

Given the fact that Minnesota is still breaking in 5 new players on the offensive line and starting a redshirt freshman quarterback, I have a hard time believing that the Gophers will do anything but keep things simple in his first road start at the collegiate level. With that in mind, the Bears defense (39th in success rate allowed, 28th in EPA per play) should be able to key in on star running back Darius Taylor and at least somewhat limit the explosiveness of the Gophers ground game.

On the other side of the ball, the Gophers defense has looked great to this point, but it’s important to remember that this team still hasn’t played a quarterback with a pulse yet. In steps true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, who has looked outstanding in his first couple of games at the collegiate level.
 

So that picks wise take is quite one sided. The Gophers Redshirt freshman quarterback is one of the reasons the Gophers will lose, but Cal's true freshman QB is called out for looking outstanding in his first couple of games at the collegiate level.

It also calls out some Cal defensive ranks as reasons why they will stop Darius Taylor (who very likely won't be playing) but no mention of Minnesota's defense which is currently actually ranked at or near the top in all college defensive rankings, and has had an overall top 15 defense in most recent seasons.
 

Schnauzer said:
So that picks wise take is quite one sided. The Gophers Redshirt freshman quarterback is one of the reasons the Gophers will lose, but Cal's true freshman QB is called out for looking outstanding in his first couple of games at the collegiate level.

It also calls out some Cal defensive ranks as reasons why they will stop Darius Taylor (who very likely won't be playing) but no mention of Minnesota's defense which is currently actually ranked at or near the top in all college defensive rankings, and has had an overall top 15 defense in most recent seasons.
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Correct. Don't start slow like UCLA and will this game by double digits.
 



The Athletic:

Upset alert​

Minnesota (-1.5) at Cal​

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been a fun watch for Cal, throwing for more than 500 yards combined in wins for a revamped Bears offense. This game, though, comes down to Cal’s run defense against Gophers backs Darius Taylor and Grant Washington. Taylor (100-plus yards, one TD) will get his, but the Bears get a late stop, setting the stage for their true freshman quarterback to be the hero.
 

gopher71runner said:
The Athletic:

Upset alert​

Minnesota (-1.5) at Cal​

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been a fun watch for Cal, throwing for more than 500 yards combined in wins for a revamped Bears offense. This game, though, comes down to Cal’s run defense against Gophers backs Darius Taylor and Grant Washington. Taylor (100-plus yards, one TD) will get his, but the Bears get a late stop, setting the stage for their true freshman quarterback to be the hero.
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Really testing the limits of what constitutes an upset there.
 

gopher71runner said:
The Athletic:

Upset alert​

Minnesota (-1.5) at Cal​

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been a fun watch for Cal, throwing for more than 500 yards combined in wins for a revamped Bears offense. This game, though, comes down to Cal’s run defense against Gophers backs Darius Taylor and Grant Washington. Taylor (100-plus yards, one TD) will get his, but the Bears get a late stop, setting the stage for their true freshman quarterback to be the hero.
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tell me you did ZERO research before making your prediction without telling me you did zero research.

Even vague knowledge of MN Gopher football would result in knowing neither of the two players mentioned for the Gophers will even play in this game.

Confirms my suspicion that the Athletic for some reason always is down on the Gophers and it never seems to be attached to any actual knowledge of the program.
 




Gophers on SI staff have their predictions:
Tony Liebert takes Minnesota, 24-20
The Golden Bears completely changed their program in the last 12 months. They have a true freshman QB, first-year offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, new defensive coordinators, and a new GM in Ron Rivera. Minnesota's stability could be an advantage.

The Gophers had a similar situation last season at UCLA in a late-night game in L.A., which could help them prepare for this one. I fully expect a close game, but Minnesota makes a late play to steal one on the road.

Joe Nelson predicts a 34-20 Minnesota win
How good is Cal? Hype is cool, but they haven't faced a team nearly as good as Minnesota. They beat a terrible team in Oregon State, who lost to a very average Fresno State, who got smoked by Kansas, who blew a 21-6 first-quarter lead and lost 42-31 to Missouri.

This feels like a spot for Drake Lindsey to really show off his arm, and I can see him going big with more than 300 yards and two or three touchdowns. Look for Javon Tracy to have a big game as Lindsey's top target.

Will Ragatz goes with Minnesota, 30-23
It’s hard to know what to expect from this game, given that both teams have started 2-0 against a soft schedule. Cal is at home and will be a big step up in competition for the Gophers, but it’s a test I think P.J. Fleck’s team will ultimately pass. Drake Lindsey is built for these moments. Meanwhile, the Gophers have the defensive line and secondary talent to make life difficult on QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.

Jonathan Harrison sees a 21-17 Minnesota win
Minnesota is back to facing real competition after last week's blowout win over FCS Northwestern State. This feels like it will be a good insight into who both of these teams will be this season after essentially two warm-up games for both squads to open the season.

Drake Lindsey is likely to face some pressure from a pass rush that can get after the QB. How does that impact the Gophers' young quarterback? Is the Gophers' defense really as good as the numbers have stated over the first two weeks, or did they just take advantage of bad offenses?

There are a lot of questions that will have answers coming out of this one late Saturday. I'm going with Minnesota narrowly grabbing victory over Cal.

Pro Football Network has Minnesota winning, 24-20
Both teams can relate to each other — their young quarterbacks have started strong, and their defenses are tough as nails. This game should come down to which young signal-caller can handle the pressure of facing the other team’s defense.

Sagapolutele and Drake Lindsey have fanbases that believe their offenses can be electric, and they’ve displayed exciting traits thus far. Lindsey has faced a tough defense in Buffalo, where Sagapolutele has not. For that reason, I give the Gophers a slight edge.
 



Sports Book Wire is predicting a 23-18 Cal win
The Golden Bears are underdogs, but by less than a field goal.

Yes, the are underdogs, but they are also home underdogs. I don't know how much home-field factors into spreads anymore (three points used to be the rule of thumb). Giving California three points means the book sees the Gophers as being between four and five points better depending on where you bet.

No question this will be a test for the Gophers. It should give us a pretty good idea of our strengths and weaknesses.
 

GopherW said:
Our 5th string running back is getting a lot of love this week.
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Yeah, any breakdown that includes Washington tells you all they are looking at is box scores and they haven't actually watched the team play. If they did they would know Washington is behind a bunch of guys.
 

The Pioneer Press predicts a close Minnesota victory, 19-17
Minnesota offense vs. Cal defense: The U’s most versatile offensive weapon, RB Darius Taylor, is questionable after appearing to pull his right hamstring last weekend. If he can’t play, Minnesota will likely turn to a trio of tailbacks: A.J. Turner, Cam Davis and Fame Ijeboi. Cal has been strong against the run so far this year, ranking 14th in the nation with only 58 yards allowed per game. EDGE: California

Minnesota defense vs. Cal offense: Sagapolutele has been a revelation after last year’s starter, Fernando Mendoza, transferred to Indiana. In the Oregon State win, he posted the highest PFF passing grade (95.5) for a true freshman in an FBS game since 2014. The 6-foot-3 lefty has completed 68% of his passes this season for 493 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. After zero takeaways against Buffalo, Minnesota had four against Northwestern State — two returned for touchdowns. EDGE: Minnesota

Special teams: Both teams are each 4 for 4 on field goals and average 42 yards on punts. … Koi Perich has yet to make a splash play in either return game. EDGE: California

Prediction: One anonymous ACC assistant coach told Athlon Sports that Cal was in “serious trouble” after last season’s exodus, but they have rebounded and will give a grave scare to the Gophers. Yet Minnesota will be fundamental enough to eek out a win.

Gopher Illustrated (247 Sports) picks Minnesota in a 23-20 win
Fleck's team was 3-4 in one-possession games last season, while Wilcox's Cal team was 2-5.
Which freshman quarterback will make the plays in the second half? I'm going to go out on a limb here and trust the Minnesota quarterback.

A late drive from Minnesota's offense sees Lindsey find Drew Biber in the end zone with 90 seconds left to surge in front, while Kerry Brown gets his first interception of the year to put it away late in the Bay Area.

CBS Sports predicts a Minnesota victory
I think the Golden Gophers are a good football team with a legitimately great defense. Cal got a ton of hype off that win over Oregon State, but after watching the Beavers last week against Fresno State, I think a decent portion of that success is because of the opponent they faced.

I do like the talent of QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, but this game is going to be a freshman facing a really good defense for the first time and I think it'll be a learning experience for the young man. I don't expect Minnesota to just run away with it, because I don't think their offense is quite explosive enough to do that (without a lot of help from turnovers), but I do think they win this game on the road thanks to their defense

Tonys Picks goes with Minnesota, 24-20
This sets up as a classic style clash. Minnesota wants to pound the run and mix in efficient shots with Lindsey. California leans more on Sagapolutele’s passing rhythm with Raphael keeping defenses honest. The Gophers’ defensive track record and ATS success point toward discipline being the deciding factor, but Cal has been stingy in September and is finally healthy.

Winners and Whiners side with Minnesota in the game
Frankly, this game could easily go either way. I’m going with the Golden Gophers because I think that their defense is slightly better than the Golden Bears’. Also, Minnesota has a top-notch running back in Darius Taylor, who’s rushed for 161 yards over the last two weeks. Last season, Taylor had 1,336 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns.

Minnesota looked great and has shown zero signs of struggling and has completely shut down the opposing offense. They are the more physical team in this game. Go with the Minnesota Golden Gophers to secure the victory to improve to 3-0.

Writers at Athlon Sports are split
Steven Hassan has Minnesota winning 23-20
This late-night ACC-Big Ten non-conference showdown has a ton of intrigue between two promising young quarterbacks in Minnesota’s Drake Lindsey and California’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. The injury report is worth monitoring here, as the Golden Gophers could be without running back Darius Taylor after he left last week’s win with a leg injury.

The Golden Bears are giving up only 58 rushing yards a contest but stopping Taylor (if healthy) is a huge challenge.

Kyle Wood goes with Cal, 20-17
The Golden Gophers are the only team in America that allows fewer than 100 yards per game. As good as that unit is, that’s an unsustainable degree of dominance that’s sure to slow down, particularly on the road against a fellow power conference team.

Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has been a revelation, and his defense hasn’t given up much ground either. If Cal can contain Minnesota’s run-heavy offense, an upset may be in order.

Sports Grind sides with Minnesota
This is the only Big Ten game with a spread of less than two touchdowns in Week 3. Woof. Cal true freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was a top 100 recruit who originally enrolled early at Oregon before jumping into the transfer portal in January.

With 493 yards and three touchdowns (1 INT) on 68.7 percent passing, he’s looked every bit the part of a high four-star recruit. The Minnesota defense is a big step up from the defenses he’s faced, so I’m on the Golden Gophers even though I don’t love backing traditional Big Ten teams on the West Coast.

Big Jeffs Football sees Minnesota getting the win, 24-17
California’s start has to provide the team a lot of confidence and they are at home. A key question for this game is which quarterback might play more like a freshman since despite the strong starts for both QBs it’s unlikely they won’t have times of inconsistent play.

Overall Minnesota has been more impressive than Cal I think, and I love the balance Lindsey has provided the Gophers so far on offense. This is a good battle between two experienced coaches but I like the Gophers overall talent more and take them to win.
 

This is a big measuring stick for the Gophers for this point in the season. Cal looks to have a good team this year, so a win could really be a jumping off point for the Gophers heading into the conference schedule.
 

mcrow47 said:
This is a big measuring stick for the Gophers for this point in the season. Cal looks to have a good team this year, so a win could really be a jumping off point for the Gophers heading into the conference schedule.
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Cal is in the same boat we are.....young QB who looks good but hasn't truly been tested yet. The team that comes away with the W tomorrow night will be feeling very good about their prospects for the rest of the season most likely.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Cal is in the same boat we are.....young QB who looks good but hasn't truly been tested yet. The team that comes away with the W tomorrow night will be feeling very good about their prospects for the rest of the season most likely.
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Exactly my thought.(y)
 

btowngopher said:
I don’t think Cal scores more than 20. I just don’t know if we’ll score 10 or 35.
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My thoughts as well. Two great defenses + two uncertain offenses with freshmen QBs could result in a 12-10 type of game. I’d hammer the under.
 

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