We are backing up or position on Cal ML by taking a key number plus the hook for a value price.

The Bears are coming off a devastating loss against No. 8 Miami in which they blew a 25-point lead. That loss could very well beat them twice as Cal now travels across the country to face a red-hot and confident Panthers team. Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein ranks eighth in the country in passing yards per game (313.4). He will face a Bears defense that allowed 437 passing yards to the Hurricanes last week. I'm on Pitt.

Countless CFB handicappers are knocking each other down in line for the chance to bet on Pitt, which is off to a surprising 5-0 start behind a high-powered offense that is averaging nearly 46 points per game. The conventional thought is that it’s a great time to the fade the Bears, who could be in for a letdown following their late-game collapse against Miami that saw a 35-10 lead evaporate into a crushing 39-38 defeat. However, we feel this is more of a trap game for a Panthers club that will be facing the best defense it has seen all season and expect a resilient effort from a California team that can erase the memory of last week’s debacle with an upset win.

Cal has to get on the plane after blowing a 25-point lead to top-10 Miami and travel all the way across the country to a Pitt team that is surging with confidence and off to a 5-0 start. Eli Holstein and the re-worked offense could have some similar success moving the ball down the field through the air, setting the table for the Panthers to improve to 6-0 on the season.

Both the spread and over/under in this game are fishy but I'm taking the bait. Cal's defense had only given up 11 points per game before the second half debacle against Miami. And it's not like the Golden Bears' offense is anything special either. Pitt has been fantastic on offense, averaging more than 500 yards per game, but I believe the natural regression will commence shortly. This total is a touchdown too high in my opinion, if not more. Pitt 27, Cal 20.

Cal is the first team to truly pay the "travel tax" with the crazy conferences alignment. Two Saturdays ago, the Golden Bears journeyed to north Florida and fell narrowly to Florida State. Now it must return east to play white-hot Pitt. Worse, the Bears must shed the disappointment of a massive blown lead at home versus Miami. Pitt is unbeaten straight-up, which makes this spot surprisingly low. The offense is ranked fourth in FBS, which is padded by blowouts over two softies, and the defense is underrated.

This already has shot up a fair amount. Definitely a tough ask for Cal to fly across country after such a deflating home loss to Miami on Saturday. Pittsburgh is way better than anyone expected at 5-0. Eli Holstein is the first Pitt quarterback to win his first five career starts since Dan Marino in 1979. The Panthers, second in the ACC in scoring, also got very good RB Rodney Harrison back in a surprise on Saturday as it was thought he was ineligible for this season. Harrison didn't do much in a win at UNC but should be more involved by the game.

Awful spot for Cal after blowing a 25-point lead at home to Miami. Now the Bears have to travel across the country to face an undefeated Pitt team. Make the Panthers -5. Think Pitt could roll here.