Tennessee football: Vols, SEC, top 25 predictions for Week Four of 2019
No. 23 California Golden Bears at Ole Miss Rebels
Line: Ole Miss -2.5; Over/Under: 41; TV: ESPNU
Saturday, Sept. 21 at Noon E.T.; Vaught-Hemingway Stadium; Oxford, Miss.
They have already suffered a tough loss to a Group of Five program this year. But the Ole Miss Rebels lost to the Memphis Tigers, arguably the top Group of Five school in the nation, and it was on the road. Could they prove themselves this week against the No. 23 ranked Cal Golden Bears, who are 3-0?
This is somewhat of a chance at revenge for Matt Luke’s team, as they played Cal two years ago on the road and lost 27-16. After escaping Southeastern Louisiana last week, there is not a lot of hope for this program right now as Matt Corral continues to show the need to develop.
Cal, meanwhile, is rolling under the leadership of former Tennessee football defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. They’re doing it with a veteran defense, which is why they are winning ugly, but they still have a 20-19 victory on the road over the Washington Huskies. Despite only beating the North Texas Mean Green 23-17 last week, it may have been just the nature of a trap game.
Prediction
This is one of the hardest games to predict given how bad both teams looked last week. It’s the equivalent of a 9 a.m. start for Cal, but Wilcox is familiar with that. His first win with the Golden Bears, at the UNC Tar Heels, was at that time. As a great defensive team, Cal will cash in on the sluggish start. They will shut down Ole Miss’s passing game and win a low-scoring affair.