The North Carolina State Wolfpack (3-4) go into Berkeley, California, to square off against the Cal Golden Bears (3-3) in a Week 8 matchup at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
The Wolfpack enter this one after dropping their last two games. Meanwhile, Cal was a little bit of a surprise after starting 3-0, but it's dropped all three ACC games it's played since by one score.
The Golden Bears are favored by 10.5 points on the spread and -385 on the moneyline. The total is also set for 46.5 points.
Which of these teams has the edge to get back on track and win its first ACC game of the season — or, in Cal's case, ever? Here's my NC State vs. Cal predictions and my college football picks for Saturday.
NC State vs Cal Prediction
- NC State vs Cal Pick: Cal -10.5
My NC State vs Cal best bet is on the Golden Bears spread, with the best line currently available at FanDuel, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
NC State vs Cal Odds
| NC State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -115 | 46.5 -110o / -110u | +300 |
| California Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -105 | 46.5 -110o / -110u | -385 |
- NC State vs Cal Point Spread: NC State +10.5 (-115) · Cal -10.5 (-105)
- NC State vs Cal Total: Over/Under 46.5 (-110 both ways)
- NC State vs Cal Moneyline: NC State +300 · Cal -385
NC State vs Cal Preview
NC State Wolfpack Betting Preview: Problems on Both Sides of the Ball
North Carolina State welcomed back head coach Dave Doeren back for his 12th consecutive season this year with somewhat lofty expectations after a loss in the Pop Tart Bowl to end last season.
The Wolfpack entered the year in the Top 25, and they have been greatly disappointed to this point in what has shaped up to be Doeren's worst season since 2019.
The Wolfpack offense has been solid this year, averaging 26 points per game with C.J. Bailey at the helm for most of the season.
Transfer quarterback Greyson McCall has been dealing with injuries and is trending to be out again this week with a concussion. Bailey has been productive, throwing for over 1,000 yards on the season, but he will need to do a better job of protecting the ball, as he has four interceptions.
The Wolfpack rank 46th in Success Rate through the air, but the problem that has plagued their offense is the inability to run the ball effectively and consistently with the duo of Kendrick Raphael and Jordan Waters.
Those two running backs have combined for just over 500 yards on the ground through seven games, and it shows in their run success rate being 115th. This is especially a problem when they get in scoring zones and can’t finish drives.
Defense has been the bigger issue for Doeren’s squad, which is usually not the case given his defensive background. The Wolfpack are allowing a whopping 32 points per game and are getting beaten badly through the air, ranking 91st against the pass game.
The other issue is their defense has often been gashed this year through chunk plays, ranking 121st in defensive Explosiveness. The good news for the defense is that they force enough turnovers to maintain a +1 turnover margin for the team.
They will need to hold strong when the offense turns the ball over and only allow field goals instead of touchdowns in order to hang around in this one.
California Golden Bears Betting Preview: Better Than Their Record
Justin Wilcox is coaching his first season in the ACC and his seventh at Cal. He has made a few bowl games in his time there, and with a 3-3 record to date. will be looking to make another one this season.
The home game this week will be a key one for his team to win, especially after dropping three in a row. Wilcox will have his team focused and comfortable playing at home again, with the Wolfpack having to travel thousands of miles for this one.
The Golden Bears are led by a second-year starter in sophomore quarterback Fernando Mendoza. He's taken a big step forward from his freshman year to now, as he has nearly passed for as many yards as he did a year ago, and he is not turning the ball over much at all.
Mendoza is pacing the Bears to 24 points per game and also has this pass attack steadily moving the ball down the field, ranking 29th in Pass Success Rate while maintaining a pass play rate ranking 41st in the nation.
Cal likes to pass the ball, and they are matched up against an NC State team that has struggled against the pass.
The story of this Cal team is its defense that has been fantastic thus far in the season, only allowing 17 points per game and just over 300 yards per game. A key statistic is the defense ranks second in Havoc on the season and holds a +10 turnover margin.
Cal will cause problems for NC State's passing game, ranking 44th in Defensive Passing Success Rate. The way to attack this Cal defense is on the ground, where they rank 117th in Defensive Success Rate.
NC State vs Cal Pick & Prediction
This one feels like the strength of Cal’s defense will overwhelm NC State’s passing attack, and the Wolfpack have not been able to run the football very well to this point to take advantage of Cal’s weak spot. Also, Mendoza has been great for Cal and should be able to expose NC State’s pass defense.
While I think this one will be close because both teams take decent care of the football, I think Cal’s defense will force an extra turnover in plus territory that allows them to win this one by two scores.
Pick: Cal -10.5
NC State vs Cal Start Time, Channel, Streaming, How to Watch
| Location: | California Memorial Stadium |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 19 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ACC Network |
NC State takes on Cal at California Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
