Cal heads east in ACC play, and is set to play its first 12pm ET kickoff on the east coast as a member of the conference. NC State is set to host, following the firing of head coach Dave Doeren. The Wolfpack sat around a 7-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook all week, but have been bet all the way up to 9.5. The total is set at 56.5. Here’s my prediction and best bet for the matchup.
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| Spread | NC State -9.5 |
| Moneyline | NC State -310/Cal +250 |
| Total | 56.5 |
| Prediction | Stanford 13 – NC State 31 |
| Best Bet | NC State Halftime/Fulltime |
Cal vs. NC State prediction
Since entering the ACC in 2024, Cal is yet to play an early east coast game. That changes on Saturday afternoon when the Bears go to NC State for a 12pm ET kickoff. Somehow, all of Cal’s games out east have been late afternoon or night games. The Bears have played one noon game since entering the conference, but it came last week in Texas. They went to SMU, and while they were competitive in the first half, they eventually got smoked 59-20.
After a big home upset of Virginia Tech, Cal has spiraled the last two weeks, losing by a combined 73 points. NC State’s season certainly hasn’t gone as expected. Long time head coach Dave Doeren was fired after consecutive losses, with a loss out west to Stanford as the nail in the coffin. The fired HC angle has been profitable recently, with teams coming off the coaching move going 8-4 ATS last season.
We also saw this situation play out for the first time this season on Friday night. Baylor moved on from Dave Aranda and had a tremendous showing at UFC, blowing the Knights out 41-9. This should be a spot we get the Wolfpack fully focused at home. We’ve seen a decent ceiling from NC State at home, opening the season with a dominant win over Virginia, and earning a win over a solid Louisville team.
I think we get the good version of the Wolfpack today, and it helps that they’ll face a poor Cal team in an unfamiliar travel/kickoff scenario.
Cal vs. NC State best bet
With the spread ballooning up from a touchdown to near double digits, I’d look to back NC State a different way. The halftime/fulltime line on DraftKings is affordable, at -140 to lead at halftime and go on to win the game. I lean towards backing the Wolfpack in the double result market on Saturday afternoon at home in a desperation spot.
CFB Lean: NC State Halftime/Fulltime (-140)
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