Cal plays a road game against North Carolina State that starts at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Saturday.

The preview:

CAL (3-5, 2-3 ACC) vs. NORTH CAROLINA STATE (3-4, 1-3 ACC)

SITE: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina

WHEN: Saturday, 9 a.m. Pacific time (noon Eastern time)

TV: ACC Network -- Roxy Bernstein (Play-By-Play), Dave Clawson (Analyst), Madison Hock (Sideline Reporter)

RADIO: 810 AM -- Justin Allegri (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Ben Ross (Sideline Reporter)

BETTING LINE: North Carolina State is favored by 7.5 points according to FanDuel as of Friday morning, and North Carolina State is favored by 7 points according to DraftKings as of Friday morning. Over/Under is 56.5 points.

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday afternoon will be partly cloudy in Raleigh with a temperature of about 68 degrees when the game begins, rising to about 71 degrees by the time the game ends. There is just a 7% chance of rain.

Cal-North Carolina State History

This will be just the second meeting alltime between Cal and North Carolina State, and their first meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. In their only previous matchup, the Wolfpack beat Cal 24-23 in 2024 in Berkeley. Cal led that game 23-10 entering the fourth quarter, but CJ Bailey threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to beat a Cal team led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Running back Carter Vargas, wide receiver Jordan King, tight end Dorian Thomas and defensive lineman Nate Burrell are out. Wide receiver Ian Strong, inside linebacker AJ Tuitele, running back Adam Mohammed, running back Ashten Emory, wide receiver Cooper Perry, wide receiver Mark Hamper, offensive lineman Frederick Williams III, offensive lineman Tyson Ruffins and offensive lineman Jimothy Lewis Jr. are questionable.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE PLAYER AVAILABILITY: Running back Duke Scott, safety Tristan Teasdell, offensive lineman Daniel Cruz and center Spike Sowells Jr. are out. Wide receiver Jojo Trader is questionable.

Cal Storylines

---Cal has lost its last two games to Wake Forest and SMU by a combined score of 100-27. The Bears have lost four of their past five games, the only win in that stretch being a home win over Virginia Tech in a game started by quarterback Jackson Brousseau.

---Cal needs to win three of its remaining four games to be bowl-eligible for the fourth straight year, and it needs to win all four remaining games to finish the regular season with a winning record for the second consecutive year. Cal is likely to be an underdog in three of its final four game, including this game against NC State.

---If Cal wins just one of its remaining four games it would match the 2022 Cal team for the worst record (4-8) since the Bears finished 1-11 in 2013, which was Sonny Dykes’ first season as the Bears head coach..

---Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is scheduled to make his second straight start after being out of the starting lineup the previous two games. He did not play at all against Virginia Tech three weeks ago and entered the game in relief of Brousseau two weeks ago against Wake Forest. Sagapolutele had a great first half against SMU last week, completing 19 of 23 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, but he was just 8-for-14 for 51 yards and no touchdowns in the second half.

---Cal played its best half of football this season in the first half of last week’s game against SMU, when the Bears rolled up 255 yards of offense and 14 first downs to take a 20-17 lead at halftime. The Bears played their worst half of football this season in the second half of that game when they totaled 50 yards of offense and two first downs while being outscored 42-0 in a 59-20 loss.

---Cal ranks 15th among the 17 ACC schools in scoring offense, averaging 23.4 points. The Bears have not scored more than 25 points in any of their five ACC games.

---The Bears rank 16th in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 31.6 points per game. Their last three opponents have scored 139 points, an average of 46.3 points per game.

---Cal has issues at the running back and offensive line positions, which is particularly problematic since Cal ranks 137th of 138 FBS schools in rushing offense, averaging 84.0 yards per game. Its 3.05 yards per rushing attempt rank as the fourth-worst in the country. Cal’s leading rusher, Adam Mohammed, and the player who has getting most of the carries in his absence, Ashten Emory, are both listed as questionable for Saturday’s game. Also as many as three offensive line starters could be out this week as well.

---Cal’s rushing defense ranks 122nd in the country, allowing 190.8 yards per game on the ground. Cal has given up 5.21 yards per rushing attempt by its opponent, and only 11 FBS teams are worse than that.

---Cal will be thin at the wide receiver spot, as it was last week. Chase Hendricks, the team leader in receptions, is available, but starting wide receiver Ian Strong and several other wide receivers who typically get playing time are all questionable. Cal may use some defensive players on offense as it did last week.

---Cal has had trouble containing opposing quarterbacks who can scramble, especially when that quarterback gets to the perimeter. Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey is an experienced player who can use his legs effectively. Cal has recorded 14 sacks this season.

North Carolina State Storylines

---NC State has a new head coach for Saturday’s game after head coach Dave Doeren was fired on Saturday, one day after the Wolfpack’s 31-28 loss to Stanford.

---Todd Goebbel, North Carolina’s running backs coach and special teams coordinator, has been named the Wolfpack’s interim coach for the rest of the season. Goebbel has been a football coach for 28 years and has been on the NC State staff for eight years.

---Former North Carolina State and NFL star Philip Rivers and former Notre Dame and LSU head coach Brian Kelly are among the names that have been reported that might be candidates for the NC State head coaching job.

---NC State quarterback CJ Bailey placed fourth in the preseason voting for ACC player of the year. He currently ranks sixth in the ACC in passing yards per game, ninth in passer rating and seventh in touchdown passes with 11. He passed for 256 yards and ran for 59 yards in last week’s 31-28 loss to Stanford.

---North Carolina State played its best game of the season on October 3, when it defeated Louisville 31-28 on October 3. But the Wolfpack lost both games since then, to Wake Forest (38-14) and Stanford.

---North Carolina State has suffered numerous injuries, especially on the offensive line, which has struggled lately. Wolfpack quarterbacks have been sacked five times over the past two games, including twice against Stanford, which had recorded just four sacks this season before that. The Wolfpack has started a different offensive line combination in each of the past four games.

---The Wolfpack defense has recorded only nine sacks this season, which is the second-lowest in the ACC, ahead of only Stanford. That will be an issue in Saturday’ game because Cal may be missing some starters on the offensive line.

---NC State uses quarterback Will Wilson in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and he has been productive. He has converted first downs on 11 of 12 career fourth-down attempts, and he has scored eight rushing touchdowns this season.

Cal Players to Watch

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele – He is 10th in the ACC in both passing yards per game and passer rating.

WR Ian Strong – He’s Cal’s deep threat but is questionable for Saturday’s game.

WR Chase Hendricks – He is tied for second in the ACC in receptions with 54.

LB AJ Tuitele – He leads the team in tackle for loss (4.5) and sacks (3.0) but is questionable for Saturday’s game.

S Kingston Lopa – He is tied for the national lead in interceptions with five.

S Isaiah Crosby – He leads the team in tackles with 45 and has 2.0 tackles for loss.

North Carolina State Players to Watch

QB CJ Bailey – Bailey has 11 touchdown passes and 177 rushing yards.

LB Popo Aguirre – He leads the team in tackles with 61. No one else on the team has more than 31.

DE Elijah Satchell – Freshman Satchell leads the team in tackles for loss with 5.0 and sacks with 4.0.

WR Keenan Jackson – He has 30 catches for 456 yards and six TDs.

OLB Harvey Dyson III – He has 1.5 sacks and 9 quarterback hurries.

K Kanoah Vinesett – He is 7-for-7 on field goals, with a long of 46 yards.

JAKE'S PICK: Cal 28, North Carolina State 27

JEFF’S PICK: Cal 28, North Carolina State 24

ANDRE CHERRY’S PICK (North Carolina State Wolfpack on SI): North Carolina State 23, Cal 17

• Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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