California vs NC State Prediction 10/19/24 College Football Tips

The NC State Wolfpack and Cal Golden Bears meet on Saturday afternoon in Week 8 college football action at Cal Memorial Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and identify the best bets for this game. Here’s a forecast between California and NC.

NC State Recap

The NC State Wolfpack comes into this game looking to bounce back from two straight losses as they are 3-4 on the year after a 24-17 loss to Syracuse in their last game. After this game, NC State has a bye week before heading home for a game against Stanford.

Wolfpack wants to get back on track

Grayson McCall has thrown for 518 yards, 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions on a 66.3% pass rate, while CJ Bailey has thrown for 1,070 yards, 6 touchdowns and 4 INTs on a 66.4% pass rate. Jordan Waters has 260 yards and 2 touchdowns this year, while Kendrick Raphael has 277 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns and Hollywood Smothers also has 132 rushing yards this year. Kevin Concepcion has a team-high 39 receptions for 312 yards and 4 touchdowns this season, while Justin Joly has a team-leading 22 grabs for 352 yards and Noah Rogers has 288 receiving yards this season. On defense, Caden Fordham has 49 total tackles, while Sean Brown has 50 total tackles, including 3 sacks. As a unit, NC State’s defense has recorded 13 sacks and 6 interceptions so far this season.

Why the NC State Wolfpack will win

• California has lost each of its last nine games in October.
• NC State has won four of its last six games as an underdog against teams not in the AP rankings.
• California failed to close the gap in five of its last six games in October as a home favorite against teams not ranked in the AP.

Cal summary

The Cal Golden Bears come into this game looking to end their three-game losing streak after losing 17-15 to Pitt last time out and falling to 3-3 on the year. After this game, Cal will welcome Oregon State to town.

Golden Bears want to freak out

Fernando Mendoza has thrown for 1,449 yards, 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on a 66.5% pass rate, while Jaivian Thomas has 359 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Kadarius Calloway ran for 103 yards, while Jaydn Ott also had 135 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns this year. Jack Endries has a team-high 19 receptions for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Nyziah Hunter has 17 receptions for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns and 6 other Bears also have over 100 receiving yards this season. On defense, Teddye Buchanan has a team-high 56 total tackles with a team-high 4 sacks, while Xavier Carlton has a team-high 4.5 sacks this year. Nohl Williams has a team-high six interceptions this year, while Marcus Harris has two interceptions. As a team, Cal’s defense has combined for 14 sacks and 13 interceptions this year.

Why the California Golden Bears will win

• The favorite has won each of California’s last 17 games at California Memorial Stadium.
• NC State has lost each of its last four road games in October.
• NC State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last eight games.
• California has covered the spread in five of its last six games against conference opponents.

California vs NC State prediction

I’m with the points on the wolf pack. It’s crazy that the Wolf Pack still hasn’t made a margin this season, but I think this is as good a time as any to get out there since Cal just doesn’t count as a double-digit favorite for me. I’m not saying the Golden Bears can’t win this game, but the Wolfpack just struggled against a Syracuse team that was much harder to stop offensively than Cal, and I think NC State can keep this game within single digits . Give me the points with NC State.