Remember, college football fans, it can always get worse.
Bill Belichick may have thought the nadir of his time leading the North Carolina Tar Heels was this past week, amid rampant speculation that he was already trying to leave Chapel Hill, but only an NFL fool would fail to recognize that no, it can always get worse.
The Cal Bears will make Belichick’s life worse on a national broadcast in a standalone game this week.
My North Carolina vs. Cal predictions expect the home favorite to not only cover but to do so with some ease.
Find out more in my college football picks for Friday, October 17.
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North Carolina vs California prediction
North Carolina vs California best bet: Cal -9.5 (-124)
The narrative might think North Carolina should finally be focused.
Surely, playing only one game in the last four weeks will have the Tar Heels dialed in, right?
Certainly, an idle week including rampant rumors that Bill Belichick was already leaving Chapel Hill will create some motivation, right?
Undoubtedly, life cannot get worse for North Carolina, can it?
It can always get worse.
Those Belichick rumors did not help anyone on the Tar Heels roster focus. There is plenty of reason to think the coaching staff is already pondering outs to preserve individual careers.
Expecting this misguided NFL mentality to game plan for a Friday night in Berkeley is utterly foolish.
North Carolina has gone 0-3 against the spread vs. Power Four opponents this season, coming as close as two touchdowns of the spread just once.
Falling short of bookmakers’ expectations by an average of 20.8 points per game against supposedly comparable competition makes one thing clear: we are not making fun of Bill Belichick enough.
If this was the best the NFL had to offer, Cal will be the next team of many to show that college football demands more.
North Carolina vs California same-game parlay
North Carolina has topped out at 14 points against Power Four competition this season.
The Tar Heels have scored only one touchdown before garbage time in three games against Power Four competition.
Expect Cal to be the next defense to shut down the broken Tar Heels' offense, and the ballooning lead will give Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele a chance to relax and tally some stats in front of a national audience.
North Carolina vs California SGP
- Cal -9.5
- North Carolina team total Under 17.5 points
- Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Over 261.5 passing yards
Our deep-ball SGP: Playing Kendrick
Cal has emphasized junior running back Kendrick Raphael in its last two games, taking 43 carries for 186 yards in the two games compared to just 50 carries in the first four games. Raphael's three touchdowns in the last two games are thus not surprising.
Meanwhile, North Carolina is running less and less often. Desperation will do that.
North Carolina vs California SGP
- Cal -9.5
- North Carolina team total Under 17.5 points
- Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele Over 261.5 passing yards
- Kendrick Raphael Over 70.5 rushing yards
- Kendrick Raphael anytime touchdown
- Demon June Under 43.5 rushing yards
North Carolina vs California odds
- Spread: North Carolina -7.5 (-110) | California +7.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: North Carolina -320 | California +260
- Over/Under: Over 47.5 (-110) | Under 47.5 (-110)
North Carolina vs California trend to know
North Carolina has fallen short of its team total in all four FBS games this season, cashing those Unders by an average of 10.25 points per game. Find more college football betting trends for North Carolina vs California.
How to watch North Carolina vs California
| Location | California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA |
| Date | Friday, October 17, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 10:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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