Clemson heads to Berkeley on Friday night with both teams carrying the same early-season shape: 2-1 overall, 1-0 in ACC play, and coming in off back-to-back wins. The Tigers and Golden Bears meet at California Memorial Stadium with kickoff set for 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Clemson steadied itself last week by beating North Carolina 28-20 as a 2.5-point home favorite, with the Over on 44.5 cashing. Tait Reynolds threw for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Gideon Davidson gave the Tigers a boost on the ground with 16 carries for 105 yards and a score.
Cal rolled past Wagner 49-7, but the Golden Bears still didn’t cover as 58.5-point home favorites, and the Under on 65.5 hit. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele put together a big passing day with 413 yards and three touchdowns, while Adam Mohammed added 13 carries for 91 yards and also chipped in as a receiver with two catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
This will be just the second meeting between the programs and the first one as ACC members. Cal won the previous matchup, beating Clemson 37-13 in the 1991 Citrus Bowl.
The spread is tight enough that the moneyline doesn’t offer much value, so the lean is to pass there. But against the number, Clemson is the side to back at -1. The Tigers showed some fight after falling behind 14-3 last week, and if Reynolds keeps the ball moving and limits mistakes, Clemson should be able to handle a Cal team that has not yet faced much true resistance.
The projected score is Clemson 31, Cal 27.
The total points play points toward the Over 50.5. Both offenses have enough explosiveness to create chunk plays, and both defenses have shown cracks early. Neither team has been a juggernaut offensively through three games, but this matchup has the feel of two evenly matched teams trading scores.
A strong prop angle is Clemson team total points over 24.5. The Tigers scored 28 last week despite turning it over twice, with Reynolds going 20 of 29 and the run game piling up 186 yards and two touchdowns. On the road and with momentum building, Clemson looks capable of getting into the mid-20s again.
In Other News...
UNC May Not Have To Wait Long On Five-Star Guard Nasir Anderson
Nasir Andersons official visit to Chapel Hill gave North Carolina another chance to make its case with one of the top guards in the class. The highly rated recruit shared photos from the trip on social media, including shots from inside the Dean Smith Center, while UNC coach Michael Malone has already spent multiple visits at Andersons high school trying to keep the Tar Heels near the front of the line.
The trip may have done more than just reinforce UNCs interest. Andersons recruitment timeline could be moving faster after seeing campus, which is a good sign for a program hoping not to let the chase drag on too long. No commitment has been announced yet, but the visit gave the Tar Heels another reason to feel like this one might not linger deep into the cycle. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Women Face Rising Pressure At ITA All-Americans
Carolinas women were still alive in key draws at the ITA All-American Championships, with Nicole Khirin moving into the singles round of 16 after beating Anastasiia Grechkina. The Tar Heels also kept one doubles pairing in the main bracket, as Zampardo and Maltby advanced to the quarterfinals and remained the only Carolina duo left there.
Elsewhere in the event, Rabman and Manning stayed busy in consolation play with a win over Wichita State, a useful result in a tournament that quickly starts separating contenders from the rest. For Carolina, the early returns have been strong enough to keep the pressure pointed forward, with the next rounds now carrying the weight of how far this group can push in Stillwater. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Fans Have Two Bye Week Games That Could Change Everything
For UNC fans, the bye week is doing more than just providing a breather. It is also a chance to keep an eye on a couple of college football games that can say a lot about the Tar Heels own path, especially when it comes to measuring teams UNC has already seen or could see again. TCU at UCF and Clemson at Cal stand out as the kind of barometer games that help put recent Tar Heels matchups into better perspective.
Those games carry real value because they offer a cleaner read on how those programs are trending, and by extension how UNCs results may age as the season goes on. There is also a future Notre Dame-Purdue matchup on the radar, another reminder that the schedule around UNC is full of contests that can shape the broader picture, even when the Tar Heels themselves are not on the field. [Read more 🡒]