Trainwreck, meet trainwreck. What will these two teams do this week? Do their powers combine when they’re on the same field together? The oddsmakers seem to think they have an idea of what’s going to happen on Saturday, but there is no educated guess I’d trust with this much volatility involved.
NC State is in the first week of processing the removal of Dave Doeren and defensive coordinator DJ Elliot, and who knows what impact that’s going to have on the field. Will interim head coach Todd Goebbel panic and start the punter at quarterback? There’s no way to know.
Cal, meanwhile, has already removed the play-calling duties from its newly-hired offensive coordinator because that’s how well things have been going. The Bears also made a baffling choice not to start Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele against Wake Forest a couple games back, only putting him in the game after his team was down like five touchdowns in the second half.
Cal’s new staff somehow has managed to stunt JKS’s growth completely, one of the more blatant cases of coaching malpractice in the country.
So if you’re wondering how State could possibly be this large of a favorite against, y’know, anyone at this point—it’s because Cal has also been a big ol’ stinkin’ mess.