Season 1 of the Bill Belichick era has been a train wreck. The Tar Heels have beaten just one FBS opponent a 1-5 Charlotte team that is ranked 129th nationally in ESPN's SP+ ratings and have given up 120 points in their three defeat. Carolina has been outscored 55-6 in the first half of its past two games, vs. UCF and Clemson.
Cal storylines: The Bears close out non-conference play, seeking their first 4-0 start since 2019, when they had their most recent winning campaign at 8-5. Cal has won three straight games by double-digit margins for the first time since the start of the 2009 season. Freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele won ACC Rookie of the Year honors for the second time in three weeks after passing for a season-high 279 yards with three touchdowns in the Bears' 27-14 win over Minnesota. Senior cornerback Hezekiah Masses is one of five players nationally with three interceptions. Fourteen Cal receivers have at least one catch and six different players have caught touchdowns.
The Bears face pressure to assemble their first winning season since 2019. Cal played in bowl games each of the past two seasons, but finished 6-7 each time. Chancellor Rich Lyons has said that a .500 season is not acceptable and new general manager Ron Rivera, who is working with coach Justin Wilcox but reports directly to Lyons, described a successful season as eight or nine wins . . .
