ACC Football Game Picks: Cal's Jump Into New Conference Is Finally Here

Golden Bears open a new era with a road game against a Florida State still seeking its first victory

Cal linebacker Ryan McCulloch / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

In case you’re wondering, the last time Cal debuted in a new conference the Bears lost 39-14. 

To Oregon. 

In 1916.

That was in the original Pacific Coast Conference (ancient precursor to the Pac-12), consisting of four schools — Cal, Oregon, Washington and Oregon Agricultural College, now known as Oregon State.

On Saturday night, the Bears play at Florida State in their debut in the 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference, where there is not a team from the state of Oregon or Washington in sight. 

*** Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon previews the Seminoles' struggling offense in the video above

The ACC features schools from the states of Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas. 

And now, California.

Last week: Jeff 8-4, Jake 5-7

Season: Jeff 29-15, Jake 26-18

All picks against the spread 

Betting line from vegasinsider.com

Friday

— Stanford (plus-8.5) at Syracuse, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

Jake:  Stanford is better this season, but we are putting our faith in Orange QB Kyle McCord. Pick: Syracuse

Jeff: Syracuse is 2-0 and quarterback Kyle McCord has thrown eight touchdown passes. Pick: Syracuse

Saturday 

— North Carolina State (plus-20.5) at No. 21 Clemson, 9 a.m., ABC

Jake: With freshman CJ Bailey starting at quarterback for NC State this week, the Wolf Pack is an unknown quantity. We’re betting NC State will stay close enough. Pick: North Carolina State

Jeff: We still don’t know if Clemson is any good — lost by 31 points to Georgia and beat Appalachian State by 46. The Wolfpack sandwiched a pair of forgettable wins around a 41-point loss to Tennessee. Pick: Clemson

— James Madison (plus-10.5) at North Carolina, 9 a.m., ACC Network

Jake: James Madison barely got past Gardner-Webb in its second game, but is coming off a bye. North Carolina has been surviving, not dominating. Pick: North Carolina

Jeff: Another big days awaits running back Omarion Hampton, who already has rushed for 401 yards this season. Pick North Carolina

— Virginia (minus-3.5) at Coastal Carolina, 11 a.m., ESPN+

Jake:  Coastal Carolina is 3-0 but has played no one of note, and being at home should be enough for the Cavaliers to win a close game. Pick: Virginia

Jeff: Not sure if the Chanticleers are good but they are averaging 41 points in three wins. And this will be a big home game for them. Pick: Coastal Carolina

— Georgia Tech (plus-10.5) at No. 19 Louisville, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2

Jake: This is Louisville’s first game against a decent opponent, so we’ll see what the Cardinals have his week. Louisville is capable of running up the score, but . . . Pick: Georgia Tech

Jeff: Louisville has rung up 111 points in two games. Georgia Tech lost its only road game. Pick: Louisville

— Rutgers (plus-3.5) at Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m., ACC Network

Jake: Rutgers is coming off a bye and that little edge should be enough to cover the spread. Pick: Rutgers

Jeff: Va Tech’s opening loss to Vanderbilt still makes me nervous but Rutgers’ resume so far features wins over Howard and Akron. Pick: Virginia Tech

— Youngstown State (plus-26.5) Pitt, 12:30 p.m., ESPN+/ABC Extra

Jake: QB Eli Holstein has led Pitt to comeback wins after slow starts the past two weeks. He needs a fast start this week to cover the big spread. Pick: Pitt

Jeff: Yes, Eli Holstein has passed for 936 yards and nine touchdowns in three games, executing miraculous finishes in the past two. But this point spread? Pick: Youngstown State

— Duke (minus-14.5) at Middle Tennessee, 1 p.m., ESPNU

Jake: Middle Tennessee does not get many chances to play a Power Four conference team at home, but its defense is lousy. Pick: Duke

Jeff: If the Blue Devils improve to 4-0 here, does that make Duke a football school? Pick: Duke

— TCU (minus-3) at SMU, 2 p.m., The CW Network

Jake: Both teams have been unimpressive, but SMU is an underdog at home, which is rare. Pick: SMU.

Jeff: Sonny Dykes has another productive QB at TCU. John Hoover has thrown for more than 1,000 yards with eight TDs and zero picks in three games. But this will be close. Pick: TCU

— No. 5 Miami (minus-16.5) at South Florida, 4 p.m., ESPN

Jake: We are starting to believe in Miami QB Cam Ward and his ability to rack up big numbers – even on the road. Pick: Miami

Jeff: If Miami keeps winning — and scoring big — former WSU quarterback Cam Ward can become a Heisman Trophy candidate. Pick: Miami

— Cal (plus-2.5) at Florida State, 4 p.m., 

Jake: Folks keep expecting Florida State to wake up and perform as expected. Maybe the Seminoles just aren’t that good. Pick: Cal

Jeff: The Seminoles have a lot of highly rated players. Problem is, they aren’t a great team. The Bears will be unafraid, and that’s half the battle. Pick: Cal

— Michigan State (plus-6.5) at Boston College, 5 p.m., ACC Network

Jake: Michigan State’s road win over Maryland was impressive, but Boston College close road loss to Missouri was more impressive. Pick: Boston College

Jeff: BC’s six-point road defeat to No. 6 Missouri says a lot. Pick: Boston College