Cal vs. UNC 2025 Preview: Can the Bears End Belichick’s Season?

The California Golden Bears (4-2) are home once again following the bye week to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels (2-3). At the beginning of the season, this seemed like it was going to be a tough matchup. Yet after a tumultuous start by the Bill Belichick-led Tar Heels, the Bears have the opportunity to do the absurd. We’ve all seen the news circulating about the UNC program for the past few weeks, and none of it is good. If the Bears can beat up on the Tar Heels, Belichick might enjoy retirement a little earlier than expected. With that in mind, let’s dive into this Cal vs. UNC 2025 college football game preview.

California Golden Bears vs. North Carolina Tar Heels: Matchup History

This is the third-ever matchup between Cal and UNC. The first two meetings took place in 2017 and 2018, with the Bears coming out victorious in both contests. Now, in their third-ever matchup, both teams are desperate for a win, especially if jobs are on the line. This game will be played on Friday night at California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. Kickoff is at 7:30 pm PST.

Cal vs. UNC 2025 Preview: Keys, Players, and Predictions

Key Players for Cal

It feels like it’s been a quiet season thus far for Cal linebacker Cade Uluave. Fans have been waiting to feel his impact in a game, but it has yet to come. Despite Uluave stuffing the stat sheet against Duke, his game-changing ability hasn’t been at the level we have seen in year’s past. Maybe it’s new coaches, taking on more responsibility with Teddye Buchanan gone, or maybe he’s dealing with an injury. It feels like Luke Ferrelli has taken some of the spotlight with his playmaking abilities. However, Cade is a great linebacker, and every week is a new opportunity. This is a great chance for the star linebacker to set the tone early and make this Tar Heel team officially quit.

It certainly can take a while for an offensive line to gel, especially when there’s a new line coach and plenty of new faces from the transfer portal. This week, my key offensive player is the entire offensive line.

This line has played better than years past, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement. This week, Cal needs to lean on the big boys up front to establish the run game early. Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin probably wants to air it out against this UNC defense, but offensive linemen need to be going forward more than they go backward. The Tar Heels’ defense ranks 77th in the nation in total defense, surrendering an average of 373.2 yards per game. This is a matchup where the Bears must rely on their offensive line to get the run game going. The unit also needs to allow Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to into a rhythm if they want to win.

Key Players UNC

At times, the Bears have struggled to stop the run. With the UNC quarterback situation currently a mess, the Tar Heels will look to rely on their freshman running back, Demon June. June, who moved up the depth chart for North Carolina, has had an impressive start to his career. He already has 266 yards on 38 attempts, and there’s no doubt that they’re going to give him the ball this game. The Cal defense will likely be tasked with stuffing the run on first and second down for the majority of the game. They absolutely cannot let June run wild if they want to win.

Linebacker Andrew Simpson was incredible at Boise State, and that’s remained the case at UNC. The redshirt senior has been a bright spot for this Tar Heels team. What makes Simpson so good is his ability to get in the backfield and create havoc on opposing offenses. He already has five tackles for loss with two sacks. This UNC defense has struggled mightily, but Cal cannot let Simpson live in the backfield this game. He has to be accounted for on every play.

2025 Game Preview: How Cal Can Win vs. UNC

You would think that teams traveling across the country to play Cal would have issues, but that hasn’t been the case. They’ve actually been quite successful against the Bears despite Cal playing at home and the games being late at night. This has to change on Friday.

Cal cannot lose this game to a team that cannot stay out of the media for all the wrong reasons. Let’s be honest, UNC is a dumpster fire, and losing this game might start a protest of epic proportions against this coaching staff. Hopefully, the Bears got much-needed rest over the bye week and are juiced to be at home once again. Cal should beat the brakes off the Tar Heels, but you never know. I have been wrong on multiple occasions before.

Prediction: Cal 34, UNC 13