Cal is a touchdown favorite against North Carolina

The California Golden Bears are back in action this Saturday against the North Carolina Tar Heels. And here’s a change of pace. They’re favorites!

Cal opened as 5.5 point favorites when the lines originally were announced, but that line has since risen to 7 points. Cal went to North Carolina last year as very solid underdogs to North Carolina, only to emerge victorious in an impressive season opener in Chapel Hill.

One major thing working in Cal’s favor is North Carolina has over a dozen players suspended for the season opener for selling merchandise. That includes quarterback Chazz Surratt, who played a good portion of last year’s matchup against the Bears.

Cal was underdogs for much of the 2017 season, not favored to win many games and not expected to compete in many others. While it will probably tilt that way the rest of the year, it’s a nice sign that the Bears are getting back on the right side of the equation .