Smith Cameron Photography)

Carolina needs to shock the Bears on Saturday.

The Tar Heels are winging west to the Bay area for the 2018 opener against Cal, which is favored by a touchdown to beat UNC for a second straight year. That 35-30 loss in Kenan Stadium was the first of nine on a season that produced only one victory against a Power 5 team, unranked Pitt.

Offense will determine the outcome of this renewal because, frankly, both defenses are still not very good. In rushing, the Tar Heels were the 109th-ranked team in major college football last season and Cal was worse at 113. On paper, the Bears have the edge at the three key skilled positions.

Sophomore quarterback Ross Bowers lit up Kenan a year ago before an erratic Pac 12 performance and is still key to Cal’s high-octane offense. Nathan Elliott got the starting job almost by default when Chazz Surrat was one of 13 players suspended for selling their university-issued Nike shoes. Elliott led the Heels to two of their three wins, but must be a more dangerous passer.

While Cal only averaged 126 yards per game rushing, tailback Patrick Laird still managed to accumulate 1,127 on the season. The Tar Heels will try to do it by committee behind an improved offensive line. The new piece is Ohio State transfer Antonio Williams, who gives Carolina a breakaway threat.

The two wide receivers to watch are Cal’s Kanawai Noa, who caught 56 balls for 788 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. The Tar Heels have the multi-talented Anthony Ratliff-Williams who made plays all over the field in ‘17 and hopes to repeat.

This game is important because Larry Fedora’s seventh UNC team needs to jump out to a fast start.  After Cal is a trip to East Carolina, an unknown under coach Scottie Montgomery but, remember, hung 70 points on the Heels there in 2014.

The home opener on September 15 is against Central Florida, which went undefeated last season and will improve on its No. 21 national ranking after clobbering UConn in the season opener Thursday night. So any chance to upset the Knights will depend on what the Tar Heels look like after two games.

Then come three more tough tests: here against an angry Pitt team they upset on the road last year, at 8th ranked Miami and back home against No. 20 Virginia Tech. Another losing season looms unless Carolina can start with a couple of wins.

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