18 Comments

Most of the ACC homers know nothing about Cal (or the difficulty of the Pac-12 conference) and they are broadly underrating Cal (and StanfUrd) based on recent history. I have a feeling they will not be overlooking us next year after we kick they butts up and down the East Coast. Go Bears!

Expand full comment

Let's see how Cal performs in our first three games. They should tell us a great deal how our season will play out.

Expand full comment

I’ll be happy with 7-5, thrilled with 8-4, and fired up with 9-3!

Go Bears!

Expand full comment

Finishing in the middle should be good enough for the first year. Anything above is a great achievement. When was the last time we finished above .500 in conference play?

Expand full comment

I think some writers just pick teams randomly at the start of the year, since there is no actual game data. One writer had Boston College first; he or she may have just arranged them alphabetically.

Also the poll had furd dead last of 17.

Expand full comment

Well, there is that: Furd was picked to finish last.

Expand full comment

"[O]n pitchforks"?

I think we'll need torches, too.

FRESHMAN MORE TORCHES!

Thanks for the write up, Avi.

Go Bears!

Expand full comment

I think Cal will finish solar between fifth and seventh. Everything depends on how they get through that very difficult stretch. But I say they're ready for it.Because the pack twelve is a very strong conference and it's not like they're not used to playing very tough competition. I will go as far as to say.Most of them couldn't beat the elite teams in the old pac 12.

Expand full comment

Nice spin with the headline. :)

Expand full comment

This is a transition year for the Bears, as they acclimate to a new circumstance (insane amount of travel; new opponents, several of them ranked). But if Cal finishes .500 in conference play, that would at least be the first instance of achieving a non-losing conference record in fifteen years. I’d be okay with that. Go 6-6 or 7-5 and go to a bowl. Win the bowl game. Finish the season with a winning record. Then, things continue to trend upward for 2025 (presumably with a redshirt junior QB further honing his skills).

Expand full comment

Tbh I whole heartedly disagree with you. This is not a transition year I’m terms of personnel. We return 15/22 starters and have the 4th best Transfer class in the conference. And the biggest thing is, how weak the ACC is compared to the Pac 12 last year. U said several opponents ranked but nearly all of our apponents last year were ranked and this year we play 2 ranked opponents. (Miami and FSU) If we are simply as good as we were last year with literally ZERO improvement we should still go 7-5 at least just off of schedule. My prediction is 9-3 Go Bears!

Expand full comment

100%. This is a make or break year for the program/Wilcox and the make isn't even that high of a bar. 8 wins is probably enough to keep fans continually engaged. This is also the best I've felt about the roster under Wilcox since 2019. We have a once-a-decade RB talent, return a serviceable QB with upside (or a proven g5 star), and held steady or modestly improved every other unit.

Expand full comment

I like that sunshine.

Look out Florida, we got our own sunshine...

although you should dress in layers.

Expand full comment
author

Realignment reminds me of that South Park episode where the entire country is considered New Jersey.

Expand full comment

"What lords. What fortune-tellers. Build the monuments." My nomination for WFC quote of the week.

Expand full comment

I second that thought.

Expand full comment

A lot of opponent unknowns.

Expand full comment

Yeah, I fear the trap games.

Expand full comment