Nick, again thank you for taking the time to think this all through and put pen to paper. I am a little more optimistic than you for two reasons: Bryan Harsin and our offensive line.
I’ll start with our o-line. Last year they were so bad that any line this year should be an improvement. With Anae as o-line coach, a lot of new players from the portal and a very good off-season of S&T, I think our o-line is much improved. If they can be successful creating a run game, it will take a lot of pressure off JKS as a freshman QB. This allows him to shine with his God given talent when he throws the ball.
Next I’ll talk about Bryan Harsin. Harsin is known to be creative and detail oriented. I have no doubt our execution will be far better than last year’s sloppy display, in great part because of much better schemes. Bloesch was a disaster. Harsin is the real deal and his assistants are solid.
Btw, I’m not as impressed by Ott as the rest of CAL fandom. He’s got the breakaway ability for sure, but he’s not a pound the rock type of runner. He’s more of a (zone) read runner. I think we’ve got some new horses that may surprise us. I don’t know if there are any 1000 yard rushers in the group, but I do think they are the kind of guys who will hit holes hard and get us first downs.
I think even if the offensive line moves toward being average, it will be a huge improvement. They gave up 50 sacks last year, absolutely at the bottom of over 120 teams. Anae’s New Mexico team gave up 5 sacks. Cal has 20 offensive lineman. They retained talented guys and brought in proven players from the portal. These are guys that can make quality contributions right away, not just prospects. I watched last year’s Big Game recently. The run blocking was so atrocious they made Stanford’s
D look like the Steel Curtain. If it wasn’t for some individual heroics from Mendoza and the receivers, Cal would’ve had no offense. It’s going to be better this year. As Rugbear said, Cal got three solid RBs in the portal. They will produce, and if one goes down, there are two behind him.
The schedule is extremely favorable. There is just so much turnover of staff and players, that it’s hard to predict. When you start a true freshman QB, that is a real wildcard. However, if he wasn’t ready, they wouldn’t have picked him over what appears to be a very competent Brown. Defense looks to be solid, as is usual with Wilcox’s teams. One interesting behind-the-scenes wrinkle that hasn’t been focused on to much is that in Nick Rolovitch and Bob Gregory you have two extra coordinators. There is a lot of football wisdom and brainpower there. Can’t wait for Kickoff in Corvallis!!
I'm with you. Ott got consistently snuffed not only because the line sucked but because he was not a tackle shedder or run through contact kind of guy. He was fast, if not touched, which is rare. I think of CJ Anderson, Marshawn, even Shane Vereen, as examples of guys who would consistently gain yards after contact. Famously so. I think the RB guys we have now are not as flashy, but may be much tougher. And I'll take that. Better line play, tougher RB play, and a QB who has special arm talent to make tough throws even under duress? That adds up to some more wins than last year.
42 carries in the 2009 Big Game! He is high in the ranks of Big Game Immortals. One of my favorite performances of all time. Vereen himself said it was right up there with winning the Super Bowl.
I think Ott is a classic case of what-ifs, between injuries and the transfer.
I'll never forget him pushing through two ND defensive linemen in that heartbreaker game as a true freshman. I agree he's not so much a run-through-contact guy, but I think he could have been... Not like Marshawn, but I think he had some in him.
"Is it fair for a true freshman quarterback to be the fulcrum of a season? Probably not, but here we are." Kind of what he asked for in leaving Oregon and recommitting to Cal though, isn't it?
I agree with the (hidden) X-factor you identified in your article, Jacob De Jesus. Defenses are going to take advantage of our starting freshman QB by making him run for his life. Brian Harsin should dial up a package of quick hit pass plays that give our speedi-/shifti- est receivers the opportunity to take advantage of the gaps left by blitzing LBs and make them pay while boosting young JKS’ confidence. In this (absolutely plausible) scenario De Jesus will end up being the answer to “who should the opposing team focus on who may not be on their radar.”
Thank you Nick. I am excited I will have the opportunity to see how the players and coaches come together when we play the Beavers. It is going to be improved solid fundamental football. It just has to be. I betcha Rugbear and napabear are right about the OL and the schemes. Plus, if JKS and De Jesus connect, we will get some fun vertical plays going on too. The Beavs have a pretty good QB, hope our DB's gel fast. Go Bears!
Oregon State and San diego State are going to look for revenge. Louisville and Virginia Tech look like losses. So does SMU. How good are Minnesota, Duke and Boston? If Cal wins 5 games this year they will be fortunate. I hope I'm wrong.
I do like their OL and DL prospects this year. And I like how Rivera has freed up JW to focus more on Xs and Os- I wonder if that will make a difference in his coaching and team success. It will be interesting to see what Rivera does if the wheels start coming off...if/when/how will he pull the trigger on JW to stem the portal losses and set the team up for a new era in 2026.
Until further notice, JW is a 5 to 7 win per season coach. The sad thing about his tenure is that the vast majority of Cal wins are hard-to-stomach nail biters / rock fights, and JW has a particular penchant to lose close games. I did love the pod with RR last week with a shoutout to Yogurt Park, and I hope he can make a positive winning difference to the program. Go Bears!
Well 6-6 is better than The Athletic (NYTimes) projects for Cal - which is going 1-7 in the ACC and 3-9 overall. They note the losses in the portal of the heart of the offense. Let's hope for the best. There are no easy games in the ACC.
Nick: Like any good Cal alum, we have all been trained to use data and facts to objectively determine outcomes. However, 6-6 just makes me.....sad.....If what you are predicting comes to pass, it will definitely be time for Wilcox to go and we will be right back where we were nine years ago (ok, maybe a little bit better off). The next question is, where do we find the next Jeff Tedford? More importantly, if he does turn everything around, can we convince him to stay? Football gods, pray for us.
This is the most experienced coaching staff Wilcox has ever had. Lots of opinions and wisdom for Wilcox to peel through. Rivera (Head NFL (Super Bowl) coach, Harsin (winning)head coach, Rolovich (winning head coach), Gregory (solid experience DC-coach) and Cefalo (solid OC experience). I see a lot of coaching up and teaching kids how to play football. A solid DL and OL players and coaches. RB's will surprise, their quick and fast! Now lets see if the freshman QB is a gamer!
I think you can make a very good argument that this is the softest (full) schedule Cal has ever had. Roster turnover or not 6 wins should be considered a catastrophic result,
especially considering we are in year NINE of the Wilcox era.
Nick, again thank you for taking the time to think this all through and put pen to paper. I am a little more optimistic than you for two reasons: Bryan Harsin and our offensive line.
I’ll start with our o-line. Last year they were so bad that any line this year should be an improvement. With Anae as o-line coach, a lot of new players from the portal and a very good off-season of S&T, I think our o-line is much improved. If they can be successful creating a run game, it will take a lot of pressure off JKS as a freshman QB. This allows him to shine with his God given talent when he throws the ball.
Next I’ll talk about Bryan Harsin. Harsin is known to be creative and detail oriented. I have no doubt our execution will be far better than last year’s sloppy display, in great part because of much better schemes. Bloesch was a disaster. Harsin is the real deal and his assistants are solid.
Btw, I’m not as impressed by Ott as the rest of CAL fandom. He’s got the breakaway ability for sure, but he’s not a pound the rock type of runner. He’s more of a (zone) read runner. I think we’ve got some new horses that may surprise us. I don’t know if there are any 1000 yard rushers in the group, but I do think they are the kind of guys who will hit holes hard and get us first downs.
I think we win 8 games and have upside for more.
Go Bears!!
I think even if the offensive line moves toward being average, it will be a huge improvement. They gave up 50 sacks last year, absolutely at the bottom of over 120 teams. Anae’s New Mexico team gave up 5 sacks. Cal has 20 offensive lineman. They retained talented guys and brought in proven players from the portal. These are guys that can make quality contributions right away, not just prospects. I watched last year’s Big Game recently. The run blocking was so atrocious they made Stanford’s
D look like the Steel Curtain. If it wasn’t for some individual heroics from Mendoza and the receivers, Cal would’ve had no offense. It’s going to be better this year. As Rugbear said, Cal got three solid RBs in the portal. They will produce, and if one goes down, there are two behind him.
The schedule is extremely favorable. There is just so much turnover of staff and players, that it’s hard to predict. When you start a true freshman QB, that is a real wildcard. However, if he wasn’t ready, they wouldn’t have picked him over what appears to be a very competent Brown. Defense looks to be solid, as is usual with Wilcox’s teams. One interesting behind-the-scenes wrinkle that hasn’t been focused on to much is that in Nick Rolovitch and Bob Gregory you have two extra coordinators. There is a lot of football wisdom and brainpower there. Can’t wait for Kickoff in Corvallis!!
Roll on you Bears!!!
I hadn't realized Bob Gregory is back!
If we have the money, let's bring in all the former coordinators and head coaches. Bring in Tedford and Petersen as analysts!
Hahaha!
Excellent comments. Kyle Cefalo was a former OC as well.
A successful one too. His Utah State offense was 7th in the nation in passing yards last year.
I'm with you. Ott got consistently snuffed not only because the line sucked but because he was not a tackle shedder or run through contact kind of guy. He was fast, if not touched, which is rare. I think of CJ Anderson, Marshawn, even Shane Vereen, as examples of guys who would consistently gain yards after contact. Famously so. I think the RB guys we have now are not as flashy, but may be much tougher. And I'll take that. Better line play, tougher RB play, and a QB who has special arm talent to make tough throws even under duress? That adds up to some more wins than last year.
Shane Vereen had the speed to go with toughness. One of the most versatile RBs I've enjoyed watching at Cal.
42 carries in the 2009 Big Game! He is high in the ranks of Big Game Immortals. One of my favorite performances of all time. Vereen himself said it was right up there with winning the Super Bowl.
I think Ott is a classic case of what-ifs, between injuries and the transfer.
I'll never forget him pushing through two ND defensive linemen in that heartbreaker game as a true freshman. I agree he's not so much a run-through-contact guy, but I think he could have been... Not like Marshawn, but I think he had some in him.
"Is it fair for a true freshman quarterback to be the fulcrum of a season? Probably not, but here we are." Kind of what he asked for in leaving Oregon and recommitting to Cal though, isn't it?
A fair point!
As always, Nick; LOVE your insights!
I agree with the (hidden) X-factor you identified in your article, Jacob De Jesus. Defenses are going to take advantage of our starting freshman QB by making him run for his life. Brian Harsin should dial up a package of quick hit pass plays that give our speedi-/shifti- est receivers the opportunity to take advantage of the gaps left by blitzing LBs and make them pay while boosting young JKS’ confidence. In this (absolutely plausible) scenario De Jesus will end up being the answer to “who should the opposing team focus on who may not be on their radar.”
I’m with Rugbear; glass half full! Go Bears!
Thank you Nick. I am excited I will have the opportunity to see how the players and coaches come together when we play the Beavers. It is going to be improved solid fundamental football. It just has to be. I betcha Rugbear and napabear are right about the OL and the schemes. Plus, if JKS and De Jesus connect, we will get some fun vertical plays going on too. The Beavs have a pretty good QB, hope our DB's gel fast. Go Bears!
Oregon State and San diego State are going to look for revenge. Louisville and Virginia Tech look like losses. So does SMU. How good are Minnesota, Duke and Boston? If Cal wins 5 games this year they will be fortunate. I hope I'm wrong.
A perfectly reasoned and rational analysis...meh, give me the upside baby! Go Bears Forever!
I do like their OL and DL prospects this year. And I like how Rivera has freed up JW to focus more on Xs and Os- I wonder if that will make a difference in his coaching and team success. It will be interesting to see what Rivera does if the wheels start coming off...if/when/how will he pull the trigger on JW to stem the portal losses and set the team up for a new era in 2026.
Until further notice, JW is a 5 to 7 win per season coach. The sad thing about his tenure is that the vast majority of Cal wins are hard-to-stomach nail biters / rock fights, and JW has a particular penchant to lose close games. I did love the pod with RR last week with a shoutout to Yogurt Park, and I hope he can make a positive winning difference to the program. Go Bears!
Well 6-6 is better than The Athletic (NYTimes) projects for Cal - which is going 1-7 in the ACC and 3-9 overall. They note the losses in the portal of the heart of the offense. Let's hope for the best. There are no easy games in the ACC.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6551872/2025/08/18/2025-acc-football-predictions-clemson-miami/
Nick: Like any good Cal alum, we have all been trained to use data and facts to objectively determine outcomes. However, 6-6 just makes me.....sad.....If what you are predicting comes to pass, it will definitely be time for Wilcox to go and we will be right back where we were nine years ago (ok, maybe a little bit better off). The next question is, where do we find the next Jeff Tedford? More importantly, if he does turn everything around, can we convince him to stay? Football gods, pray for us.
And yet technically my prediction would be considered slightly optimistic by Vegas!
6-6 is a logical estimate, but hey they go 9-3 if everything clicks. Pray indeed!
This is the most experienced coaching staff Wilcox has ever had. Lots of opinions and wisdom for Wilcox to peel through. Rivera (Head NFL (Super Bowl) coach, Harsin (winning)head coach, Rolovich (winning head coach), Gregory (solid experience DC-coach) and Cefalo (solid OC experience). I see a lot of coaching up and teaching kids how to play football. A solid DL and OL players and coaches. RB's will surprise, their quick and fast! Now lets see if the freshman QB is a gamer!
I think you can make a very good argument that this is the softest (full) schedule Cal has ever had. Roster turnover or not 6 wins should be considered a catastrophic result,
especially considering we are in year NINE of the Wilcox era.
15-0
Yeah this was my conclusion as well. 6-6 and a win over Stanford