Cal football gets the 2024 media predictions and everyone is hating

No one is expecting much from the Bears.

Credit: Cal Football

It’s pretty clear the California Golden Bears have fallen out of the public conscience, which is part of the reason they are now in the ACC. And despite a few surprising first place votes, it’s mostly nothing but hate everywhere.

Chip Patterson on CBS Sports has Cal as one of the most underrated teams in the ACC:

Cal: The Bears were seemingly left for dead last season before winning (and covering) in three straight games to finish the regular season at 6-6. Now, coach Justin Wilcox has all six of his all-conference selections from a year ago, most notably star running back Jaydn Ott, and loads of added experience from a 23-player transfer class that ranked No. 4 in the ACC, per 247Sports. SMU may be catching all the buzz as the newcomer most likely to be a threat in Year 1, but Cal could be a dream killer for a couple of ACC title contenders. -- Patterson

And then Patterson put Cal 9th in the ACC.

Dennis Dodd predicted Cal to finish last! LAST!

Stewart Mandel at The Athletic picked Cal to go 5-7, tied for 14th in the conference:

Cal: Justin Wilcox’s program showed some life last season in getting to its first bowl in four years, and running back Jaydn Ott is a stud. But the Bears’ once-stout defense took a nosedive the past two seasons. Cal might be fortunate to return to .500.

ESPN’s ACC prediction is slightly nicer (10th in the ACC), although it is also unclear if they know anything about us.

10. Cal: The Bears have a preseason All-American candidate in running back Jaydn Ott and are on a quest this season to show they can elevate their play.

Okay, some more meat here. Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports actually had a good preview, although again the Bears fared no better than 10th.

Although Wilcox is known for his defensive acumen, the Golden Bears have regressed on this side of the ball. After holding teams to 22.3 points a game in '21, this unit surrendered 32.8 last year. The combination of eight returning starters and a few pickups from the portal provides optimism for improvement this fall. Safety Craig Woodson and linebacker Cade Uluave are two standouts for Wilcox to build around, but the secondary and pass rush must improve.

Mike Bloesch takes over the play-calling duties after Jake Spavital left to become the offensive coordinator at Baylor. Bloesch has several intriguing pieces to work with, including North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers at quarterback, and one of the nation's most underrated players in Jaydn Ott at running back. Transfers Mikey Matthews (Utah) and Tobias Merriweather (Notre Dame) boost the receiving corps. The offense must do a better job of limiting turnovers (28 last season).

Phil Steele, he of the famous college football preview magazine, placed Cal 9th. Again, all about Ott.

Running back Jaydn Ott was the tip of the spear for the Golden Bears last season and established himself as one of the best rushers in college football. Running for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns last season as a major part of Cal’s success, rushing for over 150 yards in four of the team’s six wins.

Pro Football Focus places Cal at 47th in the nation, singling out quarterback and offensive line as concerns:

If Cal is going bowling again, it’ll likely be because of running back Jaydn Ott. The rising junior is one of the best backs in college football because of his productivity on the ground and as a receiver. Improvement from the offensive line and more consistency at quarterback are key to relieving some of the pressure off his shoulders. California’s pass rush is solid, but the rest of the defense will need to step up after surrendering nearly 33 points per game last year.

Biggest Strength: Jaydn Ott

Ott is the engine of California’s offense as one of the best running backs in college football. Over his first two years, the rising junior is a top-10 Power Five running back in rushing yards, yards after contact, forced missed tackles, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Biggest Weakness: Offensive line

Ott has been so successful despite a shaky offensive line in front of him. Last year, the Golden Bears were among the 25 worst FBS schools in both pass-blocking and run-blocking grades. Cal must also replace two starters from last year’s front five.

So, at the moment, a lot of knowns, not a lot of research, and a lot of downbeat projections.

Whatever. All we see are haters.

It’s Cal against the world yet again!