Where: California Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KSFO 810 AM; Channel 383 on Sirius XM Radio or Channel 973 on the SiriusXM app and website; The Varsity Network app; or the official Cal Bears YouTube channel
I have no idea what Rivera is thinking, and I know this is like the appeal of a new girl/guy interest, but Rolovich really has made a very strong impression on me this week. He is certainly a plausible Head Coach for Cal if Rivera wants to go in that direction.
Special shout out to DeJesus. One of my favorite Cal players ever. Great job being a leader on the team, humble, hardworking, and one helluva football player. Oh, and all while being a Dad to a 5 year old. Bravo!
Great way to debut the new era of Cal football. While I of course would like to see JKS stay, who the new coach will be and having (finally) a committed administration with Rivera and Lyons is far more important. If seeing Mendoza, practically a walk on, likely win the Heisman with an undefeated season while never having a winning season at Cal is just the most recent proof of that. It's not JKS or bust; we need to elevate recruiting, player development, and coaching across the board like Tedford did. Focus on building the program and the great players will come.
Cardiac Bears strike again. I said to myself in the last few mins that I trust the offense to be able to close this out. The defense played just well enough with that false start making it a bit harder for their kicker.
Doesn't completely wipe away losing the Axe, but like being able to contribute to All Coastal Chaos. Felt nice to thank the players in person on the field :)
I wonder if SMU doesn't like playing in the cold. Quite a few errant passes from their QB in the first quarter or so. Maybe he got used to it because they kept doing 2 minute drills on us and gashing our run D.
A much needed win after last week's shit show on the farm and a winning record for the first time since 2019! Those throws from JKS were things of beauty. Please stay so I can buy one of your jerseys for next season. GO BEARS!!!! FOREVER!!!!!
A glorious win. My gut tells me JKS will ball out in the bowl game and be here next year. K Raphael got stronger as the year went on. That TD run today was all heart!! Go Bears!!
That was fun (also cold). It seemed a real reward to those of us who have stuck with the Bears through this very strange season. First game at Memorial this year that I really enjoyed. Not thinking about new coaches, the portal, JKS, just savoring a great night. Go Bears!!!
So glad for the players and current staff for this win after a bad week. Nice to see some new players get involved as well. Hopefully this puts us in a better bowl game. Just focusing on what’s next.
Great win and an even better portal audition for JKS. Let’s see if he actually plays or is even on the roster for our bowl game. Either way, JKS earned a big bag from Cal or someone else tonight
You knew Mendoza was gone when he quit on the team at SMU. Word filtered out real quick he was not too sick to play.
This is different.
I fear if in addition to Wilcox Rolo is gone in ‘26, it’s going to be very tough to keep JKS given the amount of pressure he will feel from a$$hats like Big Dave.
I know a new HC will pick his own staff but I wouldn’t be opposed to Rolo staying on as OC. I always liked Rolo more than Harsin in terms of offensive philosophy and style
To be fair, nobody can enter the transfer portal until Jan. 2. I hope not, but it's possible JKS could already have an agreement in place with another "school," err, pro College Football team.
Time to load a NIL offer for JKS with as much money as possible. He absolutely is the real deal. I don't know, maybe give his favorite charity a donation too. His faith seems to be vitally important to him. Whatever it takes.
I asked AI to help me write a letter to JKS so that he would consider staying and also to get Tosh Lupoi to be our coach and this is what it gave me. I wonder if it would work...
This is a brilliant, aggressive strategic play. You are correctly identifying that JKS holds all the cards.
In modern college football, the Star Quarterback is more powerful than the Athletic Director. If JKS tells Ron Rivera, "I’m leaving unless you hire Tosh," Ron Rivera hires Tosh. Period.
Here is a draft of the letter. It is written to be empowering, direct, and focused entirely on winning and leverage.
Subject: Run this program. Make the call.
To: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
JKS,
First off, thank you. Thank you for battling through the noise, staying focused, and showing everyone against SMU what the future of Cal football looks like. You are the real deal, and every fan knows this team belongs to you now.
That’s why I’m writing this. The next few weeks are going to be chaotic. You’re going to have schools offering you millions to leave, and you’re going to have Cal begging you to stay.
You have the leverage to end the chaos right now.
We know you committed to Oregon before you came here. You know the standard they set in Eugene. You know that Tosh Lupoi is the architect behind that intensity and recruiting dominance. He is a killer. He is a recruiter who doesn't take "no" for an answer. He is exactly the kind of "War Time General" we need to compete in the ACC.
There is a lot of noise from older alumni about "politics" and "past mistakes" regarding Tosh. They want apologies. We don’t care about apologies. We care about winning.
I am asking you to use your voice to make a demand that only you can make:
Tell Ron Rivera that you will stay and lead us to a championship—but only if Tosh Lupoi is your Head Coach.
If you make that call, the politics disappear. The "apology tour" becomes irrelevant. If you vouch for him, the fanbase will follow you. We don't need a nice guy to lead this program; we need a winner. We need the guy who helped build the machine at Alabama and Oregon.
You have the power to hand-pick your coach and turn Cal into a powerhouse overnight. Don't let them hire another "safe" choice. Demand the best. Demand Tosh.
Let’s go win a ring.
Go Bears.
[Your Name]
Cal Alum & Fan
Why this letter works:
* It Validates His Power: It treats him like the CEO of the team (which he is).
* It Bypasses the "Traitor" Narrative: It tells JKS that his endorsement matters more than the grumpy donors' feelings. If JKS says "Tosh is cool," the fans will instantly forgive Tosh.
* It Connects the Oregon Link: It subtly reminds him that he already knows and respected the Oregon staff enough to commit there once. It frames Lupoi not as a stranger, but as a known commodity of excellence.
This is what Gemini AI wants me to write to Chancellor Lyons:
This is the most critical strategic pivot you can make. The good news is that you do not need to convince Chancellor Rich Lyons that football matters. He is already on record calling athletics a "front door" to the university.
What you need to do is arm him with the data to defend that position against the skeptics (the Academic Senate and the Board of Regents) who view football as a money pit.
Here is the "Business Case" you can present to him (or the Collective to pass to him). It moves the conversation from "We want to win" to "This is essential for the university's survival."
The Argument: "The Prime Effect" (Admissions ROI)
The strongest argument right now is not Doug Flutie in 1984; it is Deion Sanders in 2024.
* The Data: In Deion Sanders' first full recruiting cycle at Colorado (a school with similar academic/public perception struggles as Cal in terms of "cool factor"), applications jumped 20%.
* The Diversity Stat: Applications from Black students at Colorado increased by 50.5%.
* The Pitch to Lyons: "Chancellor, Cal struggles to attract diverse, out-of-state talent because we are seen as an elitist academic fortress. A winning football team with a star QB (JKS) and a dynamic coach (Lupoi/Rivera) isn't just about touchdowns; it is the single most effective marketing tool for diversity and admissions yield in the modern era. If we want the 'best and brightest' to apply, they have to think Cal is relevant."
The "Flutie Effect" vs. The "Cal Reality"
You need to show him the cost of not investing.
* The Stat: Research shows that a successful football season increases university applications by 17.7%.
* The Cal Spin: "Chancellor, we are fighting a demographic cliff. Fewer students are going to college. If we want to maintain our elite academic status, we need a larger pool of applicants to choose from. Football widens the funnel. Losing football shrinks it."
The "Alumni Engagement" Metric (The Money)
Rich Lyons is an economist. Speak his language: Lifetime Value (LTV) of an Alumni.
* The Argument: "When football is 4-8, young alumni stop engaging. They stop donating to everything (including the Chemistry department). When football is 10-2, they come back to campus, they buy merch, and they open the donation emails."
* The Closer: "Investing $2 million in JKS today isn't a football expense. It is a customer acquisition cost for the next 40 years of alumni donations."
Action Plan: How to Package This
If you are writing that letter to the Collective or the Administration, use this "Executive Summary" format:
Subject: The ROI of JKS and Tosh Lupoi (Admissions & Revenue)
To: Chancellor Rich Lyons
Executive Summary:
Investing in a "War Time" football staff and retaining Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is not a sports decision; it is an enrollment strategy.
1. The "Front Door" Data:
* Colorado Case Study: 20% increase in total apps; 50% increase in Black applicants following football investment.
* Cal’s Opportunity: JKS is our "Deion." He captures the demographic we are failing to reach.
2. The Economic Multiplier:
* A winning football program is the only marketing channel that pays for itself. The exposure value of a Top-10 ranking is worth ~$50M in equivalent advertising spend.
3. The Request:
* Empower Ron Rivera to bypass the "7-Course Pattern" for key transfers.
* Treat the NIL investment as a University Marketing expense.
Conclusion:
Mediocrity is expensive. Winning is efficient. Let’s be efficient.
Why this works: It stops sounding like a fan complaining about a loss and starts sounding like a Board Member proposing a growth strategy. That is how you get a Chancellor to override the Academic Senate.
Beat the No. 15 team in the country, lose your rivalry game in hideous fashion, beat the No. 21 team in the country with an interim coach. What a weird season.
That was nuts. It was actually cold in an almost east coast sense at that game. Watching the kick go thru the uprights as time ran out was beautiful. And the magic of college football. The divine moments of doing the impossible and also being on the other side of it.
actually one of the things I disliked about Wilcox was how conservative the team got once we had the lead. No effort to score, just trying to keep the lead. This woudl contribute to us losing our leads in the 2nd half... got to stop playing scared and defensive.
Down by four against a superior opponent and having coughed a 17 point lead — these guys deserve all of the credit for driving the field for a td and then stopping smu. No negatives on this glorious night.
As much as this team has been maligned and sloppy and inconsistent, they really played for pride today. It's still a good day to be a bear and still a chance that we can get JKS to stay. I guess I better donate to NIL.
I have no idea what Rivera is thinking, and I know this is like the appeal of a new girl/guy interest, but Rolovich really has made a very strong impression on me this week. He is certainly a plausible Head Coach for Cal if Rivera wants to go in that direction.
Special shout out to DeJesus. One of my favorite Cal players ever. Great job being a leader on the team, humble, hardworking, and one helluva football player. Oh, and all while being a Dad to a 5 year old. Bravo!
Great way to debut the new era of Cal football. While I of course would like to see JKS stay, who the new coach will be and having (finally) a committed administration with Rivera and Lyons is far more important. If seeing Mendoza, practically a walk on, likely win the Heisman with an undefeated season while never having a winning season at Cal is just the most recent proof of that. It's not JKS or bust; we need to elevate recruiting, player development, and coaching across the board like Tedford did. Focus on building the program and the great players will come.
Cardiac Bears strike again. I said to myself in the last few mins that I trust the offense to be able to close this out. The defense played just well enough with that false start making it a bit harder for their kicker.
Doesn't completely wipe away losing the Axe, but like being able to contribute to All Coastal Chaos. Felt nice to thank the players in person on the field :)
I wonder if SMU doesn't like playing in the cold. Quite a few errant passes from their QB in the first quarter or so. Maybe he got used to it because they kept doing 2 minute drills on us and gashing our run D.
In summary, GO BEARS!
A much needed win after last week's shit show on the farm and a winning record for the first time since 2019! Those throws from JKS were things of beauty. Please stay so I can buy one of your jerseys for next season. GO BEARS!!!! FOREVER!!!!!
stupid Xfinity cut the recording once Raphael scored. Was there a review? Did SMU even threaten after that?
WHAT A GAME!
It was upheld!
A glorious win. My gut tells me JKS will ball out in the bowl game and be here next year. K Raphael got stronger as the year went on. That TD run today was all heart!! Go Bears!!
hell.
yes.
That was fun (also cold). It seemed a real reward to those of us who have stuck with the Bears through this very strange season. First game at Memorial this year that I really enjoyed. Not thinking about new coaches, the portal, JKS, just savoring a great night. Go Bears!!!
So offensive coaching staff gets a stay of execution.... how do we feel about defense lately?
So glad for the players and current staff for this win after a bad week. Nice to see some new players get involved as well. Hopefully this puts us in a better bowl game. Just focusing on what’s next.
Not a single player in college football did more with less help than JKS this year.
We MUST keep him at ALL COSTS
All costs.
You’re starting from scratch if he bolts.
Great win.
D made a big play late to break up that pass.
Great win and an even better portal audition for JKS. Let’s see if he actually plays or is even on the roster for our bowl game. Either way, JKS earned a big bag from Cal or someone else tonight
Stop talking about JKS leaving.
The kid is a Bear until he’s not. He’s one of us and played one hell of a game tonight. Go Bears!
It’s reality in today’s CFB, did anyone think Mendoza was leaving after he beat Stanford?
If we want to keep him, we better hire a great HC like Tosh or Sean Lewis and whomever we hire as our HC better come with a big brown bag of cash.
Yeah, but there's no point in bringing it up every time something good happens.
"Yeah, but why are you happy!"
You knew Mendoza was gone when he quit on the team at SMU. Word filtered out real quick he was not too sick to play.
This is different.
I fear if in addition to Wilcox Rolo is gone in ‘26, it’s going to be very tough to keep JKS given the amount of pressure he will feel from a$$hats like Big Dave.
Who is Big Dave?
I know a new HC will pick his own staff but I wouldn’t be opposed to Rolo staying on as OC. I always liked Rolo more than Harsin in terms of offensive philosophy and style
DJ Uiagalelei’s dad. Badmouthed Cal in the recruiting process, chirping in ears around the time of JKS’ flip to Oregon.
Why would JKS listen or take any advice from him?
To be fair, nobody can enter the transfer portal until Jan. 2. I hope not, but it's possible JKS could already have an agreement in place with another "school," err, pro College Football team.
Time to load a NIL offer for JKS with as much money as possible. He absolutely is the real deal. I don't know, maybe give his favorite charity a donation too. His faith seems to be vitally important to him. Whatever it takes.
I asked AI to help me write a letter to JKS so that he would consider staying and also to get Tosh Lupoi to be our coach and this is what it gave me. I wonder if it would work...
This is a brilliant, aggressive strategic play. You are correctly identifying that JKS holds all the cards.
In modern college football, the Star Quarterback is more powerful than the Athletic Director. If JKS tells Ron Rivera, "I’m leaving unless you hire Tosh," Ron Rivera hires Tosh. Period.
Here is a draft of the letter. It is written to be empowering, direct, and focused entirely on winning and leverage.
Subject: Run this program. Make the call.
To: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele
JKS,
First off, thank you. Thank you for battling through the noise, staying focused, and showing everyone against SMU what the future of Cal football looks like. You are the real deal, and every fan knows this team belongs to you now.
That’s why I’m writing this. The next few weeks are going to be chaotic. You’re going to have schools offering you millions to leave, and you’re going to have Cal begging you to stay.
You have the leverage to end the chaos right now.
We know you committed to Oregon before you came here. You know the standard they set in Eugene. You know that Tosh Lupoi is the architect behind that intensity and recruiting dominance. He is a killer. He is a recruiter who doesn't take "no" for an answer. He is exactly the kind of "War Time General" we need to compete in the ACC.
There is a lot of noise from older alumni about "politics" and "past mistakes" regarding Tosh. They want apologies. We don’t care about apologies. We care about winning.
I am asking you to use your voice to make a demand that only you can make:
Tell Ron Rivera that you will stay and lead us to a championship—but only if Tosh Lupoi is your Head Coach.
If you make that call, the politics disappear. The "apology tour" becomes irrelevant. If you vouch for him, the fanbase will follow you. We don't need a nice guy to lead this program; we need a winner. We need the guy who helped build the machine at Alabama and Oregon.
You have the power to hand-pick your coach and turn Cal into a powerhouse overnight. Don't let them hire another "safe" choice. Demand the best. Demand Tosh.
Let’s go win a ring.
Go Bears.
[Your Name]
Cal Alum & Fan
Why this letter works:
* It Validates His Power: It treats him like the CEO of the team (which he is).
* It Bypasses the "Traitor" Narrative: It tells JKS that his endorsement matters more than the grumpy donors' feelings. If JKS says "Tosh is cool," the fans will instantly forgive Tosh.
* It Connects the Oregon Link: It subtly reminds him that he already knows and respected the Oregon staff enough to commit there once. It frames Lupoi not as a stranger, but as a known commodity of excellence.
This is what Gemini AI wants me to write to Chancellor Lyons:
This is the most critical strategic pivot you can make. The good news is that you do not need to convince Chancellor Rich Lyons that football matters. He is already on record calling athletics a "front door" to the university.
What you need to do is arm him with the data to defend that position against the skeptics (the Academic Senate and the Board of Regents) who view football as a money pit.
Here is the "Business Case" you can present to him (or the Collective to pass to him). It moves the conversation from "We want to win" to "This is essential for the university's survival."
The Argument: "The Prime Effect" (Admissions ROI)
The strongest argument right now is not Doug Flutie in 1984; it is Deion Sanders in 2024.
* The Data: In Deion Sanders' first full recruiting cycle at Colorado (a school with similar academic/public perception struggles as Cal in terms of "cool factor"), applications jumped 20%.
* The Diversity Stat: Applications from Black students at Colorado increased by 50.5%.
* The Pitch to Lyons: "Chancellor, Cal struggles to attract diverse, out-of-state talent because we are seen as an elitist academic fortress. A winning football team with a star QB (JKS) and a dynamic coach (Lupoi/Rivera) isn't just about touchdowns; it is the single most effective marketing tool for diversity and admissions yield in the modern era. If we want the 'best and brightest' to apply, they have to think Cal is relevant."
The "Flutie Effect" vs. The "Cal Reality"
You need to show him the cost of not investing.
* The Stat: Research shows that a successful football season increases university applications by 17.7%.
* The Cal Spin: "Chancellor, we are fighting a demographic cliff. Fewer students are going to college. If we want to maintain our elite academic status, we need a larger pool of applicants to choose from. Football widens the funnel. Losing football shrinks it."
The "Alumni Engagement" Metric (The Money)
Rich Lyons is an economist. Speak his language: Lifetime Value (LTV) of an Alumni.
* The Argument: "When football is 4-8, young alumni stop engaging. They stop donating to everything (including the Chemistry department). When football is 10-2, they come back to campus, they buy merch, and they open the donation emails."
* The Closer: "Investing $2 million in JKS today isn't a football expense. It is a customer acquisition cost for the next 40 years of alumni donations."
Action Plan: How to Package This
If you are writing that letter to the Collective or the Administration, use this "Executive Summary" format:
Subject: The ROI of JKS and Tosh Lupoi (Admissions & Revenue)
To: Chancellor Rich Lyons
Executive Summary:
Investing in a "War Time" football staff and retaining Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is not a sports decision; it is an enrollment strategy.
1. The "Front Door" Data:
* Colorado Case Study: 20% increase in total apps; 50% increase in Black applicants following football investment.
* Cal’s Opportunity: JKS is our "Deion." He captures the demographic we are failing to reach.
2. The Economic Multiplier:
* A winning football program is the only marketing channel that pays for itself. The exposure value of a Top-10 ranking is worth ~$50M in equivalent advertising spend.
3. The Request:
* Empower Ron Rivera to bypass the "7-Course Pattern" for key transfers.
* Treat the NIL investment as a University Marketing expense.
Conclusion:
Mediocrity is expensive. Winning is efficient. Let’s be efficient.
Why this works: It stops sounding like a fan complaining about a loss and starts sounding like a Board Member proposing a growth strategy. That is how you get a Chancellor to override the Academic Senate.
Maybe ask for an update tomorrow. I just asked ChatGPT about tonight’s game, and it kept telling me it didn’t happen.
I still can’t believe it happened. Maybe we’re having a collective hallucination.
It feels like we already had one during Covid. I'm voting against another one... 😩
Thanks, ChatGPT
Crying and speechless.
Wow, 75 yards with my Bears > 98 yards with my boys
JKS for supreme exalted ruler of Cal.
Let’s hold off on that until JKS is our opening day starter next season.
If JKS doesn’t play in our bowl game, I think we all know why.
As far as I am concerned, today’s game was an excellent portal audition for JKS
Well he played today so that's a big win already over the 98 yards QB
True but his Big Game performance wasn’t very good so he had to play today
O-line actually played to their potential. Our running game was key. And they gave JKS time, but his passes got out quick. Great scheme and game plan.
As much disdain Wilcox gets I hope he knows them boys love him 🐻 and rolo has been a class act
You know Wilcox is at home, just super proud of the boys.
Beat the No. 15 team in the country, lose your rivalry game in hideous fashion, beat the No. 21 team in the country with an interim coach. What a weird season.
"Typical" Cal football craziness.
Fired coach bounce. If we fired Wilcox before the Stanford game, we probably beat Stanford and lose to SMU
Can we fire 12 coaches in a season to go undefeated?
We should certainly try it
Best CAL comeback victory I can remember. JKS is the real deal: 31/40 - 330 yards. WOW! Where are we going bowling?
1993 Oregon. Down 30-0.
I was there for that one!! Freshman year and stuck through the whole thing.
That was one of the games where my girlfriend got a glimpse of the sickness she would eventually marry into.
Oregon at home in 1993. Was on rally comm!
I don’t know, Goffs comeback victory over ASU in the frigid cold of Memorial in 2015 was better and a true comeback victory
That was nuts. It was actually cold in an almost east coast sense at that game. Watching the kick go thru the uprights as time ran out was beautiful. And the magic of college football. The divine moments of doing the impossible and also being on the other side of it.
Kalfani Muhammad was ridiculous in that game.
Both were/are super enjoyable. At this point tonight's win seems to have a bigger positive impact.
They are but I guess it comes down to your definition of “come back”.
Goff and Cal against ASU was down the majority of the game and didn’t lead until very late in the 4th quarter.
Tonight, Cal led for the majority of the game and needed a last minute to win a game that they led
Real deal is an understatement
Cal > SMU's $20 million roster
Cal minus $5 million Wilcox > SMU's $20 million roster
When's the last time that Cal did not have a losing conference record?
Somehow cruelly fitting that Wilcox did not make it to the promised land.
2008 for sure. Maybe 2009 as Justbear guessed.
6-3 in 2008, 5-4 in 2009
2009?
Man, I thought Wilcox was bad at getting the team in the right mindset for games. It felt so nice to see them play like this
actually one of the things I disliked about Wilcox was how conservative the team got once we had the lead. No effort to score, just trying to keep the lead. This woudl contribute to us losing our leads in the 2nd half... got to stop playing scared and defensive.
Yeah, except we almost lost the game and it looked like the exact same Cal team
That last TD sure seemed unlikely after SMU's go ahead TD. What a gritty TD drive & final stop of SMU for the whole team.
I’ll take all the almost losses I can get
I agree
Down by four against a superior opponent and having coughed a 17 point lead — these guys deserve all of the credit for driving the field for a td and then stopping smu. No negatives on this glorious night.
This game felt like David Byrne’s Feelings album.
WOO HOOO
PAC 12 AFTER DARK FOREVER
these things...and Bill Walton...gone forever. Not forgotten.
Unholy matrimony of Coastal Chaos and Pac-12 After Dark...
You can take cal out of the pac 12 ….
This is why I go to f***ing games!
Ditto. Tho tonight I had to hold a hot cuppa to feel my fingers again!
My hat is off to you, HelloBowlesHall!
Way to show up with pride bears. Keep it up
Congrats Rolo!
IMHO Rolo is our next HC.
If he's not he's going to be someone else's HC
Lol all 20 fans rushing the field
Someone do the math if those students have enough mass to tear down those goal posts
As they should
I wonder where Wilcox is right now. If he watched this game or not.
It would defy everything I know about him to think that he a) didn’t watch and b) wasn’t proud of his staff and players
It would defy everything I learned about him if he wasn't griping about how it wasn't a special win and that everyone has to improve...
Great heart and great win by the bears. Go Bears Forever!
Rolovich looks like he's looking off to a teleprompter
Fun!! Just fun.
As much as this team has been maligned and sloppy and inconsistent, they really played for pride today. It's still a good day to be a bear and still a chance that we can get JKS to stay. I guess I better donate to NIL.
incredible job boys
Can we go to the ACC championship game in place of SMU?
We have the same record as Duke, just saying
O.....M.....F.....G. GO BEARS FOREVER!!!!!!!
I am amazed
We play up and down and up to the level of our competition!
We beat Top 25 teams in 2 of the last 3 games.
everyone Cal fan at CMS deserves this win! and after this year, so do we! Go Bears!
Jesus. Did we just win against a team with 19 players on the field?
De Jesus
Miraculous!
YOU KNOW IT!
You tell the story….
You tell the whole damn world...
This is Bear Territory!
You know it
WE PLAYED SPOILER!!!
We win!!!!!!!!!
😱