Since 1960 we have had just 12 seasons where we finished above .500 in conference play. Think about that. The winningest coach during this time was Tedford who brought us almost half of those seasons. Now the game is changed to semi-professional status with all the NIL monies, and we keep thinking there is another young, talented, hungry coach willing to work for relative Cal peanuts. Either we play in the game or we don’t, not just emotionally but financially. We have the fans and talent to support fantastic lower-revenue programs like rugby, crew, swimming, polo - why NOT football (to the Cal AD-Admin)? Run the spreadsheet - you in or out? I’m going to my 52nd consecutive Big Game on Saturday to sit in the rain hoping again. Go Bears
Jan. 1, 1959, Rose Bowl. Cal vs. Iowa. Iowa 38, Cal 12. Last time Cal went to the Rose Bowl. 65 years ago! Doesn't that sort of sum up the Cal football program? Sad and depressing for an old Cal fan who got "hooked" on them when he was 10.
I was at that Rose Bowl. Joe Kapp was the QB. I've missed 9 since, Viet Nam and coaching took those. I'll be an optimistic Bear fan til I leave this planet.
Since 1964 I've missed two Big Games in Berkeley ('78 and '80). This will be my 46th overall. I'll renew my season tickets for next season because it's in my DNA but I'm not thrilled about the future and won't be until there's a new head coach.
Syracuse wanted it more. That was apparent from the start. They had way more energy than Cal. One of the worst Cal performances in their mediocre football history. The stadium looked only partially filled. If they want to compete at a high level and draw fan interest they must decide to make football more of a priority.
Fans have shown the support, as evidenced by GameDay, etc.
Donors have shown the support, as our NIL program through CALegends, while not Ohio State or Alabama-levels, is strong and commensurate with similar schools.
This program is slowly dying before our very eyes. That is what is at stake.
Sadly necessary and well said. To the point: At the start of the season my wife and I made plans to return to Berkeley for our Anniversary ( we were married in Tilden Park), and to catch the Big Game. My wife goes to one game every three years. We bought tickets. We will be going as planned, but instead of going to the Big Game, we will spend the day in Point Reyes or The City. No need to risk being on our butts for 4 hours watching this team play like they did with Syracuse or the other painful losses I've seen this year. I will not be renewing season tickets next year. How deeply sad for me. My whole family is sad for me.
For what it's worth, I think you should go to the game and keep your season tickets. I've had a realization this season that so much of the game-day experience for me isn't what happens on the field, it's bigger than that.
Am I thrilled with the outcome? Definitely not.
But I take an immense amount of pride (and it sounds like you do as well) in being a Cal graduate and gameday's just hit different these days.
Defense has not been the same since Wilcox inexplicably demoted DeR to promote Sirmon. And could not believe how Stanford came back down 14 pts with 9 min left. Great/gutsy play calling by our Cal QB (sorry I meant Stanfords HC and OC)…..lol
Right, Tim Derutter is an outstanding defensive coach, though I thought Cristobal poached him. Stanfurd’s ability to come back from 14 points with 9 minutes on the clock in large part was the Troy Taylor factor. Just think, after a 5-7 season had, Knowlton had any modicum of foresight he had an opportunity to land a football savant in Taylor. Instead, he extends Wilcox’s contract.
I could be wrong, but as I recall DeR was not poached until a year after he had been demoted from DC to either co-DC or something even lesser to make room for Sirmon as THE DC
After reviewing the game replay, it was evident that losing Uluave really hurt. As a former ILB coach, that's who I replay the most in review and Barth and Williams were making really bad reads during the plays and were out of position a lot and over pursuing on tackling angles. I sure hope Uluave is back for the BIG Game.
As I've written in other posts, Wilcox teams have lost ~2/3 of their conference games. Like many, I bought into the lie that the ACC was weaker than the Pac-12, and the Golden Bears would feast on ACC teams. Well, we are 1-5 in the ACC, losing to losers like NC State and a terrible FL State. A win for the Axe will not remove the stink from this program, and we are currently perfectly positioned for relegation when that comes. Following in the steps of Oregon State is something no one wants, so to that end we need to move on from a very nice man, but an unsuccessful head coach in Justin Wilcox.
The ACC this year is worse than the Pac 12 last year. There's not a single team in the same league as Washington or Oregon last year. Arizona would probably win it. Even 2023 Utah, USC, Oregon State would probably be 6-2, 5-3 in conference type teams. Problem is, we somehow managed to get worse.
Assuming we take the axe and lose to SMU, our record in the ACC will be 2-6, a win % in the conference of 25%. That is unacceptable to even the most ardent Knowlton/Wilcox supporters. The transfer portal will be disastrous I fear, and NIL $ will stop until we have a proven winning coach. We can't have JW coming back next year, period.
First part is easy: fire all Cal DEI employees and defund all Cal DEI programs. That will easily cover the cost of JW's contract. 2nd is harder - truckloads of blue and gold ties delivered to Nick Saban's house and lots of prayers...
1. Big Game win = Groundhog Day Effect where Wilcox is “okay” resets.
2. Rumor has it Big donors want Knowlton gone, first. Knowlton “gone” is complicated by ongoing investigation into wrongdoing regarding not firing women’s swim coach fast enough.
Final comment/question…….does anyone understand the “logic” of turning down a 15 yd penalty in the 1st quarter, which would have put them out of field goal range with 3rd and forever? Which led to them making a very makable 42 yd field goal. To me that was a bizarre mental breakdown by the coaching staff!
Seriously, brutal. But these things tend to happen when your Head football Coach is completely overmatched. Give up the 3 instead of 7? Was he that worried we’d be so undisciplined as to get flagged for a PI and automatic 1st down?
It seems that once again, deficiencies in the o-line are a big part of several problems. Trouble running inside, better, but still inconsistent outside running (because interior running is not a concern for defenses), issues with keeping RBs healthy and QB upright, passing game inconsistencies probably related to being hurried, problems with placekicks, and a defense constantly under pressure.
And WtFC posts about makeshift and shifting o-line personnel, and lack of depth, and questioning offensive theory (possibly constrained by issues up front?). Have I read these storylines before?
Very few 9-12 win seasons, and top quarter of conference standings and rankings, occur behind out-manned o-lines. Most good o-lines produce top quadrant teams.
For all of us ruminating on our present predicament, this podcast does an excellent job of unraveling the flaws in present day NCAA sports. It begins with a great explanation of why Nick Saban retires.
I’m not excusing, Wilcox, but our record, for this year, may have been pre-ordained. I need to say, I’m not a fan of ACC Commissioner, Jim Phillips, about whom I can’t help, but feel has shepherded the narrative we are living this year. Elevating both Miami and SMU have become the clear hope to counter balance the dominance of Clemson and FSU. Not saying he acted directly, but wishing at a high level (wink, wink) can often make lower levels fulfill those wishes. That being said, this podcast does a great job of laying out the chaos and survival tactics conference leaders such as Phillips must face and employ. I think we were invited to raises the conference’s Olympic and academic signatures, but not to bring down the salvation narrative of the ACC. We will not be allowed to upset SMU, IMHO, though this year has me supposing it unlikely, in any case. All we, now, have is the Big Game. Our Groundhog Purgatory continues ad infinitum.
Perhaps if Cal had won enough ACC games, SMU or Syracuse wouldn’t be allowed to upset us. Coaching and Cal were responsible for all those close ACC losses, not the ACC commissioner. I might, for a second entertain such conspiracy theories if Cal were actually ever good under Wilcox and Wilcox could actually produce a winning conference record but it is just the same ol’ Winless Wilcox in conference play. No need for the ACC commissioner to implement some grand conspiracy to keep Cal from winning the ACC when we Wilcox will do it himself.
Not to discount all the bottom dweller doom generated by this loss, interesting that The Athletic’s rankings list vaulted Syracuse from 40 to 30 after their Cal win, while we only slid 2 spots down (granted, to an ugly 62 from prior week 60).
Good summation of a really bad game Nick, thank you. Hard to sit and stand through that one. We will be going to the game with Stanford. I have no expectations, except that it will rain.
You are down 16 and it’s a two score game, it’s 4th and 9 so you decide to kick the field goal to make it a two score game.
How many 4th down conversion did the defense give up again? It seems like everyone can convert a key 4th down attempt against us but we are unable to convert a critical 4th down attempt against our opponents.
On decision to use Morris or Coe, I guarantee he did that so he can decide if Morris is worthy of a scholarship next season or if he needs to go out and get a different kicker.
We had this year's scholarship kicker last year but the scholly was with the guy that left for the soccer team over the summer. So he bailed and we're paying for it.
Bsghani missed a 44 yard fg last Saturday, just sayin’. There was a logic to Wilcox’s choice. Now. instead of a stronger kicker, he might have prioritized linemen, instead, while living with Baghani’s range.
But I think he's been pretty steady this season. I bet he makes the shorter kicks that Coe/Morris have missed that would've won against FSU, Miami, and NC State.
Since 1960 we have had just 12 seasons where we finished above .500 in conference play. Think about that. The winningest coach during this time was Tedford who brought us almost half of those seasons. Now the game is changed to semi-professional status with all the NIL monies, and we keep thinking there is another young, talented, hungry coach willing to work for relative Cal peanuts. Either we play in the game or we don’t, not just emotionally but financially. We have the fans and talent to support fantastic lower-revenue programs like rugby, crew, swimming, polo - why NOT football (to the Cal AD-Admin)? Run the spreadsheet - you in or out? I’m going to my 52nd consecutive Big Game on Saturday to sit in the rain hoping again. Go Bears
I’m in Winebear, it’s a matter of commitment starting with the administration. I’ll be heading to my 50th consecutive Big Game.
Turned fifty in Septiembre…you haven’t missed a Big Game in my lifetime.
Mad respect!
Jan. 1, 1959, Rose Bowl. Cal vs. Iowa. Iowa 38, Cal 12. Last time Cal went to the Rose Bowl. 65 years ago! Doesn't that sort of sum up the Cal football program? Sad and depressing for an old Cal fan who got "hooked" on them when he was 10.
I was at that Rose Bowl. Joe Kapp was the QB. I've missed 9 since, Viet Nam and coaching took those. I'll be an optimistic Bear fan til I leave this planet.
Since 1964 I've missed two Big Games in Berkeley ('78 and '80). This will be my 46th overall. I'll renew my season tickets for next season because it's in my DNA but I'm not thrilled about the future and won't be until there's a new head coach.
Syracuse wanted it more. That was apparent from the start. They had way more energy than Cal. One of the worst Cal performances in their mediocre football history. The stadium looked only partially filled. If they want to compete at a high level and draw fan interest they must decide to make football more of a priority.
Yeah, we honestly looked like we were phoning it in.
Which is truly unacceptable.
Fans have shown the support, as evidenced by GameDay, etc.
Donors have shown the support, as our NIL program through CALegends, while not Ohio State or Alabama-levels, is strong and commensurate with similar schools.
This program is slowly dying before our very eyes. That is what is at stake.
Sadly necessary and well said. To the point: At the start of the season my wife and I made plans to return to Berkeley for our Anniversary ( we were married in Tilden Park), and to catch the Big Game. My wife goes to one game every three years. We bought tickets. We will be going as planned, but instead of going to the Big Game, we will spend the day in Point Reyes or The City. No need to risk being on our butts for 4 hours watching this team play like they did with Syracuse or the other painful losses I've seen this year. I will not be renewing season tickets next year. How deeply sad for me. My whole family is sad for me.
For what it's worth, I think you should go to the game and keep your season tickets. I've had a realization this season that so much of the game-day experience for me isn't what happens on the field, it's bigger than that.
Am I thrilled with the outcome? Definitely not.
But I take an immense amount of pride (and it sounds like you do as well) in being a Cal graduate and gameday's just hit different these days.
Happy Anniversary, have an incredible time.
It’s been a mostly painful season and on the verge of 5-7.
Your alternate choice sound smarter and less painful.
Happy anniversary!
Defense has not been the same since Wilcox inexplicably demoted DeR to promote Sirmon. And could not believe how Stanford came back down 14 pts with 9 min left. Great/gutsy play calling by our Cal QB (sorry I meant Stanfords HC and OC)…..lol
Right, Tim Derutter is an outstanding defensive coach, though I thought Cristobal poached him. Stanfurd’s ability to come back from 14 points with 9 minutes on the clock in large part was the Troy Taylor factor. Just think, after a 5-7 season had, Knowlton had any modicum of foresight he had an opportunity to land a football savant in Taylor. Instead, he extends Wilcox’s contract.
I could be wrong, but as I recall DeR was not poached until a year after he had been demoted from DC to either co-DC or something even lesser to make room for Sirmon as THE DC
This is correct.
Sirmon became DC and TDR was demoted to co-DC. Following year, he went to Oregon.
Did anyone notice that DR completely shut down Cal’s offense as Texas Tech’s DC in our long awaited bowl game last December? It was very bad
I think a lot of people noticed.
TDR gave a blueprint for every program to shut Cal’s O down: pressure.
yep, our best defenses were when Tim DeRuyter coached Sonny Dykes recruits
“Isn’t it ironic…dont ya think?” (Credit: Allonis Morissette).
After reviewing the game replay, it was evident that losing Uluave really hurt. As a former ILB coach, that's who I replay the most in review and Barth and Williams were making really bad reads during the plays and were out of position a lot and over pursuing on tackling angles. I sure hope Uluave is back for the BIG Game.
Uluave will play on Sundays. You lose that and you’re gonna have troubles, especially against a team that can move the ball like Syracuse.
I was disappointed with the effort. The team by and large looked unprepared and disinterested. Given all that was at stake, that was troublesome.
By the way, did anyone turn the TV over to how 'furd beat Louisville? What a crazy (and stupid by Louisville) ending...
Coach Wilcox, just win Big Game!
The end of the Furd Miracle finish was amazing. They’re plucky and persistent Trees, so it’s gonna be a tough Big Game.
Liked because it's the truth and it needs to be acknowledged.
Do you feel like this game showed poor strategic design by Sirmon via "The Bears were unprepared to handle what Syracuse’s offense threw at them."?
Yes. Other teams who beat them used A LOT of pressure on McxCord (their QB). We didn't!!
Rush 3… ughh. He had enough time to shower.
That being said, they have some good talent and even better coaching.
Yes. I really think they were a better team because of their superior talent on the O line and McCord is a really good QB.
As I've written in other posts, Wilcox teams have lost ~2/3 of their conference games. Like many, I bought into the lie that the ACC was weaker than the Pac-12, and the Golden Bears would feast on ACC teams. Well, we are 1-5 in the ACC, losing to losers like NC State and a terrible FL State. A win for the Axe will not remove the stink from this program, and we are currently perfectly positioned for relegation when that comes. Following in the steps of Oregon State is something no one wants, so to that end we need to move on from a very nice man, but an unsuccessful head coach in Justin Wilcox.
The ACC this year is worse than the Pac 12 last year. There's not a single team in the same league as Washington or Oregon last year. Arizona would probably win it. Even 2023 Utah, USC, Oregon State would probably be 6-2, 5-3 in conference type teams. Problem is, we somehow managed to get worse.
Assuming we take the axe and lose to SMU, our record in the ACC will be 2-6, a win % in the conference of 25%. That is unacceptable to even the most ardent Knowlton/Wilcox supporters. The transfer portal will be disastrous I fear, and NIL $ will stop until we have a proven winning coach. We can't have JW coming back next year, period.
How are you going to pay to release him from his contract and hire a proven head coach?
First part is easy: fire all Cal DEI employees and defund all Cal DEI programs. That will easily cover the cost of JW's contract. 2nd is harder - truckloads of blue and gold ties delivered to Nick Saban's house and lots of prayers...
Well.
1. Big Game win = Groundhog Day Effect where Wilcox is “okay” resets.
2. Rumor has it Big donors want Knowlton gone, first. Knowlton “gone” is complicated by ongoing investigation into wrongdoing regarding not firing women’s swim coach fast enough.
Agree, Cal should clean house on Knowlton AND JW.
Final comment/question…….does anyone understand the “logic” of turning down a 15 yd penalty in the 1st quarter, which would have put them out of field goal range with 3rd and forever? Which led to them making a very makable 42 yd field goal. To me that was a bizarre mental breakdown by the coaching staff!
Seriously, brutal. But these things tend to happen when your Head football Coach is completely overmatched. Give up the 3 instead of 7? Was he that worried we’d be so undisciplined as to get flagged for a PI and automatic 1st down?
Smells a lot like Wilcox playing not to lose.
It seems that once again, deficiencies in the o-line are a big part of several problems. Trouble running inside, better, but still inconsistent outside running (because interior running is not a concern for defenses), issues with keeping RBs healthy and QB upright, passing game inconsistencies probably related to being hurried, problems with placekicks, and a defense constantly under pressure.
And WtFC posts about makeshift and shifting o-line personnel, and lack of depth, and questioning offensive theory (possibly constrained by issues up front?). Have I read these storylines before?
Very few 9-12 win seasons, and top quarter of conference standings and rankings, occur behind out-manned o-lines. Most good o-lines produce top quadrant teams.
Thanks, Nick.
For all of us ruminating on our present predicament, this podcast does an excellent job of unraveling the flaws in present day NCAA sports. It begins with a great explanation of why Nick Saban retires.
I’m not excusing, Wilcox, but our record, for this year, may have been pre-ordained. I need to say, I’m not a fan of ACC Commissioner, Jim Phillips, about whom I can’t help, but feel has shepherded the narrative we are living this year. Elevating both Miami and SMU have become the clear hope to counter balance the dominance of Clemson and FSU. Not saying he acted directly, but wishing at a high level (wink, wink) can often make lower levels fulfill those wishes. That being said, this podcast does a great job of laying out the chaos and survival tactics conference leaders such as Phillips must face and employ. I think we were invited to raises the conference’s Olympic and academic signatures, but not to bring down the salvation narrative of the ACC. We will not be allowed to upset SMU, IMHO, though this year has me supposing it unlikely, in any case. All we, now, have is the Big Game. Our Groundhog Purgatory continues ad infinitum.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/who-killed-college-football/id1769539642
Perhaps if Cal had won enough ACC games, SMU or Syracuse wouldn’t be allowed to upset us. Coaching and Cal were responsible for all those close ACC losses, not the ACC commissioner. I might, for a second entertain such conspiracy theories if Cal were actually ever good under Wilcox and Wilcox could actually produce a winning conference record but it is just the same ol’ Winless Wilcox in conference play. No need for the ACC commissioner to implement some grand conspiracy to keep Cal from winning the ACC when we Wilcox will do it himself.
Maybe he was betting on “Winless Wilcox,” when we got too close with Miami and he “dropped the quarter”
Not to discount all the bottom dweller doom generated by this loss, interesting that The Athletic’s rankings list vaulted Syracuse from 40 to 30 after their Cal win, while we only slid 2 spots down (granted, to an ugly 62 from prior week 60).
Good summation of a really bad game Nick, thank you. Hard to sit and stand through that one. We will be going to the game with Stanford. I have no expectations, except that it will rain.
Justin Wilcox is such a bad coach.
You are down 16 and it’s a two score game, it’s 4th and 9 so you decide to kick the field goal to make it a two score game.
How many 4th down conversion did the defense give up again? It seems like everyone can convert a key 4th down attempt against us but we are unable to convert a critical 4th down attempt against our opponents.
On decision to use Morris or Coe, I guarantee he did that so he can decide if Morris is worthy of a scholarship next season or if he needs to go out and get a different kicker.
We had this year's scholarship kicker last year but the scholly was with the guy that left for the soccer team over the summer. So he bailed and we're paying for it.
Bsghani missed a 44 yard fg last Saturday, just sayin’. There was a logic to Wilcox’s choice. Now. instead of a stronger kicker, he might have prioritized linemen, instead, while living with Baghani’s range.
Sorry, B, but there was no justification for not giving Mateen a scholarship. None.
Typical Wilcox incompetence - pissed away an absolute GIFT. Kid EARNED the scholly by stabilizing the kicking game and saving the season.
Wilcox remains borderline useless.
But I think he's been pretty steady this season. I bet he makes the shorter kicks that Coe/Morris have missed that would've won against FSU, Miami, and NC State.
He’s been more than solid.
To lose even 1 game this year because of PK failures is completely on Dope Wilcox.
Yeah, and actually Baghani’s got a 57-yarder he made earlier this year, too, if memory serves.
I concur. Sadly.
We need to hire Eric Bieniemy from the powder blue bear!