A cautionary tale: when SMU decided to make the jump to the ACC, they put together a very wealthy syndicate to the tune of money is no object. They spent like drunken sailors to buy the best players and coaches they could find. And yet, here they were on Saturday night, playing for the right to be in the ACC championship game against a team that had nothing to lose and against which they were favored to win by multiple touchdowns. Ron Rivera will do everything he can to restore Cal football to something resembling the Pappy Waldorf years, but even that doesn’t guarantee overwhelming success. That said, Indiana did it with a brilliant coach and Cal’s QB. We’ve got an even better QB now so if there were ever a time to make it to the top of the P4, the time is now!
I've been thinking a lot about the points you make here...look around the country and see the massive moves various teams have made, only to be disappointed and looking for a new coach. Remember 50% of teams lose very weekend, even great teams with great programs. We need to keep this in perspective during these next couple of years as we rebuild. That said, hanging on to JKS and putting a great program around him should certainly set us up for an amazing run...Go Bears Forever!
Cignetti at Indiana the model for maybe 30 teams who think that they can win championships if the money is available. But as TKE says, it’s a zero sum game, and the vast majority will fail no matter what they spend.
This thinking is driving up coach’s salaries, but that doesn’t mean the coaches are getting any better. $10M today will get you the same guy, and the same results, as $2M got you a few years ago.
If I was a big donor, I would curse Cignetti every day of the week and twice in Saturday.
Cignetti is perfect for this era where you can reload every single year with an entirely new roster.
The thing that makes Cignetti so successful is his plug and play offensive system, from blocking down to the skill positions. Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza probably do not get drafted if they’d gone to >90% of the schools out there, but Cignetti makes them successful in his 1-read scheme where the ball is out so quick.
And because his system is plug and play, he can navigate this Nil/portal era better than most because he’s looking for specific tools and has no shortage of NIL funds and B1G $$$. Plus he schedules The School For The Little Sisters of the Poor in OOC
Look where Cignetti came from: JMU. Look at Kaelin DeBoers history. Neither of those guys had P4 HC experience but had winning track records everywhere they coached. It's about building a culture, recruiting the talent to fit you culture and and having a system that works. We don't need to find a P4 head coach (in fact we probably can't afford or attract a winning P$ HC). We need to find a coach with a great track record as a HC all along their career path. But I also really think Cliff Kingsbury would be a great fit at CAL and even better for JKS.
Just curious. Do you think Beau Baldwin would have been successful as HC at Cal? If we hired him as HC back in 2017 or even now? He was 85-32 at EWU. But then, he was 4-21 at Cal Poly. So winning didn't translate even at the FCS to FCS transition.
No. I actually didn’t think he was a great OC. Any coordinator who doesn’t have a list of players in front of him and doesn’t sit up in the box above and call plays is not a real coordinator.
BB said that he used to call plays based on what he thought of the time. That’s great at lower levels, but not when you’re competing against brilliant minds in the P4, or then, P5 level. You’ve gotta know what the opponents call tendencies are, and down and distance tendencies, and probabilities of all that stuff, and then make the best call that you can make. You don’t do that showing up without a list of plays you’re gonna run that you practiced during team sessions the week before the game.
I am not talking about BB as OC. You said HC with a great track record of winning, and BB had that. Do you think he would have been successful as Cal HC?
Btw I was really excited when he was named our OC on inaugural Wilcox staff. He turned out to be terrible OC.
I mean, was he terrible or did he just have below average P12 players because Wilcox could not recruit that side of the ball for schitt? Cal’s best O of the Wilcox era came under BB, so it was probably more of a Wilcox culture problem, surprise surprise. No one wins at Cal Poly, tho his time in SLO was ugly.
But Baldwin won a natty at Eastern WA and his passing game resulted in Cooper Kupp setting a bunch of NCAA records so saying BB can’t coach O seems incorrect.
Completely agree. Even with the loss to Cal, SMU had a very successful season this season by Cal's historical standards. Sure, we all want a conference championship and a spot in the CFP, but that's levels up from where we've been. First step, win consistently in your own conference and break the current 16-year streak of not having a winning conference record. Then start gunning for more.
LOVE the shout-out to Adams; every time I saw him I thought “Man, that kid is electric!” Glad you put facts to my gut feeling. Also, I’m nearly as concerned about keeping Cade as I am JKS, but maybe because I think it’s unlikely we keep JKS. Although…… the primary school I’ve been expecting him to go to is UO, and if their best recruiter is our next coach then…… well, I’ll wait for an announcement then start dreaming.
We got 3 years from Cade so I'm not too concerned. He is great but not irreplaceable. I would love to have him back of course, but someone will emerge (Although it's not Wilcox defense anymore so who knows).
I think we are all generally in a good mood right now. It is so good to end the season with a win. We will get a new head coach, see some exciting players come in. If we just win the bowl game and keep JKS, I think we can ride the good mood until September 2026.
Why in the world didn't Cal use Quaron Adams much more all year? The separation he got in limited action was insane owing to his blazing speed. Is it a coincidence that the first game Wilcox is gone he has his best game of the year?
The payout in the Hawaii Bowl is $1.2M total (split by the conference/teams). The payout for the Liberty Bowl is $4.7M. And Cal gets to practice more and play after the New Year on a bigger stage. As much as Hawaii is great and all, Cal would be far better off getting into the Liberty Bowl or similar level.
Criminally underutilized. When he's on the field, he's clearly the fastest guy on the field. And we had him on the bench all year because, what, he plays the same position as de Jesus? Moronic.
I remember seeing him for the first time v UNC and thinking “Who TF is this kid and where’s he been?”
The fact that it took a month and a half for him to see more than 1 touch in a ballgame is sheer insanity and really makes you wonder what Harsin is looking at.
Just one of the many reasons I haven’t been all that impressed with the O under Harsin, TBH.
Q’s speed jumps off the film - anyone can see it. For an offense so lacking in big plays, getting more touches for the fastest guy on the team seems like something you should try to do as a play caller.
Indiana has succeeded to a large part because their Oline and Dline are amazing. The next Cal coach needs to be a great recruiter of the guys in the trenches.
My new target for CAL HC: Cliff Kingsbury currently OC at the Washington Commanders. He had no chance at Arizona and is a QB guru. Would be great for JKS. And, RR has a great connection with the Washington Commanders. Heard Tosh is going to Penn State. That would be a good place for him.
A very informed college football insider.it’s not final but apparently there is an offer, and Tosh likes it. Maybe he’ll try to use it to get more money out of CAL. ;-)
I did see today that both Desean Jackson and Cam Jordan were on Twitter lobbying Cal to hire Tosh. Not really sure they'd be doing that if he was just a name being thrown around the rumor mill.
"Offensive Coordinators Brian Hartline, Buster Faulkner, Will Stein, and Tosh Lupoi would all make great hires for a program that hasn't been able to find success with it's passing attack. Penn State could also hire a defensive minded head coach and pick one of Glenn Schumann or Blake Baker." This is not a serious source. I like Tosh and think he'd be a good fit for Cal, but for Penn State? If they spent tens of millions to buy out Franklin only to go out and hire a coordinator, their fanbase would revolt.
Yeah, the fan base thinks they're getting a Kiffin type of guy. They swear they can pry a proven winner, like Deboer or Riley, away from other blue bloods. They're fishing in a different pond. They would absolutely revolt if they took all this time to take a chance on a coordinator.
I didn't know Tosh was an offensive coordinator. I also did not know Brian Hartline was an offensive coordinator at the Ohio State. He was an NFL player just until recently
Would be hilarious if he's just using this to leverage the BYU admin and then burns Penn State at the last minute. I will forever rejoice in any pain and suffering the blue bloods are forced to endure. Especially blue bloods that have historically turned a blind eye to abuse of kids. May that institution forever rot in hell.
Tosh had all these years to become HC. He was a very well known and highly regarded assistant coach for many years. Why is he all the sudden taking a HC job now that Cal is trying to make him their HC? Either Tosh likes to troll us, or his agent is leaking rumors.
There are no Tosh rumors anywhere other than some random blog I found that listed tosh as an offensive coordinator. Rugbear either has deeeeep connections or he’s bullshittinng us.
I see. That's good. I don't care if Tosh does not become Cal HC. There are many good candidates. However, I would be so bummed if Tosh becomes HC somewhere before Cal fills its HC position. It's going to feel like a big L for Cal.
whatever happens with JKS - just wanted to say thank you for infusing top notch entertainment and some thrilling moments into a season we had all written off
Rivalry week was last week, and the Bears lost badly. The play was sloppy (3 fumbles, 13 penalties). It was a nice show of resilience against SMU, and finally throwing the ball downfield was fun to see. But, sorry, SMU is not a rivalry opponent.
Yeah, I like the dry humor. If we are to develop anything resembling a rivalry then it should be called something like the Culture (Club?) Clash with a fun, weird memento like:
1. The Texas (Taxes?) Toast. 2. The Golden Weight (Wait?). What.
Yeah, I could see it turning into something too, the obvious question is if we're actually going to be playing them every year for longer than the next 5-6 years until the next round of realignment.
I think you kind of missed the point. As the only other permanent team on our schedule the ACC wants this game to become a rivalry game. Of course it's not traditionally a rivalry game (yet), but if it becomes a back and forth W/L series that has an effect on the conference standings, who knows. Also I'm pretty sure it was said tongue in cheek, because our real rivalry game was such a stinker.
The defensive struggles began when smoo went up tempo on offense. Not sure if that limited subs or defensive sets or play calls. But it was immediately noticeable that we were back on our heels.
We need that Cal Head Coach big board 2.0 and quick. Things are changing rapidly. We may have already missed our guy now that the North Texas and JMU guys are off the board. I'm starting to get the feeling we are resigned to Lupoi, if no reasonable candidate is left.
Ugh. The thought of rooting for someone who burned a bridge years ago with the University and the fan base is unpalatable. I will still be a cal fan but I will trust and like him ...not so much. We need new blood not someone like him. I would be delighted if he went to Penn state.
As I keep saying, merely keeping JKS from tragically seeing his season (and Cal career) end because of a "bout with influenza", enabled us to beat SMU. That's all it took, right?
Hopefully Rivera is moving quickly on the new coach. Pretty much every other opening has been filled, and need the new guy to start recruiting and retaining players asap.
If Lupoi is using us again to get to a higher profile program we're screwed. I ask only that RR rely only on facts of past behavior as an indicator of future behavior. Just because a snake sheds it's skin does not mean it is no longer a snake.
A cautionary tale: when SMU decided to make the jump to the ACC, they put together a very wealthy syndicate to the tune of money is no object. They spent like drunken sailors to buy the best players and coaches they could find. And yet, here they were on Saturday night, playing for the right to be in the ACC championship game against a team that had nothing to lose and against which they were favored to win by multiple touchdowns. Ron Rivera will do everything he can to restore Cal football to something resembling the Pappy Waldorf years, but even that doesn’t guarantee overwhelming success. That said, Indiana did it with a brilliant coach and Cal’s QB. We’ve got an even better QB now so if there were ever a time to make it to the top of the P4, the time is now!
I've been thinking a lot about the points you make here...look around the country and see the massive moves various teams have made, only to be disappointed and looking for a new coach. Remember 50% of teams lose very weekend, even great teams with great programs. We need to keep this in perspective during these next couple of years as we rebuild. That said, hanging on to JKS and putting a great program around him should certainly set us up for an amazing run...Go Bears Forever!
And don't forget maintaining JKS' upper respiratory health--that's a key too!
Cignetti at Indiana the model for maybe 30 teams who think that they can win championships if the money is available. But as TKE says, it’s a zero sum game, and the vast majority will fail no matter what they spend.
This thinking is driving up coach’s salaries, but that doesn’t mean the coaches are getting any better. $10M today will get you the same guy, and the same results, as $2M got you a few years ago.
If I was a big donor, I would curse Cignetti every day of the week and twice in Saturday.
Cignetti is perfect for this era where you can reload every single year with an entirely new roster.
The thing that makes Cignetti so successful is his plug and play offensive system, from blocking down to the skill positions. Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza probably do not get drafted if they’d gone to >90% of the schools out there, but Cignetti makes them successful in his 1-read scheme where the ball is out so quick.
And because his system is plug and play, he can navigate this Nil/portal era better than most because he’s looking for specific tools and has no shortage of NIL funds and B1G $$$. Plus he schedules The School For The Little Sisters of the Poor in OOC
Indiana's defense is elite in multiple categories too.. so it's not just offense.
Sure, but you’re not getting to the CFP in B2B years without an elite level offense, which Cignetti hangs his hat on.
Ask Ferentz at Iowa.
Look where Cignetti came from: JMU. Look at Kaelin DeBoers history. Neither of those guys had P4 HC experience but had winning track records everywhere they coached. It's about building a culture, recruiting the talent to fit you culture and and having a system that works. We don't need to find a P4 head coach (in fact we probably can't afford or attract a winning P$ HC). We need to find a coach with a great track record as a HC all along their career path. But I also really think Cliff Kingsbury would be a great fit at CAL and even better for JKS.
Just curious. Do you think Beau Baldwin would have been successful as HC at Cal? If we hired him as HC back in 2017 or even now? He was 85-32 at EWU. But then, he was 4-21 at Cal Poly. So winning didn't translate even at the FCS to FCS transition.
No. I actually didn’t think he was a great OC. Any coordinator who doesn’t have a list of players in front of him and doesn’t sit up in the box above and call plays is not a real coordinator.
BB said that he used to call plays based on what he thought of the time. That’s great at lower levels, but not when you’re competing against brilliant minds in the P4, or then, P5 level. You’ve gotta know what the opponents call tendencies are, and down and distance tendencies, and probabilities of all that stuff, and then make the best call that you can make. You don’t do that showing up without a list of plays you’re gonna run that you practiced during team sessions the week before the game.
I am not talking about BB as OC. You said HC with a great track record of winning, and BB had that. Do you think he would have been successful as Cal HC?
Btw I was really excited when he was named our OC on inaugural Wilcox staff. He turned out to be terrible OC.
I guess what I meant to say is if he’s not a good OC how is he gonna be a good HC?
I mean, was he terrible or did he just have below average P12 players because Wilcox could not recruit that side of the ball for schitt? Cal’s best O of the Wilcox era came under BB, so it was probably more of a Wilcox culture problem, surprise surprise. No one wins at Cal Poly, tho his time in SLO was ugly.
But Baldwin won a natty at Eastern WA and his passing game resulted in Cooper Kupp setting a bunch of NCAA records so saying BB can’t coach O seems incorrect.
I disagree that it didn’t work for SMU.
SMU made it to the ACC championship game last season, lost and still managed to get into the CFB playoffs. That is a very successful season, IMO.
Yes, we beat them and denied them a spot in the ACC championship game but to even be in that position is a success.
Completely agree. Even with the loss to Cal, SMU had a very successful season this season by Cal's historical standards. Sure, we all want a conference championship and a spot in the CFP, but that's levels up from where we've been. First step, win consistently in your own conference and break the current 16-year streak of not having a winning conference record. Then start gunning for more.
Yeah, that's pretty much what I would expect out of Cal to be a successful season.
yeah I remember being jealous when stanford got troy taylor... now, not so much
LOVE the shout-out to Adams; every time I saw him I thought “Man, that kid is electric!” Glad you put facts to my gut feeling. Also, I’m nearly as concerned about keeping Cade as I am JKS, but maybe because I think it’s unlikely we keep JKS. Although…… the primary school I’ve been expecting him to go to is UO, and if their best recruiter is our next coach then…… well, I’ll wait for an announcement then start dreaming.
He should’ve been getting touches for the past month.
Silly that he hasn’t.
We got 3 years from Cade so I'm not too concerned. He is great but not irreplaceable. I would love to have him back of course, but someone will emerge (Although it's not Wilcox defense anymore so who knows).
Ferrelli was a huge pleasant surprise this year. Need to make damn sure he sticks around.
What a wonderful way to end the season with the game going down to the wire! Congrats, BEARS! Very exciting!
I think we are all generally in a good mood right now. It is so good to end the season with a win. We will get a new head coach, see some exciting players come in. If we just win the bowl game and keep JKS, I think we can ride the good mood until September 2026.
Yes and, fwiw, probably ranked in next year’s top 25 preseason poll.
Bingo!
Rolovich did a great job as interim HC. He's been a successful HC before at Hawaii and Washington State.
Career .500 HC. Sound familiar?
A couple of thoughts....
Why in the world didn't Cal use Quaron Adams much more all year? The separation he got in limited action was insane owing to his blazing speed. Is it a coincidence that the first game Wilcox is gone he has his best game of the year?
The payout in the Hawaii Bowl is $1.2M total (split by the conference/teams). The payout for the Liberty Bowl is $4.7M. And Cal gets to practice more and play after the New Year on a bigger stage. As much as Hawaii is great and all, Cal would be far better off getting into the Liberty Bowl or similar level.
One of the ESPN writers has us going to the Liberty bowl against TCU. Would be fun - Cheez-It rematch against Sonny Dykes
Criminally underutilized. When he's on the field, he's clearly the fastest guy on the field. And we had him on the bench all year because, what, he plays the same position as de Jesus? Moronic.
I remember seeing him for the first time v UNC and thinking “Who TF is this kid and where’s he been?”
The fact that it took a month and a half for him to see more than 1 touch in a ballgame is sheer insanity and really makes you wonder what Harsin is looking at.
It must something that Harsin saw to keep Adams on the bench. I don't expect Harsin to reveal what it was either.
Just one of the many reasons I haven’t been all that impressed with the O under Harsin, TBH.
Q’s speed jumps off the film - anyone can see it. For an offense so lacking in big plays, getting more touches for the fastest guy on the team seems like something you should try to do as a play caller.
Indiana has succeeded to a large part because their Oline and Dline are amazing. The next Cal coach needs to be a great recruiter of the guys in the trenches.
My new target for CAL HC: Cliff Kingsbury currently OC at the Washington Commanders. He had no chance at Arizona and is a QB guru. Would be great for JKS. And, RR has a great connection with the Washington Commanders. Heard Tosh is going to Penn State. That would be a good place for him.
I have not heard anything re: Tosh to Penn State. Source?
A very informed college football insider.it’s not final but apparently there is an offer, and Tosh likes it. Maybe he’ll try to use it to get more money out of CAL. ;-)
All the reports right now say Penn has their sights on Kalani Sitake??
Why does that sound familiar?
As HC?
This article mentions Tosh, but it does so as a list of current coordinators, fwiw:
https://saturdayblitz.com/penn-state-s-coaching-search-takes-another-twist-with-ucla-s-hiring-bob-chesney
All other mentions of Tosh to Penn State came out around the time Franklin was canned.
I did see today that both Desean Jackson and Cam Jordan were on Twitter lobbying Cal to hire Tosh. Not really sure they'd be doing that if he was just a name being thrown around the rumor mill.
"Offensive Coordinators Brian Hartline, Buster Faulkner, Will Stein, and Tosh Lupoi would all make great hires for a program that hasn't been able to find success with it's passing attack. Penn State could also hire a defensive minded head coach and pick one of Glenn Schumann or Blake Baker." This is not a serious source. I like Tosh and think he'd be a good fit for Cal, but for Penn State? If they spent tens of millions to buy out Franklin only to go out and hire a coordinator, their fanbase would revolt.
Yeah, the fan base thinks they're getting a Kiffin type of guy. They swear they can pry a proven winner, like Deboer or Riley, away from other blue bloods. They're fishing in a different pond. They would absolutely revolt if they took all this time to take a chance on a coordinator.
I didn't know Tosh was an offensive coordinator. I also did not know Brian Hartline was an offensive coordinator at the Ohio State. He was an NFL player just until recently
Sitake is basically a done deal.
Would be hilarious if he's just using this to leverage the BYU admin and then burns Penn State at the last minute. I will forever rejoice in any pain and suffering the blue bloods are forced to endure. Especially blue bloods that have historically turned a blind eye to abuse of kids. May that institution forever rot in hell.
Tosh to State College is about as believable as Wilcox to Eugene.
Some may be lobbying for it, but there’s zero chance the fan base would take it.
Tosh had all these years to become HC. He was a very well known and highly regarded assistant coach for many years. Why is he all the sudden taking a HC job now that Cal is trying to make him their HC? Either Tosh likes to troll us, or his agent is leaking rumors.
There are no Tosh rumors anywhere other than some random blog I found that listed tosh as an offensive coordinator. Rugbear either has deeeeep connections or he’s bullshittinng us.
I see. That's good. I don't care if Tosh does not become Cal HC. There are many good candidates. However, I would be so bummed if Tosh becomes HC somewhere before Cal fills its HC position. It's going to feel like a big L for Cal.
whatever happens with JKS - just wanted to say thank you for infusing top notch entertainment and some thrilling moments into a season we had all written off
Rivalry week was last week, and the Bears lost badly. The play was sloppy (3 fumbles, 13 penalties). It was a nice show of resilience against SMU, and finally throwing the ball downfield was fun to see. But, sorry, SMU is not a rivalry opponent.
I knew I ran this risk when I made it so dry, but to be clear I was joking about SMU's rival status.
It was obvious to most of us at least.
Yeah, I like the dry humor. If we are to develop anything resembling a rivalry then it should be called something like the Culture (Club?) Clash with a fun, weird memento like:
1. The Texas (Taxes?) Toast. 2. The Golden Weight (Wait?). What.
I dunno.
I do think SMU could be our USC replacement rival.
Both private schools
Both Methodist schools
Both in urban areas
Yeah, I could see it turning into something too, the obvious question is if we're actually going to be playing them every year for longer than the next 5-6 years until the next round of realignment.
I've thought of U$C in a lot of ways. Being a Methodist School isn't one of them.
I think you kind of missed the point. As the only other permanent team on our schedule the ACC wants this game to become a rivalry game. Of course it's not traditionally a rivalry game (yet), but if it becomes a back and forth W/L series that has an effect on the conference standings, who knows. Also I'm pretty sure it was said tongue in cheek, because our real rivalry game was such a stinker.
The defensive struggles began when smoo went up tempo on offense. Not sure if that limited subs or defensive sets or play calls. But it was immediately noticeable that we were back on our heels.
We need that Cal Head Coach big board 2.0 and quick. Things are changing rapidly. We may have already missed our guy now that the North Texas and JMU guys are off the board. I'm starting to get the feeling we are resigned to Lupoi, if no reasonable candidate is left.
Lupoi was always the #1 candidate
Ugh. The thought of rooting for someone who burned a bridge years ago with the University and the fan base is unpalatable. I will still be a cal fan but I will trust and like him ...not so much. We need new blood not someone like him. I would be delighted if he went to Penn state.
As I keep saying, merely keeping JKS from tragically seeing his season (and Cal career) end because of a "bout with influenza", enabled us to beat SMU. That's all it took, right?
Hopefully Rivera is moving quickly on the new coach. Pretty much every other opening has been filled, and need the new guy to start recruiting and retaining players asap.
SMU is our only Guaranteed opponent for the next two years. That makes them a rival imho
If Lupoi is using us again to get to a higher profile program we're screwed. I ask only that RR rely only on facts of past behavior as an indicator of future behavior. Just because a snake sheds it's skin does not mean it is no longer a snake.