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Welcome to our weekly predictions post from our writers. You’ll see what they expect the score to be and any wacky or rational predictions they expect to see in each game!
Christopher_h
Scoreline: Cal wins 24-13
Cal rolls out a vanilla playbook ahead of the Auburn game, but the Cal defense proves too much for the one-dimensional running offense of North Texas. Cal's linebackers will be tested.
Berkelium97
Scoreline: Cal wins 27-17
I expect the Cal defense to dictate the game with stingy but not necessarily disruptive play. I have no idea what to expect from the offense, but there are enough playmakers that the Bears should break off a long TD or two. If not for surface-of-the-sun levels of heat, I'd predict a higher score. Instead both teams will be relying heavily on their depth in the second half.
Bentpawn
Scoreline Cal wins 38-28
Typical Wilcox game against someone we should beat. We lead 31-14 going into 4th quarter, heat plus Wilcox style leads to a minor crisis when UNT close the gap before we score a late TD to put it away.
Nick Kranz
Scoreline: Cal wins 27-17
Cal will move the ball well enough for optimists to stay optimistic, but haltingly enough for pessimists to stay pessimistic. Defense is fine, if not notably tested.
Rob Hwang
Scoreline: Cal wins 45-17
We get close to a #drop50 in Spav’s return to the Cal OC spot, but the separation in the score is vast and early that we let up in the 4th. Ott rushes for 150+ yards and 2 TDs. Jackson has 300+ combined yards and multiple TD’s passing and rushing. BRETT JOHNSON also announces his return to the field by asking questions that North Texas has no answer to. Bears build some hype into the home opener against Auburn while showing they are not the same team from the last 4 years.
Ruey Yen
Scoreline: Cal wins 41-21
With the victory already in hand, Wilcox knows that Cal Football can use a splash and allows Spavital's offense to #Drop40
TD_24
Scoreline: Cal wins 27-20
Not going to be easy but I'm sticking with my prediction that I made on the North Texas podcast. Welcome to the Trond Grizzell show ladies and gentlemen.
Cal gives up 10-17: TD on beginning of season missed assignment, FG after a QB first start mistake turnover the D does not allow to be put in the end zone, maybe a TD at the end after the outcome has been decided.
Offense? Much harder to predict. Mid 20s to low 40s. 40s if Jackson V gets in a groove and they can get Ott room to roll. 20s if Jackson V struggles and the run blocking isn’t as strong as we might hope.
I'm curious why the predictors seem to have little confidence in Cal's scoring defense. They seem to fly in the face of analysis that suggests our defense could be the team's strength. I hope they are wrong.