Just a thought on why Cal does well in early season games under Wilcox and then the wheels come off in October. I get the competition is not as tough in the 1st 3rd of the season, but maybe - just maybe - the coaching staff is actually performing above the talent level until we start meeting better conference teams. Then the talent deficiency shows up against more talented conference teams (Jack's and Joe's vs X's and O's) and the GBs are cooked. I certainly feel our 2025 team is not very talented on O, except for QB and receiver 1. Same for the D, except for inside LBs. Talent AND coaching wins in FBS, and the 2025 GBs just are not even in the top half of the ACC talent-wise. I'm not giving a pass to JW, just opining that we don't have the OL, DL and position players to compete. Interested in other expert opinions on this...
Our bears are 120 out of 134 in FBS for most penalties. This team doesn't have the talent to afford giving up 7ish penalties a game. The undisciplined play from the aforementioned penalties and general lack of fundamentals (all the poor tackling/snaps/drops/etc.) points to bad coaching, but I am just a keyboard coach and know nothing.
I wonder if it is both talent AND coaching? Agree the GBs have been totally bad on drive killing penalties. Sadly, not watchable in 2025. I think Louisville will cover the spread tomorrow..
So, 247 Sports’ Talent Composite for 2025 ranks Cal as 7th in the ACC. So top half.
We are 11th in the conference. So bottom half.
Wilcox is 17-18 in the past 3 years, 2 of which featured the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman trophy, and now another with a future NFL QB…not to mention a defense featuring multiple NFL draft picks and a number of skill position players currently excelling at other P4 schools.
Given the consistent penalties and mistakes, it sure gives the appearance of having been, and continuing to be, more of a coaching failure than a lack talent one.
To my eye SDSU had better athletes and overall team speed than Cal. Neither our OL/DL is competitive in the ACC, IMO. The next coach will have to do a total rebuild which will take a minimum of what 2 - 3 years? Cal football is so far from where it needs to be. Excess penalties could be a sign of talent (lack of).
Our OL has been a weakness for the entirety of the Wilcox era. Be it coaching, talent level, discipline, etc.
Our DL has been unable to generate a pass rush for pretty much most of the Wilcox era.
While there have been exceptions, we are basically outplayed in the trenches every single week against Power conference competition.
We have no speed at the skill positions…even JDJ is more shifty than burner-fast. Watching the UVA game live from the stands, you could see that Cal receivers could create very little separation unless they were schemed open via motion/clean release off LOS or a rub.
The strength of the program has been LB and secondary…not surprising given Wilcox was a DB, and his RH coach for most of his Cal career (Sirmon) was a LB.
I don’t know which dispensary some of you are getting your smokes at, but it’s some really powerful stuff that makes you think that this is a trap game that Cal can somehow win. I’m sorry to be such a proverbial wet Cal blanket, but as one who has watched Cal teams lose to Iowa in the 1959 Rose Bowl and to the likes of Temple in the 1979 Garden State Bowl as well as everything since, this team is following in the tradition of Cal teams that just do not have the talent to win against good or ranked teams. No, it will be a 5-5 team that gets on that long flight home from Kentucky. Whether this team can eke out a 6-6 season will depend entirely on beating Stanford. Otherwise, it’s a 5-7 season after SMU comes to town to administer the Coup de Grace to the Wilcox era. God keep us from having to endure another third rate bowl game like the Pop Tart Bowl in Bismarck, South Dakota!
I cannot believe I am writing this but there is a significant part of me hopes today we are so badly beaten - SDSU level beating - that there is no point whatsoever to keeping Wilcox even for the last two games. The sad fact is that against Va Tech and Virginia we somehow were in both games at the end despite idiotic coaching and I don't want that to be credited. He is already Dead Man Walking and I'd rather have someone new and inspired going into the Big Game and then perhaps a mediocre bowl game than someone who was target practice in Duck Hunt.
OK, so I read this game's offense and defense previews (well done as always), then scrolled down your writer predictions. All the time feeling kinda low. Like REM, low, low, low. Then for a brief moment there was laughter and amusement. Good job Rex and Good luck Bears!
I’m here for the sunshine pump and hope I’m wrong but if anyone honestly thinks Cal has a prayer in this game they are wearing blue and gold colored glasses.
Cal hasn’t played a good game in 2 months we gonna start on a cross country trip against a ranked team with playoff aspirations???
That with another non-competitive performance after the sparse CMS crowd for UVA L, all bets are off.
Bye week before BG in 2 weeks is always a better time to make an in-season change, and a 3-game losing streak to fall to 5-5 takes the 8-win marker for progress officially off the table. The NCAA landscape has changed so drastically and the situation is now somewhat dire. The always-troublesome Cal bureaucracy moves slow so the quicker you get a start on the process the better, despite the number of openings.
Based on Cal’s history, IMO it’s unlikely they would part with a 9-year HC in-season, especially one with a history of beating ‘Furd, which would mean bowl eligibility, tho a minor one at best and we saw what happened last year in LA. But I do not think it’s a foregone conclusion he necessarily finishes the season.
Given the probability of bets on the Cal-Louisville game, 92% believe that Louisville will win. I believe, given the 9 year regime of Coach Wilcox, Cal manifests the propensity of mediocre play, against competent opponents. Louisville in my mind has a 99% chance of winning. Simply reversion to the mean. Time for regime change. From Go Bears, to Gone Bears!
Rex Volcano came astoundingly close!
Just a thought on why Cal does well in early season games under Wilcox and then the wheels come off in October. I get the competition is not as tough in the 1st 3rd of the season, but maybe - just maybe - the coaching staff is actually performing above the talent level until we start meeting better conference teams. Then the talent deficiency shows up against more talented conference teams (Jack's and Joe's vs X's and O's) and the GBs are cooked. I certainly feel our 2025 team is not very talented on O, except for QB and receiver 1. Same for the D, except for inside LBs. Talent AND coaching wins in FBS, and the 2025 GBs just are not even in the top half of the ACC talent-wise. I'm not giving a pass to JW, just opining that we don't have the OL, DL and position players to compete. Interested in other expert opinions on this...
Our bears are 120 out of 134 in FBS for most penalties. This team doesn't have the talent to afford giving up 7ish penalties a game. The undisciplined play from the aforementioned penalties and general lack of fundamentals (all the poor tackling/snaps/drops/etc.) points to bad coaching, but I am just a keyboard coach and know nothing.
I wonder if it is both talent AND coaching? Agree the GBs have been totally bad on drive killing penalties. Sadly, not watchable in 2025. I think Louisville will cover the spread tomorrow..
Some context….
So, 247 Sports’ Talent Composite for 2025 ranks Cal as 7th in the ACC. So top half.
We are 11th in the conference. So bottom half.
Wilcox is 17-18 in the past 3 years, 2 of which featured the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman trophy, and now another with a future NFL QB…not to mention a defense featuring multiple NFL draft picks and a number of skill position players currently excelling at other P4 schools.
Given the consistent penalties and mistakes, it sure gives the appearance of having been, and continuing to be, more of a coaching failure than a lack talent one.
To my eye SDSU had better athletes and overall team speed than Cal. Neither our OL/DL is competitive in the ACC, IMO. The next coach will have to do a total rebuild which will take a minimum of what 2 - 3 years? Cal football is so far from where it needs to be. Excess penalties could be a sign of talent (lack of).
Yep.
Our OL has been a weakness for the entirety of the Wilcox era. Be it coaching, talent level, discipline, etc.
Our DL has been unable to generate a pass rush for pretty much most of the Wilcox era.
While there have been exceptions, we are basically outplayed in the trenches every single week against Power conference competition.
We have no speed at the skill positions…even JDJ is more shifty than burner-fast. Watching the UVA game live from the stands, you could see that Cal receivers could create very little separation unless they were schemed open via motion/clean release off LOS or a rub.
The strength of the program has been LB and secondary…not surprising given Wilcox was a DB, and his RH coach for most of his Cal career (Sirmon) was a LB.
I think injuries play a big part. Cal doesn't have the depth to replace multiple key players. McCullough, Crosby, Uluave, Bollers etc.
Bears by 3. Last minute. My streak is unbroken. My recall is not.
Clifford, when are me and you going to Vegas together? We are gonna do some serious damage
I was so wrong this week. I’m ecstatic
I don’t know which dispensary some of you are getting your smokes at, but it’s some really powerful stuff that makes you think that this is a trap game that Cal can somehow win. I’m sorry to be such a proverbial wet Cal blanket, but as one who has watched Cal teams lose to Iowa in the 1959 Rose Bowl and to the likes of Temple in the 1979 Garden State Bowl as well as everything since, this team is following in the tradition of Cal teams that just do not have the talent to win against good or ranked teams. No, it will be a 5-5 team that gets on that long flight home from Kentucky. Whether this team can eke out a 6-6 season will depend entirely on beating Stanford. Otherwise, it’s a 5-7 season after SMU comes to town to administer the Coup de Grace to the Wilcox era. God keep us from having to endure another third rate bowl game like the Pop Tart Bowl in Bismarck, South Dakota!
apology accepted
I cannot believe I am writing this but there is a significant part of me hopes today we are so badly beaten - SDSU level beating - that there is no point whatsoever to keeping Wilcox even for the last two games. The sad fact is that against Va Tech and Virginia we somehow were in both games at the end despite idiotic coaching and I don't want that to be credited. He is already Dead Man Walking and I'd rather have someone new and inspired going into the Big Game and then perhaps a mediocre bowl game than someone who was target practice in Duck Hunt.
OK, so I read this game's offense and defense previews (well done as always), then scrolled down your writer predictions. All the time feeling kinda low. Like REM, low, low, low. Then for a brief moment there was laughter and amusement. Good job Rex and Good luck Bears!
I’m here for the sunshine pump and hope I’m wrong but if anyone honestly thinks Cal has a prayer in this game they are wearing blue and gold colored glasses.
Cal hasn’t played a good game in 2 months we gonna start on a cross country trip against a ranked team with playoff aspirations???
update???
Happy to be wrong.
Why is it obvious that Wilcox will coach the final 2 games, B97?
Rumblings are that is not necessarily the case…wondering if there’s been a dreaded vote of confidence from RR.
And if he loses at Stanford what’s the point in waiting since SMU is a safe bet to end on a 5-7 season?
Jimmy, tell us what you’re hearing.
That with another non-competitive performance after the sparse CMS crowd for UVA L, all bets are off.
Bye week before BG in 2 weeks is always a better time to make an in-season change, and a 3-game losing streak to fall to 5-5 takes the 8-win marker for progress officially off the table. The NCAA landscape has changed so drastically and the situation is now somewhat dire. The always-troublesome Cal bureaucracy moves slow so the quicker you get a start on the process the better, despite the number of openings.
Based on Cal’s history, IMO it’s unlikely they would part with a 9-year HC in-season, especially one with a history of beating ‘Furd, which would mean bowl eligibility, tho a minor one at best and we saw what happened last year in LA. But I do not think it’s a foregone conclusion he necessarily finishes the season.
Rex Volcano for the win!!!
Given the probability of bets on the Cal-Louisville game, 92% believe that Louisville will win. I believe, given the 9 year regime of Coach Wilcox, Cal manifests the propensity of mediocre play, against competent opponents. Louisville in my mind has a 99% chance of winning. Simply reversion to the mean. Time for regime change. From Go Bears, to Gone Bears!
Sorry but this was 100% a trap game for Louisville. I tried to warn you
If I have no expectations I can’t be hurt
Why isn't Abram Murray OUT - https://www.si.com/college/louisville/football/second-injury-report-2025-cal? Is he ... off the team? He hasn't played in weeks but never listed on these reports!
Cal wins 42-7 2017 cal vs wsu style! Everyone catches the ball, everyone tackles, and everyone will be pinching themselves!
Off your meds again, are we?