Bear Territory : California CF25

[bayers3]

National Championships

1920
1921 (Shared w/ Cornell)
1922 (Shared w/ Cornell & Princeton)
2027 (56-3 vs. Notre Dame)

Conference Championships

1915 Pacific Coast Conference
1920 Pacific Coast Conference
1923 Pacific Coast Conference
1924 Pacific Coast Conference
1925 Pacific Coast Conference
1926 Pacific Coast Conference
1928 Pacific Coast Conference
1931 Pacific Coast Conference
1943 Pacific Coast Conference
1945 Pacific Coast Conference
1956 Pacific Coast Conference
1957 Pacific Coast Conference
1958 Pacific Coast Conference
1975 Pac-8 (Co-Champions w/ fUCLA)
2006 Pac-10 (Co-Champions w/ USC)
2026 Atlantic Coast Conference
2027 Atlantic Coast Conference

Bowl Wins

2024 Wasabi Fenway Bowl (58-3 vs. North Texas)
2025 76 Birmingham Bowl (42-14 vs. Troy)
2027 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (84-10 vs. Auburn)
2027 Goodyear Cotton Bowl (63-17 vs. Oklahoma)

Heisman Trophies

2025 - DT Ricky Correia
2026 - WR George Cheeseman
2027 - QB Duane Dinson

Head Coach

Justin Wilcox (2017 - 2025)
Tosh Lupoi (2026 - Present)

National & School Records

Passing Yards (Game) : Duane Dinson, 758 - 2028
Receiving Yards (Game) : George Cheeseman, 560 - 2028
Receiving TD (Game) : George Cheeseman, 7 - 2028 / Rashaun Woods (Ok State), 7 - 2003

Rushing Yards (Season - Cal) : Byron Cardwell, 2315 - 2026
Rushing TD (Season - Cal) : Byron Cardwell, 35 - 2025
Receiving Yards (Season - National) : George Cheeseman, 2372 - 2026
Receiving TD (Season - National) : George Cheeseman, 29 - 2026
Receptions (Season - National) : George Cheeseman, 183 - 2026

Passing Yards (Career - Cal) : Fernando Mendoza, 15807
Passing TD (Career - Cal) : Fernando Mendoza, 152
Rushing Yards (Career - Cal) : Byron Cardwell, 5040
Rushing TD (Career - Cal) : Byron Cardwell, 73

Big Game Records

Stanfurd Leads 66-58-11 (135th : Cal 112 - Stanfurd 3)
Largest Win : 109 points (2028, Cal 112 - Stanfurd 3)
Passing Yards : 758, Duane Dinson - 2028)
Passing TD : 10, Duane Dinson - 2028)
Receiving Yards : 560, George Cheeseman - 2028)
Receiving TD : 7, George Cheeseman 2028)

After the sudden collapse of the Pac 12, which seemed to happen almost overnight, Cal and hated rival Stanfurd were last to find a seat in the ACC. The Big Ten took the league’s biggest teams (USC, Oregon, Washington), raided the LA area (UCLA), and most of the remaining teams (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah) fled to familiar confines with the Big 12. Both ACC debutants find themselves in an uncomfortable position, mostly due to surrendering media revenue in order to be allowed to join, but more importantly they will likely start their tenure as two of the worst teams in the conference.

The move to the ACC presents one glaring problem, looking at a map will make that issue obvious, as both teams will now contend with some of the longest flights for conference games in the nation. Only Hawaii is going to be piling up frequent flier miles at a greater pace, not to mention the bill to go along with it. It isn’t clear what effect this will have on either team, or the rest of the conference, but regular coast-to-coast travel is going to be a grind no matter what.

Will Wilcox sink or swim in the new look ACC?

Justin Wilcox, entering his ninth year at Cal, finds himself in a kind of occupational limbo made much worse by the move to the ACC. He has brought a level of stability to the Golden Bears since being hired in 2016 off the heels of the acrimonious end to the previous HC’s tenure, but they have yet to achieve anything close to the limited highs of his predecessor. He probably has job security, heightened by the rumors he was in line for some higher profile jobs in recent hiring cycles, but if Cal dips back below 6-6 for an extended period of time his seat might start to get hot. He’s also at risk of having his contract expire with Cal hurting financially, they might prefer to let it run down than fire him and deal with a payout. Cal is likely just holding on heading into the ACC, so barring some off-field issues or another school poaching him he figures to be around until at least 2027 when his current contract expires.

Jake Spavital made a brief return to Berkeley in 2023, guiding the offense to a much improved performance despite having to cycle through three different QBs with very different skill sets. It’s clear he did a good job as the OC because Dave Aranda stole him away to take the same position at Baylor, leaving Cal scrambling for a replacement. Wilcox eventually ended up promoting Mike Bloesch from OL Coach / Run Game Coordinator to OC after coming over from North Texas in 2022. Bloesch brings with him a history as an OL coach and Offensive Coordinator after stops at Tulsa and North Texas, where he was OC for two seasons. With Cal weak under center and strong at RB, it’s likely that Bloesch will continue Spavital’s work with the ground attack. The Golden Bears weren’t incredible on offense in 2023, finishing in the Top 50 in total yards, but finishing 47th in rushing yards and 49th in points was good enough to get them to a bowl game. Bloesch may need to content with a hemorrhaging defense, they ranked 113th in points allowed per game, but if he can build on the season Fernando Mendoza and Jaydn Ott had in 2023 they will be in good shape.

SPRING ANSWERS

1 - Jaydn Ott is still here. New offensive coordinator Mike Bloesch is getting dropped in the deep end with a move to the ACC, but he’s going to have a safety blanket to rely on as long as he stays healthy. Ott rumbled to 1315 yards and 12TD in the final season of the PAC-12, and Cal needed him on the field to have any semblance of an offense. It didn’t help dealing with a QB carousel to start the season, but Wilcox regularly leaned on the rushing attack to drive Cal’s offense. Ott will likely need to repeat, or better, a season of nearly 110 yards a game (and play in all of them) for Cal to have any hope at a Bowl game. There isn’t much depth or experience behind Ott with Isaiah Ifanse graduating, Byron Cardwell moves to the RB2 slot ahead of transfer Kadarious Calloway.

Cal’s offense will live and die by Ott.

2 - Fernando Mendoza under center. After struggling through the Sam Jackson V / Ben Finley merry-go-round last year Mendoza stepped in and gave Cal some security at QB. He had some rough outings, but there was clearly enough promise for him to head into 2024 as the favorite to hold on to QB1. Jackson V and Finley transferred out and Wilcox rushed to the portal to fill out the QB room, adding Chandler Rodgers (North Texas) and CJ Harris (Ohio) to compete for the starting spot. Coming out of spring practice, it looks like Mendoza managed to cement his position.

3 - Moving on from Bear Raid 2.0. The departure of OC Jake Spavital to Baylor likely signaled a shift from the Bear Raid approach many assumed Spavital would use, but unlike his first stint at Cal he made more use of the run game. This, in theory, should ease the transition to Bloesch who was the OL / Run Game Coordinator under Spavital. Staying in-house for the OC hire was a necessary evil at the time, but it looks to have been a smart move for Wilcox heading into Cal’s first season as part of the ACC.

FALL QUESTIONS

1 - WR depth is undecided. Jeremiah Hunter ran off to Washington, leaving Trond Grizzell (a walk-on in 2023) as Cal’s top target. He played so well he was granted a scholarship after the season, but it isn’t good when a walk-on is your best remaining option. Wilcox hit the transfer portal hard, but it’s hard to tell if this unit is going to gel under a new OC and give Mendoza the support he needs.

2 - Filling in for Jackson Sirmon. Sirmon (son of Cal DC Peter Sirmon) was one of Cal’s best defenders, and the most likely to be drafted (he wasn’t), but his immediate replacement as the defensive leader is undecided. Sophomore Cade Uluave might have a leg up, playing MLB like Sirmon in Cal’s 3-4 defense, but this team really needs more than one standout. The defensive front / linebackers will be an experienced unit, everyone but Uluave is a JR / SR, and they didn’t need to fill holes via the transfer portal.

3 - A vulnerable secondary. Cal’s passing defense was one of the worst in the nation in 2023, 6th worst to be exact, giving up the 4th most yards per game on the way to getting killed over and over again. To be fair, those numbers were driven by games against two Heisman finalists (Michael Penix Jr., and Bo Nix) and a Heisman winner (Caleb Williams), but that isn’t a great excuse for giving up 59, 50, and 63 points in those games. This unit needs to be rebuilt, or Sirmon needs to figure something out fast. Cal’s coordinators have been relatively safe in recent years, but a repeat of 2023 might make Sirmon low hanging fruit if Wilcox is on the hot seat.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS

Like most schools Cal lost a number of players through the Transfer Portal, though thankfully not many of them were impactful. The worst loss was WR Jeremiah Hunter to Washington, his departure robbed them of their top receiver and severely depleted the WR depth chart. A few CB left as well, but Cal’s secondary was so bad last year it’s hard to tell if that’s a good thing or not. Wilcox did one hell of a job in the portal, finishing with the 7th ranked class per ESPN, but he’s going to need to do better than 63rd overall to keep the Golden Bears competitive in the ACC.

Transfer Portal

QB Chandler Rodgers (SR, North Texas) - Fernando Mendoza must have felt very relieved when Jackson V and Finley transferred out, but the arrival of Rodgers puts some serious heat on the sophomore QB. Rodgers started the bulk of North Texas’ 2023 season, with the one exception ironically being their opener against Cal, and helped the Mean Green to the nation’s 6th ranked offense by total yards. 3,382 passing yards with a 29:5 TD:INT ratio is quite a bit better than Mendoza, so the margin for error will be slim for the incumbent as the season drags on.

WR Tobias Merriweather (JR, Notre Dame) - A former 4 Star recruit, the departure of Hunter leaves Cal desperate for WR depth beyond sudden-#1WR Trond Grizzell. Following the spring, Merriweather slots right into a starting position.

RB Kadarius Calloway (SR, Old Dominion) - Calloway was once a 4 Star recruit for Alabama before going on quite a trip around the South and East Coast. He left Alabama for East Mississippi Community College before transferring to Old Dominion, he’s the least likely of this group to start thanks to being stuck behind Ott and Cardwell.

WR Mikey Matthews (SO, Utah) - Another WR who jumps right into a starting position, but his true value may come as a kick and punt returner.

2023 Recruiting Class

WR Trevor Rogers - Cal’s only 4 Star signing of 2023, Rogers has big play potential with speed to stretch defenses. He could have an opening to play early and often with Cal’s depth issues at WR.

CB Ja’ir Smith (JC) - The 10th ranked JC recruit and 2nd ranked CB, Smith joins a depleted secondary that desperately needs talent. Scouting reports often mention his elite speed, and he’s going to need it with teams likely to pass on a unit that was gashed over and over in 2023.

DEPTH CHART

Experience and depth on the offensive line will raise the offensive floor and provide some stability for Mendoza and the running game, Ott is definitely the star here but there is enough depth to carry the team through games and help Ott stay fresh if needed. The depleted receiving corps is well noted, but TE Jack Endries coming into his second year as a starter and Maryland transfer Corey Dyches provide dependability outside of the WR positions.

Defensively the Bears have returning starters or in-house replacements at every position outside of LB Teddye Buchanan (UC Davis), so Sirmon shouldn’t have any issues with players trying to acclimate to his defense. Cal will rely on a 3-4 base defense, but a 3-2-6 formation might be a go-to as they try to clamp down on teams passing on them. A bowl berth may be decided by how well they patch up one of the worst passing defenses in the nation.

SCHEDULE

The Golden Bears are gifted with a fairly reasonable schedule for their first year in the ACC. It isn’t easy, but it also isn’t the brutal gauntlet Stanfurd is going to suffer through. Road games at Auburn, Florida State, and SMU won’t do them any favors but they get Miami and NC State at home. Winning just one of those games will tip them much closer to making a bowl game, but they will have to get the job done with the rest of their schedule to even start thinking about a second consecutive bowl appearance. Hosting The Big Game is also a blessing for this season of transition, a third straight win is very possible.

[Deuce2223]

I have always cheered for Cal being Wilcox is a former Boise State coach. Looking forward to seeing how you do in the ACC.. Any chance Cal and Stanford bolt back to the Pac-12. It kills me with what happened to the Pac-12 being a the fact I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life

[bayers3]

Just an utterly wild offseason, in one of the worst ways possible, leaves the ACC looking like the next conference that could collapse or go through another change of schools. The additions of Cal and Stanfurd were not welcomed by non-academic staffers, and SMU seems to have snuck by with a promise to forgo media funds for quite a while. Making things much worse was the atrocious handling of the final playoff standings, with the committee shoving aside 13-0 Florida State despite them being in the Top 4 prior to the final rankings. Florida State handled that the way any sane team would, by suing the ACC and all but announcing their intent to leave the conference on financial grounds. The ACC spent most of the offseason making headlines via lawsuits with Florida State and Clemson, there is some hope the noise will die down with the expanded playoff but the gap in revenue between the SEC / Big Ten and the ACC is getting wider pretty quickly.

Internal drama aside, the ACC is in a solid position in terms of the season as the third best conference. They were definitely the losers of the Conference Musical Chairs, but unlike the Big 12 and the PAC-12 they didn’t suddenly find themselves trying to fill empty seats. Competition for playoff slots will be tough, but the ACC should feel like putting two teams into the field won’t be impossible. The SEC and Big Ten will likely hoover up a number of slots, especially if one loss teams end up sitting out their conference title games, but it’s also likely all the added teams are going to be beating up on eachother. That being said, the ACC has a wide swath of big name programs that fell flat on their face in 2023. The welfare of Clemson and Miami is going to decide if more than the conference champion is headed to the playoff, add in Notre Dame’s schedule-only membership and their fortunes could buoy the conference in the eyes of the committee.

BIG MEN ON CAMPUS

OLB Barrett Carter (Clemson) - Carter might just be the best player in the ACC, he was at the top of many lists as the best LB for the 2024 NFL Draft but he opted to stay at Clemson for another year. Carter announced his return with the intent of closing out “unfinished business,” and with him at the heart of the Tigers LB corp he might be able to follow up on it.

RB Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) - Hampton was 5th in the nation in rushing yards with 1,504 to go along with 15TD. Only Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State) and Tahj Brooks (Texas Tech) remain from the four players above him, it wouldn’t take much improvement to finish as the nation’s top RB and he certainly has a leg up on Cal’s Ott in the ACC. Hampton will be in the conversation as the top RB for the 2025 NFL Draft, so look for his name to become more familiar as the season goes on.

Hampton will need to overcome a rebuilt offensive line.

DE Patrick Payton (Florida State) - Payton went under the radar with Jared Verse playing across from him, but with Verse being taken 19th in the NFL Draft the show is Payton’s. Like his departed teammate, he’s an early favorite to be a first round pick and should help anchor one of the nation’s best defenses.

DE Ashton Gillotte (Louisville) - A bit raw, but still pegged as a first round selection, Gillotte helped power a surprisingly good Cardinals defense. He tallied (13) tackles for a loss along with (11) sacks in 2023, he might not be a household name but opposing offenses will certainly know him.

QB Cam Ward (Miami) - A third transfer, after Incarnate Word and Washington State, finds Ward in the national spotlight and a potential Heisman candidate. He flirted with entering the draft, but ended up the top transfer target in the portal. The Heisman race usually comes down to a handful of QBs, and Ward will have some talented receivers to work with, he could very well be the missing piece for Miami’s return to prominence..

SEASON PREDICTIONS

Conference Title / CFP Contenders

Head Coach : Mike Norvell (5th Year)

After a shocking, and frankly unwarranted, exclusion from the playoff after going 13-0 the Seminoles look like a near lock to make the expanded playoff. QB DJ Uiagalelei steps in for Jordan Travis, and Mike Norvell will likely still have one of the nations best defenses to rely on. They might not go 13-0 again, but with the field expanding and things trending up they can’t be counted out. ESPN’s 2024 Preseason Football Power Index (FPI) was very unkind to the Seminoles, ranking them 11th and predicting less than (9) wins.

Norvell brought Florida State back, can he keep them there?

Based on how the other teams in the conference fared, it’s tough to pick anyone else above them. Norvell has the advantage of returning a number of important starters on the offensive line as well as the secondary, not to mention probable first round pick DE Patrick Payton. Their primary weakness will be turnover on offense at the skill positions, Norvell hit the transfer portal pretty hard to replace Travis and WR Keon Coleman by adding Uiagalelei, WR Malik Benson (Alabama), and WR Jalen Brown (LSU). There is certainly an opening for another team to pip them to the title, but at the outset it’s hard to count them out as repeat ACC Champions.

Head Coach : Dabo Swinney (16th Year)

The Tigers really struggled in the ACC, going 4-4 in a season they should have been thinking about making the playoffs. A “neutral” site opener against Georgia in Atlanta likely won’t end well, but they have a favorable schedule for QB Cade Klubnik to settle into. If Dabo Swinney has a QB problem again, they can kiss any playoff hopes goodbye. The Tigers landed at 15th in ESPN’s FPI rankings, which is appropriate coming off Clemson’s worst team in nearly 12 years.

The Tigers are in a unique position in terms of their roster due to Swinney’s refusal to use the transfer portal to fill positions of need, instead relying on in-house development of prospects. It’s admirable, and certainly a draw for any player willing to work himself into a starting role, but it leaves them open to falling behind competitors. Year 2 of OC Garret Riley and Klubnik, both who struggled in their first season, might see the kinds of gains needed to close the gap on Florida State. A number of top players return, raising the floor for a team that needs to raise their performance on both sides of the ball, and getting OLB Barrett Carter to stay was a big win.

There is a decent gap between Florida State and everyone else, but it’s hard to count out Clemson coming off a down season. Swinney has enough talent on hand to knock the Seminoles off their perch, their October 5th matchup at FSU will decide who has the leg up and could be a preview of the ACC title game.

Top 25

Head Coach : Jeff Brohm (2nd Year)

The Cardinals will need to prove 2023 wasn’t a fluke, but UL should have a Top 25 offense to lean on and Jeff Brohm has shown he can do more with less. If their defense holds they could be higher on this list, they start the year 21st in FPI rankings.The Cardinals were a surprise participant in the ACC title game, and there is a non-zero chance they could make it back. They could be stuck in an unpleasant situation where they get beat up in non-conference games (at Notre Dame and Kentucky) but find a way into the ACC title game with a solid conference record. They will face Miami and Clemson from this group and a tough home game against SMU, if they can sneak up on Miami or Clemson they could control their conference destiny.

Head Coach : Mario Cristobal (3rd Year)

No team has more untapped potential than Miami, it’s hard to tell if they should be in the Playoff tier or just barely above Down & Out. Mario Cristobal did an incredible job at Oregon, but time may be running out in Coral Gables. Miami brought in a ton of high value transfers, primarily top QB Cam Ward (Washington State) and RB Damien Martinez (Oregon State), and they shouldn’t have any excuses left on offense. Cristobal was handed a Top 25 offense and a good QB when Manny Diaz was fired, but he failed to do much with that as the team got worse, if he can’t make good with the squad his name is going to be high on the list of coaches on the hot seat. Defensively the Hurricanes are in bigger trouble and least resemble The U of old, they have been decent enough (Top 50 in SP+) but have allowed 32.4 points per game against Top 50 offenses. They aren’t going to get very far if they give up 30+ points every time they face a good offense, even if Cristobal solves their offense the defense could do them in.

The Hurricanes have a lot to prove, but their upside is undeniable. They avoid Clemson during the regular season while facing Florida State at home. They also have an extremely favorable conference schedule, only facing fellow title challengers Louisville and Florida State. Initial FPI rankings are down on the Hurricanes, placing them 23rd.

Head Coach : Rhett Lashlee (3rd Year)

The Mustangs couldn’t have moved to the ACC at a better time. They finished 2023 11-3, AAC Champions, and had one of the best defenses in the country. Rhett Lashlee’s third year in Dallas has a lot of hype attached to it, SMU is being tipped as very likely to make a run at the ACC title game, but the ACC is very different from the ACC. DC Scott Symons should be given quite a bit of credit for the 11-3 record, taking SMU’s defense from 115th to 39th in his second year, and as a bonus they return a number of their best players at every level of the field. They augmented their roster with transfers, but there is still going to be the challenge of facing elevated competition every week in the conference. The offense is going to be lighting people up with QB Preston Stone throwing to a playmaking unit that barely lost anyone after last season and added some blue chip transfers as well.

SMU will get a rude scheduling wakeup after their first two games on a tough run against BYU, TCU, Florida State, and finishing at Louisville. If they can get through the first six games with two or less losses, they could cruise to double digit wins with a very favorable schedule to close out the year. Avoiding Miami and Clemson sets them up with an outside shot at the ACC title game, more losses in there could be a red flag for their first season in the ACC.

Head Coach : Dave Doeren (12th Year)

The Wolfpack might be hard to read after last year, but it’s hard to put them in the next tier down after how they finished 2023. Last year they started 4-3 with three of those wins against terrible teams (UConn, Virginia, and Marshall) but turned into a completely different team in the second half to finish 5-1 with a loss to Kansas State in their bowl game. Which NC State is going to show up in 2024? Enough pieces remain, plus a surprising transfer haul, to think that another 9-win season might be in the books. Doeren’s biggest transfer win was landing Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, giving them a veteran presence who could elevate their offense.

NC State will benefit from one of the easier schedules in the ACC, with one brutal non-conference game (Tennessee at home) and a trip to Clemson (who they beat in 2023) as their toughest contests. They don’t face any other teams above them on this list so a 10-2 regular season seems very reasonable.

Going Bowling

Head Coach : Brent Pry (3rd Year)

If there was a ‘next in the Top 25’ tier VT might be in it, Brent Pry enters his third year coming off a very hot finish to the 2023 season. VT returns more production than any team in the nation (95% on offense, 77% on defense) with QB Kyron Drones putting on a poor man’s Jayden Daniels performance last year. The Hokies finished 7-6 but might be staring at a 10-2 record with Miami and Clemson their toughest games and a road game at Duke in late November their next hardest. If they expand on how they finished 2023 they could be a dark horse ACC title game participant.

Head Coach : Mack Brown (16th Year)

It’s almost hard to believe Mack Brown is still going, now in the 6th year of his second stint at UNC, but he continues to give the Tarheels a level of consistency that many programs would kill for. Losing QB Drake Maye to the NFL gives this team a sense of starting over, especially because the QB’s available likely won’t come anywhere close to his level of production. Conner Harrell and Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson haven’t done much to be impressed about, making things worse is an offensive line rebuild that could put Brown in a tough position. He will have highly touted RB Omarion Hampton, who did an incredible Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson impression last year, who could reduce some pressure on the passing game as long as the line rebuild isn’t a disaster. Defensively, the Tar Heels are not going to impress anyone but Brown’s rotation of DC’s (Geoff Collins is his third in four years) hasn’t helped solve the problem. Despite returning some starters, they should be a mid-FBS ranked defense.

UNC enjoys a borderline startlingly easy schedule, with a road opener against Minnesota and late season games at Florida State and home against NC State their hardest games. The Victory Bell will of course be at stake as they go on the road to Duke, and rivalry games are always special, but outside of that Brown will have his plate full with very winnable games while avoiding a long flight to the West Coast to face Cal or Stanfurd.

Head Coach : Manny Diaz (1st Year)

The departure of Mike Elko to Texas A&M will hurt Duke, but bringing in Diaz should help them maintain a defense that kept them in games all year. Diaz makes his return to the ACC after a head coaching stint at Miami and being the DC at Penn State, so he’s familiar with the territory and should be able to at least hold the line for a Duke football program that was once one of the worst in FBS. Duke’s biggest problems this season will be its offensive and defensive lines, which need to be rebuilt. Everywhere else they return a number of starters and key players, even with starting QB Riley Leonard leaving for Notre Dame they have reasonable replacements in Sophomore Grayson Loftis or Texas transfer Maalik Murphy. The Blue Devils will need more to escape this tier, rebuilding lines could hurt their program momentum, but not enough to drop them below .500 on the season.

Head Coach : Brent Key (2nd Year)

The Yellow Jackets managed a mini-renaissance in 2023 after Paul Johnson’s retirement four years ago. They have been bad for some time, but Key managed to pull off a 7-6 season that included a Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl win over UCF and things look to be trending up. Texas A&M transfer QB Haynes King was a breath of fresh air, and his dual-threat abilities helped their offense go from 122nd to 50th in SP+.

There’s a lot to feel good about in Atlanta, but their schedule might be a haymaker for anything more than bowl eligibility. They bizarrely open the seasons at home against Florida State and will have three games to recover before they have to go through a run that would charitably be called difficult. They close September at Louisville, then play Duke, at UNC, Notre Dame, at Virginia Tech, Miami, NC State, and then finish the season with Clean Old-Fashioned Hate which could very well be an embarrassing affair. For every team that avoided ACC title contenders in their schedule, Georgia Tech seems to have added them.

Down & Out

Head Coach : Fran Brown (1st Year)

Unfortunately for Syracuse fans this season is probably going to be about taking some lumps and rebuilding a program on and off the field. Brown’s first year at Syracuse might not do much for the wins column, but the winning he’s going to need to do is off the field. He’s spent most of his career working under noted program builders like Matt Rhule, Greg Schiano, and Kirby Smart, and Syracuse could definitely use all of that knowledge. The most notable addition to the roster was former Ohio State starting QB Kyle McCord, and they return a number of starters from last years offense for an opportunity at some stability. The defense only returns six starters, and depth on the line and secondary could be concerning.

Syracuse have a decent schedule with a tough road game at NC State and a visit from Miami to finish out the season. There’s an outside shot at 6-6, but with it being Brown’s first year that might feel more like an extreme ceiling than an achievable result.

Head Coach : Bill O’Brien (1st Year)

BC finds itself in a situation similar to Syracuse, just with less available talent and a much harder schedule. O’Brien has bounced around between the NFL and college with a head coaching stint at Penn State at the Houston Texans. He inherits a team that was good at running the ball and stopping other teams from doing the same, but terrible at anything involving a pass. QB Thomas Castellanos returns, but O’Brien went out and added a pocket passer in FIU’s Grayson James, and many decent skill position players along with an experienced offensive line remain. The biggest issue, which O’Brien took a risk in fixing, is the defense. O’Brien brought in Tim Lewis as his DC, but he’s spent most of his time in the XFL and USFL, the last time he worked in college was 1994. O’Brien should get a bit of a pass in his first year, but it likely won’t be pretty.

The Eagles snuck into, and won, their bowl game last year against ACC debutant SMU. This year it’s going to be hard to get to six wins, they should be firm underdogs in six of their games and road trips to Florida State, Missouri, and SMU won’t help them escape that. They also host Michigan State and Louisville.

Head Coach : Justin Wilcox (8th Year)

Cal under Wilcox is a little hard to predict, they jump up and down but generally avoid being absolutely horrible. Vacillating around the 6-6 threshold is never good, but Wilcox really pulled out of his hat in 2023. Wilcox managed to build a Top 30 SP+ defense for four straight years, but that completely collapsed in 2022 and 2023. Last year they were regularly gashed on defense, but somehow were able to force quite a few turnovers. Perhaps turnover lottery tickets helped save them, but you can never rely on turnovers.

It will be hard for the Golden Bears to make a bowl game, but not impossible. Brutal road games against Auburn and Florida State in the first four games should have Cal heading into the meat of their conference schedule at 2-2, and they will enjoy a number of games against weaker opponents. Cal ranked 43rd in the initial FPI rankings, a spot below UNC, so perhaps the advanced metrics are seeing something good.

Head Coach : Pat Narduzzi (10th Year)

The Panthers might be in for a rough season, but they have reasons to be hopeful. Narduzzi has had six, six, offensive coordinators in his ten seasons at Pitt. Things have rarely gone well for them on that side of the ball during his term, the bright spots being Matt Canada’s run in 2016 and Mark Whipple’s 2021 where they had Kenny Pickett throwing the ball to Jordan Addison. The introduction of Western Carolina’s Kade Bell should signal an improvement, WCU averaged 38 points per game in 2023 which is significantly better than Pitt’s 20.2. Many skill positions return, a change to an up-tempo offense should bring more points but it’s hard to expect Bell to snap his fingers and fix everything out of the gate. On defense, Narduzzi’s specialty, they dipped last year and lost a lot of production for 2024 while hitting the portal hard to fill the voids. Pitt’s defense has been good under Narduzzi, so it’s more than likely the dropoff will be corrected.

Head Coach : Tony Elliot (3rd Year)

The Cavaliers had a tough 2023 after the team and community suffered through a horrible tragedy in 2022. A very young and inexperienced offense and a defense that saw twenty-one players start at least once didn’t make things easier. Their rushing attack was terrible last year, and there isn’t much evidence this will be different this year, luckily for Elliot it looks as though they will be able to run their offense around a decent passing attack. Defensively the Cavaliers will be mediocre at best, with a rushing defense that could be decent but a secondary that will haunt them all season.

Head Coach : Dave Clawson (11th Year)

Boy, Wake Forest did not handle the departure of Sam Hartman to Notre Dame well at all. 2023 was nearly the worst season under Clawson, who had managed to elevate the Demon Deacons quite a bit since coming to Winston-Salem. It’s going to be hard for things to be much worse, but it’s also hard to see things getting much better over a single season. Hartman’s replacement, Mitch Griffis, left the program and Clawson added Hank Bachmeier (Louisiana Tech) to compete with Senior Michael Kern. Bachmeier is on his third school after starting out at Boise State

The Demon Deacons went 4-8 last year and drew the short straw when it came to scheduling. They open against FCS opponent North Carolina A&T and get Louisiana and Virginia at home, but get stuck with a long road trip to Stanfurd. Road games at UNC, Miami, and NC State won’t do them any favors, and their home game against Ole Miss will likely be something they’ll want to forget. It might be a serious struggle to get to four wins again.

Bottom 10 Material

Head Coach : Troy Taylor (2nd Year)

Awful in 2023, but that was Year 1 of Troy Taylor’s traitorous turn at the helm after parting ways with David Shaw. Moving on from the Jim Harbaugh-Shaw coaching line was bound to be tough, it also didn’t help that they ranked 130th in returning production as players fled the program. A brutal schedule (TCU, Clemson, Notre Dame, SMU, NC State, Louisville) will have them behind the eight ball for bowl eligibility. They could also enter all but two games, Cal Poly & San Jose State, as firm underdogs. If Taylor can get things moving forward they could easily escape this tier, but their schedule will do everything it can to make them look terrible. The Cardinal land 59th in the FPI rankings, 4th worst in the ACC, but again their schedule will conspire against them.

FIVE BEST ACC GAMES OF 2024

Here are the five conference games that feature (a) the highest combined SP+ ratings for both teams and (b) a projected scoring margin under 10 points, or a must watch / unique matchup. Figuring out who will be in the ACC title game with presumptive favorite Florida State is an ongoing theme, that spot could be wide open almost until the end of the season.

Clemson at Florida State (Week 6) - Likely a preview of the ACC title game, both teams will be right in the middle of the season and should know what their trajectory will be. A loss in this game, as long as they haven’t lost already, won’t kill off their playoff chances as long as the winner doesn’t fall apart and devalue the matchup. The last twelve times these teams met, the winner went on to win the ACC eleven times.

Miami at Louisville (Week 8) - With the Clemson / Florida State game out of the way, this game could line up to be an audition to slip into the title game. This could also be a serious fireworks display with the offensive upside, or Louisville’s defense could turn it into more of a grind-it-out kind of affair. Either way, the winner could still be in the playoff picture.

Florida State at Miami (Week 9) - This could either be a great game, if either are undefeated or with just a single loss, or it could be Florida State asserting itself as King of the ACC / Florida. Miami gets to decide how ‘must watch’ this game is, if they are falling apart and out of playoff contention this game might be more notable for Mario Cristobal’s job security.

Louisville at Clemson (Week 10) - Another potential title game influencer, if Clemson loses to Florida State they can’t afford to drop another game against a team looking to slide into the title game. So close to the end of the season, the loser of this one might just be kissing any playoff hopes goodbye.

Stanfurd at California (Week 13) - The first Big Game of the ACC Era will be fun, and played nearly 2,000 miles away from the rest of the league, but the timing means the winner might be able to secure a bowl berth. This could also end up being the Schadenfreude Bowl with the winner ruining the loser’s season. Both teams are aiming to be on the edge of bowl eligibility, with Stanfurd likely needing to win their final two games to have any chance at six wins, and Cal closing out with a rough game at SMU.

[bayers3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deuce2223

I have always cheered for Cal being Wilcox is a former Boise State coach. Looking forward to seeing how you do in the ACC.. Any chance Cal and Stanford bolt back to the Pac-12. It kills me with what happened to the Pac-12 being a the fact I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my entire life

PAC-12 leadership (along with USC) are to blame, they completely failed to address the financial situation and likely forced USC's hand and then it was everyone for themselves. Cal basically has no choice here, the conference would need to come back and offer more money than the ACC. It's C.R.E.A.M. in College Football now more than ever.

[bayers3]

The ESPN 300 for college football's 2025 recruiting class has debuted, as our scouts have spent the past several months evaluating prospects at multiple camps, combines and workouts. While we prioritize our rankings off game tape, our supplemental spring evaluations are instrumental in showing physical and athletic development from the fall.

This year it’s defense that dominates the top of national lists, especially at DT. Nine defenders occupy the Top 13 slots, with four of the DT. No state pops up more than once at the top, but Kalen DeBoer and Kirby Smart have to be smiling with top defenders in the SEC’s back yard (Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida).

Top Prospects

DT James Weathersby

Ranking : No. 1 (DT No. 1)
Uncommitted

The massive 6’-5” 326 lbs tackle out of Fairfield Alabama is heavily rumored to be headed to in-state Alabama, but Georgia is also in the hunt. This is one prospect that seems to have been born for the SEC, he excels at the point of attack and is a massive disruptor in the backfield. He’s also very versatile, he’s likely to play as a NT or DT but he’s shown the ability to play well as an end in a three man front. Not sure why someone would move him out of the middle, but the option is there for any coach that needs him to.

RT Antonio Goff

Ranking : No. 2 (RT No. 1)
Uncommitted

The Cincinnati Ohio native has been starting for Winton Woods HS since his freshman year and looks to be staying in-state with Ohio State. This is a bit of an odd class with multiple RT in the Top 10 and no LT in sight. Goff is excellent with his hands and explodes off the line to clear out defenders, but some coaches question if he is good enough to move to LT. Even if he stays on the right, someone is going to get a future NFL player here.

CB Keke Nwosu

Ranking : No. 3 (CB No. 1)
Uncommitted

Nwosu is a vicious defender in close quarters and tends to work as a slot defender, his ability to jam up receivers and blanket slot receivers has him high on many coaches lists. With Nickel coverage becoming more popular as more and more teams take to the air, he could find himself on the field a lot more than a traditional nickel defender. Coming out of Palm Springs, he’s received offers from all the big hitters with USC and Ohio State the favorites to sign him.

WR Nate Donahue

Ranking : No. 4 (WR No. 1)
Uncommitted

The speedy Donahue helped lead Wilbur-Creston-Keller to a 10-0 season out of Spokane and doesn’t look to be moving very far next year. The 6’-2” speedster has offers all over the country with numerous offenses seeing a spot for him as a deep threat. He definitely needs some work on the shorter routes, with his footwork noted as an area of improvement, but he’s very sudden off the line and uses his body well to separate from defenders. Washington and Oregon are being tabbed as frontrunners, but Oregon and Texas are high on his list.

CB Callum Hicks

Ranking : No. 5 (CB No. 2)
Uncommitted

Hailing from Kentucky, Hicks is a stout corner that excels in zone coverage but has drawn criticism for his one-on-one coverage. He makes up for that with his tackling and ability to come up and defend the run, sometimes getting Cooper DeJean comparisons. If he can lose some weight, he checks in at 198, he could develop more speed and and become less of a bruiser. Kentucky and Kansas are frontrunners for his commitment.

[bayers3]

ESPN 300 Commits : None
Top Offensive Prospect : None
Top Defensive Prospect : None

Previous Ranking : N/A

Justin Wilcox enters the recruiting season with a wide range of concerns. Every program walks into the recruiting landscape trying to pile up as many good players as possible, regardless of position, but Cal finds itself in a position where they need to bend over backwards to fill some gaping holes. They went after WR, DL, and DB with recruits and the portal in 2023 and will likely still need to find WR / offensive talent in 2024. Jaydn Ott will most definitely leave for the NFL after the season, so finding a RB that has his kind of upside might be a priority.

Wilcox also appears to have a QB recruiting problem, with Chase Garbers (2017) the last QB signed prior to Fernando Mendoza (2022) who played any meaningful snaps. They passed on signing a non-transfer QB in 2023 and only added three star EJ Caminong in 2024. It’s been a mixed bag between recruits and the transfer portal, Wilcox has never really had a solid QB and Cal hasn’t had one since Jared Goff left for the NFL.

TOP TARGETS

[Careless Whisper]

I'm following! Like the ESPN style of reporting thus far, and Cal seems to be a power conference team that no one uses for reports - though it's definitely weird (and pretty irritating, thanks money-hungry ADs) that they're an ACC team now.

[bayers3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Careless Whisper

I'm following! Like the ESPN style of reporting thus far, and Cal seems to be a power conference team that no one uses for reports - though it's definitely weird (and pretty irritating, thanks money-hungry ADs) that they're an ACC team now.

There's a recent ESPN article about the travel logistics, their equipment trucks take almost the full week to drive from the Bay Area to ACC schools. Let's see how long the ACC survives with Florida State suing them to leave...