California Football: Golden Bears look to build off strong 2019 season

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 30: (L-R) California Golden Bears defensive player of the game Zeandae Johnson #44 and offensive player of the game Chase Garbers #7 celebrates after California defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini 35-20 in the RedBox Bowl at Levi's Stadium on December 30, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

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California football quietly put together a strong 2019 campaign and enter the 2020 season among the Pac-12’s deepest sleepers.

Perhaps no team in the Pac-12 was more overlooked last season than the California Golden Bears.

The Golden Bears finished second only behind Oregon in the Pac-12 North after posting an 8-5 record that included a 4-5 conference mark and a Red Box Bowl win over Big Ten foe Illinois. California’s most notable victories included a win on the road against Ole Miss, an upset victory over then-ranked No. 14 Washington in Seattle, a 13-point win over Washington State and a 10-point win over UCLA.

This came after California was projected to finish fifth in the division during Pac-12 media days and were just two years removed from a 5-7 season in 2017.

Entering 2020, California’s expectations have risen as Athlon Sports projects the Golden Bears to finish second in the division for a second straight season.

The team will be led by head coach Jason Wilcox who is entering his fourth year as head coach but will have a new offensive coordinator in Bill Musgrave as Beau Baldwin took the head coaching job at Cal-Poly.

Much of California’s roster remains intact on the offensive side of the ball while the defense will look to reload after losing a large group of seniors from 2019.

How will the Golden Bears fair in 2020? Here’s an in-depth look.

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