California Football: Is offense good enough for Golden Bears to contend?

Pair of early non-conference games will set the tone for Cal in 2021

Playing in the North division of the PAC-12 means that California football will have to play two of the conference’s best teams in Washington and Oregon and they have their annual crossover game with USC.

Cal has been known to pull off upsets under Wilcox and it would not surprise me if they did so again. This Cal team has a pair of games against Nevada and TCU that should be a good indicator of how this season is going to play out for the Golden Bears.

• Game 1: Nevada (W)- I think Nevada will have a very good offense, but the Cal defense should be able to limit them just enough.
• Game 2: At TCU (L)- TCU is a sleeper team in the Big 12 and they will be much too tough at home for Cal.
• Game 3: Sacramento State (W)- This should be the easiest win of the season for the Golden Bears at home.
• Game 4: At Washington (L)- The PAC-12 opener for Cal is against one of the best teams in one of the toughest places to play. That is a recipe for a loss.
• Game 5: Washington State (W)- This is a tossup game, but since they are at home and I trust their defense to get the job done.
• Game 6: At Oregon (L)- Cal upset the Ducks last season, but don’t expect the same result here.
• Game 7: Colorado (W)- Colorado was the surprise team in the PAC-12 last season, but I think that might have been a fluke and I think Cal wins this one here.
• Game 8: Oregon State (W)- Oregon State is improving under Jonathan Smith, but I like Cal’s defense at home here.
• Game 9: At Arizona (W)- Arizona is probably going to be the worst team in the PAC-12 and Cal should win big here.
• Game 10: USC (L)- Wilcox snapped the long losing streak to the Trojans a couple of years ago, but I think USC has a top offense and will win this game.
• Game 11: At Stanford (W)- I have no idea what to expect from Stanford this season and I actually trust them a lot more in this spot.
• Game 12: At UCLA (L)- UCLA is going to be a good team this season and might even contend for the south division.

Final Record: 7-5, 5-4 PAC-12

I think it is fair to expect a lot of close games from Cal this season and I trust their defense enough to win games against teams on their level. Wilcox has pulled off some upsets of top teams before and Washington, Oregon, and USC should all be careful.