Our Week 1 winner is @CMBear with a score of 1! Next best were @drfunk4316, @cal1982, @dannyroe, and @Btmatsu with a score of 3.

Our Week 2 winner is @febfeb with a score of 1! Next best were @sflye13 with a score of 2, and @absolutesoverignty with a score of 4.

Here are the updates standings through two weeks. Remember, after Week 4 we drop each person’s two worst scores from the average provided they have participated all four weeks (or drop one score if a week has been missed). The bold scores are the scores that have been dropped.

I will get to the third week either tonight or tomorrow! Sorry for the delay!

Yeah Im starting to think FSU is winnable. They may be 0-3 by the time they face us:

UCLA is trash. 21-0 Indiana at the Rose Bowl with 2 mins til half.

Auburn struggling against New Mexico.

I think we need a thread so we can enter our official score predictions for the Saturday night game.

FYI As of Friday afternoon, the spread is either Cal -17.5 or -18.

Motion to use this thread to celebrate all losses of the teams who killed the Pac-12

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The Pac-12 is trying to get the band back together.

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Bears going gold, blue, gold for tomorrow night's game against San Diego State. Cal trying to ride some momentum of the gold helmet.

2024 combinations to date

Week 1 (UC Davis): 🔵🔵🟡
Week 2 (Auburn): 🟡⚪️🟡
Week 3 (SDSU): 🟡🔵🟡

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Cal head coach Justin Wilcox just had a radio interview with KNBR as he was driving to the stadium, and above are a few of the highlights of the conversation. It was mostly light but he was asked about realignment and said he doesn't pay much attention to it other than reading the headlines because it is too "volatile" of a time in college sports right now with all the movement. He did say there could be a time when the West Coast schools rejoin each other one day ... "it could absolutely happen."

Some good exposure for the Bears ahead of this week's game.

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Here is the new updated depth chart for the Bears ahead of their Week 3 matchup against San Diego State. A couple things to note, but both Tobias Merriweather and Kyion Grayes have been removed from the depth chart. Justin Wilcox said today that both players are week to week, and so this isn't a surprise. Will McDonald and Sioape Vatikani are both still listed as starters but Wilcox said they are both doubtful for Saturday's game. Matthew Littlejohn, who did not play against Auburn, is still listed atop the depth chart at nickel. Ryan Yaites started in his place while Ja'ir Smith was able to get a lot of run as well against Auburn.

Cal is coming off an key win against Auburn, and there has been some added attention for the Bears heading into Week 3. That has manifested itself in a big recruiting weekend for the program with San Diego State coming to Berkeley. Here is the visitor list for the Bears as multiple committed prospects will be making the trek to Cal Memorial Stadium this weekend giving Cal an opportunity to make a strong impression on a noteworthy group.

The top members of the group are four-star 2025 prospects OLB Marco Jones and WR/ATH Jaden Nickens. Jones has been committed to Texas A&M for a while now but has been open to the Bears for quite a long time, and him being in the Bay Area makes for an easy trip. The versatile linebacker prospect has grown to be more of an edge rusher and it's a very positive sign that he's making the trip over to CMS. Nickens is an Oklahoma native who was previously committed to Oklahoma but has since backed off that pledge and moved to California to play at Sierra Canyon. He has aspirations of being a two-sport athlete with basketball being his other love, and that is something that could end up being a big part of his final decision. Not many programs have given him an opportunity to do both, and we'll see where Cal eventually lands in that, but he's another big-time recruit to have on campus.

Visalia-Mount Whitney tight end Israel Briggs is the highest-rated recruit expected on campus this weekend. The junior is rated No. 227 overall by Rivals and has already been on campus this season when he visited for the UC Davis game.

A couple other prospects committed elsewhere who will make the trip to Cal this weekend include Washington State running back commit Jamar Searcy who plays at Pittsburg plus 2026 Archbishop Riordan offensive lineman and Arizona commit Michael Langi. He will make the trip over to Cal with his brother, Peter, a three-star recruit in the 2025 class who has been an Arizona lean.

FULL LIST

Commits
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2025
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Hey all - a good friend of mine has a pair of Field Club tickets for the SDSU game this Saturday that he isn't able to to use due to a change in plans. He doesn't have an account here so posting on his behalf.

Seats are in Section GG Row 19, includes a parking pass [Lower Hearst garage]. Asking $150 for the pair OBO.

If anyone is interested please PM me and I can put you guys in touch. Thanks and Go Bears!

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Ryan was unavailable this week, so I stepped in as host and connected with former Golden Bear Report staff writer Maria Kholodova to fill in on this week's episode of the podcast ahead of the Week 3 matchup against San Diego State. We recapped everything from the win over Auburn and discussed all angles of the week after the big victory in SEC country. Plus, we looked ahead to tomorrow's game against the Aztecs and gave score predictions.

It was interesting watching the Oregon State vs San Diego State game last night, given Cal plays both in the coming weeks (and San Diego State next Sat).

Beavers beat San Diego State by a score of 21 - 0. A few notable stats from that game:

• Aztecs, despite playing at home, only had 179 total yards, 7 first downs, and only two (2 of 12) 3rd down conversions all game.
• They had the ball only ~19 minutes (vs Beavers having the ball for 41 minutes). As an example, after the 1H the Aztecs had only run 23 offensive plays. Aztecs wants to run a high tempo offense, but all it ended up doing was speeding up their 3 and outs.
• Aztec QB Danny O'Neil was 11 of 24. Quite honestly, he really struggled the whole game. For the night had a QBR of 8.5 (didn't realize you could have a QBR that low)
• Aztecs actually have a pretty good running back Marquez Cooper, but he never really got going
• Aztec defense is nothing special. Beavers would have scored more if they had played cleaner
• Overall, kind of an ugly game to watch. FYI Aztecs commit an ugly amount of penalties, so sloppy play is a real issue

I would expect Cal to shut-out San Diego State next Saturday 9/14, from what I saw last night.

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Justin Wilcox is all in on getting fans in the stands this weekend

As you all know, I'm "hated" here for defending Stanford, but you may not know, I'm also "hated" on the Stanford board for defending Cal. It's funny how both fan bases call me a fan of the other team.

In the aftermath of Cal's victory over Auburn, Stanford fans can't understand how Cal is better than they are given Cal's terrible recruiting classes under Wilcox. So I told them Cal had the #17 transfer class that has made up for a lot of recruiting failures. Then I twisted the knife a bit and asserted that paying better players more money and allowing them to enroll, will improve a team, in reference to Stanford's stupid, self-imposed restrictions that destroy its competitive ability, so it can uphold its ILLUSION of superiority over others, that makes their Stanford degree valuable for them. And I added that Cal cares more about Football than Stanford.

One of their most influential posters pushed back, saying it is laughable Cal is more friendly to Football than Stanford, using the fact Wilcox is still employed as a prime example. I was basing my position that Cal cares more, based on having more flexible transfer and admissions policies. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't claiming Cal cared about Football relative to virtually all the programs these two ostensibly compete against, or that Stanford didn't at one time care more. My assertion was that Cal cares more than Stanford does, at this moment. But I felt I needed some better evidence. So I did a little research, trying to find some example of Cal's new Chancellor supporting Football. This may have been posted here and seen by others, but it was new to me until today.


I was BLOWN AWAY when I saw this! When is the last time a Cal Football player felt the Chancellor had his back? When is the last time a Cal Football player had a Chancellor make them know how appreciated they are and what they do matters for the school? I can make a strong case this act by Rich Lyons allowed Cal to beat Auburn. When you don't feel like you matter, or you are suppose to lose because you play on a team that accepts losing because it really isn't that important, and other schools that care more are suppose to win, you lose. The Cal Football brand is effectively the other shoe dropping. It's the product of years of indifference, if not sabotage, from the hierarchy of the administration. It's hard enough to beat the opponent, It's impassible to do it while also fighting the school, which YOU KNOW Cal players have had to do for decades.

I showed this video to my partner who went to Cal games with me back in the Tedford era, and she almost cried. She knows how important this show of support is.

After posting these sentiments above, I said maybe Justin Wilcox now has the level of support he needs to show he in fact will be a coach other programs will value. I was skeptical of this Cal team in the aftermath of the Auburn win, but seeing this Instagram post of the Cal Chancellor breaking down a huddle with the team and telling the players how appreciated they are, and how they make the school proud, is changing my mind. There is a real reason to believe in this team now, and I am no longer skeptical because they "are Cal." They may not have the talent needed to have a special season. But I do not believe you will watch games this year and see the other shoe drop that always has before. There is reason to believe in this team because the Chancellor has shown it is worth believing in.

Stanford only wishes it could say the same thing about its team and President.

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Cal may not land him eventually but the fact that this visit happened and that the Bears are legitimately in the race is a great sign for the future. Yes, there are some family connections that have sparked this interest but sometimes all you need is an in and a chance.

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Lot of season left but this is still pretty remarkable considering all the injuries before the season even began.

Here are the press conference sessions from today's media availability with the Bears. As per usual, Fernando Mendoza's other obligations mean he goes a little later than everyone else but here is the rest of the group and I'll upload the last one after we talk with the Cal QB.

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Both Justin Wilcox and Mike Bloesch were a lot more clear in their message this week when meeting with reporters Tuesday. Fernando Mendoza is the starting quarterback at Cal, and the expectation is that he will play the entirety of this week's game unless it gets out of hand.

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Justin Wilcox spoke for 13 minutes after Cal's big win over Auburn on Saturday. Here's a look back at everything the Bears' head coach said in his postgame press conference.

This was obviously a big statement coming into SEC territory, and being able to protect that lead and hold on. What did that mean to the team?

Well, it creates confidence and validates the work you put in. All the things you do in the offseason and fall camp, gives you validation. And, it's great to be able to watch the video and learn some lessons, because there'll be lessons to be learned, but come out with a victory against a really talented team in a hostile environment. It's a big win.

Auburn scores on the first drive, and you guys hold them in check for most of the way. Anything you guys did differently from that opening drive, or just stick to your guns?

No, I think it was just settling in. On the first drive, we had a couple of losses in man. We were a little aggressive in hitting our run fits fast on some of the RPO stuff. They made some good plays, and you got to give them credit. They made good plays, and we didn't make enough. Then I thought we settled down and played real competitive, really, all the way through. Had the one drive there in the fourth. We had, I think it was three 15-yard penalties — the two PIs and then the targeting — which it's really hard to stop them when you do that. The guys kept competing, and did it all day, and the five takeaways were the difference.

You've seen your fair share of defensive slugfests. How do you begin to describe the defense grinding through each and every ask?

I think just taking the field against a really talented team, a good football team and stepping up to the challenge each and every time. Those guys are competitive guys, and really proud of them. The defensive coaching staff deserves a ton of credit. Obviously the players, Teddy and Noel, we can go down the list the guys that impacted the game, but those guys put a awesome plan together. Those kids were prepared to play. So Peter Sirmon and (Andrew) Browning and Tre (Watson) and TB (Terrence Brown) and Vic (So'oto), those guys deserve a ton of credit.

Not a lot of people in the nation knew about Teddye Buchanan entering this year. What do you think they know now?

Well, he's a really good football player. We knew because we had played against him prior, and Teddye's a talented guy. Physical but it's his approach that's as impressive as anything. When you're around the building with him, the way he approaches meetings and walkthroughs and practice, he's just a total professional. There's not much that he's not prepared for. And doesn't mean he's going to be perfect, but he's he's going to be in the right places, and he's going to play really hard, and if somebody gets a play on him, they're going to have to earn it. He had 11 tackles and tackle for loss and sacked the quarterback.

You guys, as an offense, a lot of turnovers last season. Through two games, zero turnovers. I think, plus-eight and takeaways now. Just how much of a huge difference is that for you and the program?

Huge. We talked about coming into the day wanting to be plus-two, plus-three. Offensively, there was some tough sledding against a really talented front. There was times when we were kind of playing that field position game. Maybe we'll get to them, but if we don't, the punter was big today, really big. Protecting the football and not giving it to them. The only sacred thing in the program. There's no sacred coach or player, but the one sacred thing is the football and they took care of today.

I think I heard there was over 5,000 Cal fans here that traveled to Alabama. Can you talk about what that means to the program and to the staff and players?

That's the loudest group of 5,000 people I've heard, if that was the number. Seemed like a lot more than that. Obviously an incredible venue. This environment, we knew coming in to be a great environment — loud. And that's why you play college football, is to be in these environments. Then be able to run off the field and see all those smiling faces right there in the corner wearing blue and gold, that was special. So, we appreciate them. Thank you all who came out and who couldn't come that watched on TV. We appreciate all you old blues, and young blues.

This time last year, Fernando Mendoza and Jaivian Thomas were sitting on the sideline. No one really knew about them other than you guys. What type of growth have they shown you, both as players and as people, with what they did today?

It's just kind of part of that process is sometimes guys just need an opportunity, and both those guys we'll expect to continue to grow and get better. I think the the number one thing that shows up in environments like this, when maybe practice it's not as clear, is when they get in these competitive environments, when the lights are on and there's 80-whatever thousand out there, and it's loud. Some guys, it's just like that gives them energy, and they love that. I think those two guys are like that. I think Nyziah is like that. Because, a month ago, I don't know if any of us would have thought in Nyziah, through two games, would have done what he's done. So, I think that's just part of maturation and guys getting opportunity and being prepared when they get the opportunity.

With 4:44 left in the half, I think it was a fourth-and-2 at the 41-yard line, it looked like you wanted to be aggressive and go for it. Then you called a timeout. What transpired there?

Listen, there's analytics, and we have all that stuff. There's the book says this, the book says that, but at the end of the day, you gotta do what you think is right for the team. We were going to get the ball to start the second half, and we thought the defense had settled in and maybe we could pin them and potentially get the ball back. And if not, stop them. Let's go to halftime and come out and get the ball in the second half. Didn't want to do something greedy and give them the ball in the go zone, where they're in four-down territory immediately, right before the half. So, right, wrong, indifferent. I think the book there said to go, but I don't know at some point the human being has gotta consider all the context. If not, the book's just going to be coaching the team.

How important is it for you guys to win this one in a one-score game, and what does it mean for what you are trying to build?

Like I said before, it builds confidence. Because there's really no way to build confidence without demonstrated performance. I think you can prepare the best you can, but to truly be a confident player, you gotta go out and demonstrate it. And, I thought the guys did that. It validates the work they put in, in the meetings and the walkthroughs. All the things we're asking them to do. And now, the key is that we continue to get better. This can't be the best we play all year. We gotta continue to grind and get better. I'm excited to get back and watch the tape. We'll celebrate, but we got a game next week. We'll give them the 24 hours to enjoy the win, but we got a lot of football left to play.

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Justin Wilcox currently talking with the media ahead of the Auburn game. He says Jaydn Ott is officially "probable" for Saturday. He says he is "hopeful" that Kyion Grayes can go. Offensive linemen Sioape Vatikani and Will McDonald are in the "we'll see" category. Wilcox sounds a bit hesitant when discussing Tobias Merriweather and says the staff will know more today on his availability. He was in a boot and on a scooter on the sideline Saturday.

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The ACC has just announced its Week 4 kickoff times and the Bears will be in primetime. Cal’s matchup with Florida State will kick off at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) and will be broadcast either by ESPN or ESPN2. That will be decided after this week’s games. Miami at South Florida is the other game that will need to be decided in that time slot.

At Texas?

It’s been a long time