Cal College Football Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024

Cal Golden Bears Preview 2024

Of all the big moves in the realignment game, Cal going to the ACC managed to fly furthest under the radar.

At least it seems that way.

Stanford is Stanford - it tends to get more national attention - and even the SMU move to the ACC was out there a bit more because of the novelty. But it’s not like Cal is amazing in basketball at the moment, and the football program hasn’t been a thing since the mid-2000s when Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch were around.

But it’s an amazing academic institution in a giant media market - even if football doesn’t mean more in the area - and if nothing else, it represents something huge. The ACC is coast-to-coast now, and Cal will get a different kind of exposure it was missing in the Pac-12.

And, at least for this year, Cal might be the ACC’s best get.

SMU is better than the version that rolled to the AAC title, but it’s stepping up in weight class, and Stanford will struggle to get to .500.

Cal will probably have a winning season, the fish-out-of-water aspect will matter, and it's possible this new era of the program will be a jumpstart of sorts.

Cal Preview 2024: Offense

- The offense had its moments, scoring the most points in a season since 2016. It all centered around heart-and-soul RB Jaydn Ott and a rushing attack that took over games late in the season. He wasn’t alone, and there are other options, but he’s the marked man every defense has to stop.

The line gets back three starters and plenty of size after doing a good job in pass protection and generating a decent push. There might not be any stars, but Matthew Wykoff is a big, versatile interior blocker with the 6-6, 325-pound size to get a look at the next level at center or guard.

- The team took on a different look once Fernando Mendoza took over at quarterback. The true freshman threw too many picks - ten in eight games - and made a slew of rookie mistakes, but he’s the type of baller who can get hot and take the pressure off of Ott. Getting Chandler Rogers from North Texas is a strong No. 2 option who’ll get his chances.

- The transfer portal helped out the receiving corps. The tight end situation is great with sophomore Jack Endries a factor, but top receiver Jeremiah Hunter is off to Washington. Tobias Merriweather (Notre Dame) and Mikey Matthews (Utah) are veterans who’ll jump into starting spots around No. 2 receiver and deep threat Trond Grizzell.

Cal Preview 2024: Defense

- This is supposed to be a defensive team with all the talent among the coaching staff. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Bears led the nation in takeaways. The pass rush wasn’t there, but it’s a hard-nosed bunch up front that should be in for a stronger season with a slew of veterans back.

There might not be any stars, but 6-4, 335-pound Ricky Correia on the nose and 285-pound Ethan Saunders moving around where needed can hold up. There’s decent depth, and it’s this group’s job to let all the linebackers run free.

- The linebacking corps will be a problem for the ACC. David Reese started out as a Florida Gator, and last year he became Cal’s best pass rusher with 6.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. He and Xavier Carlton are nasty on the outside, and even though leading tackler Kaleb Elarms-Orr is off to TCU, Cade Uluave is a strong young player who’ll crank up the tackles inside.

- The linebackers are good, but the corners might be even better. The Bears were already set with Nohl Williams and Lu-Magia Hearns, but Idaho transfer Marcus Harris might be way too good to not find a starting spot early on.

The transfer portal helped out the safety situation, too, but Cal is loaded there, too. Craig Woodson is a big-time tackler who leads the veteran bunch.

Cal Key To The Season

Stop with the turnovers.
The defense might have been amazing at forcing mistakes with 28 takeaways, but the offense managed to give them up just as fast with 28 giveaways of their own.

Sure enough, when Cal gave the ball away three times or more it was 0-5. It was 6-2 when turning over two times or fewer, and 3-0 when it didn’t give it up multiple times.

Cal Key Player

OT Nick Morrow, RFr.
The offensive line should be okay with enough returning starters and decent depth to be at least as strong. Transfer Rush Reimer from Montana State might work in at left tackle, and Temple’s Victor Stoffel could see action early, but the 6-8, 305-pound Morrow has the biggest upside to be special at left tackle. He’s got the athleticism, but he needs the time logged in.

Cal Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss

Top Transfer In: CB Marcus Harris, Sr.
Harris might not seem like the biggest transfer get, and he might not even start considering how strong the Cal corner situation is, but the former Idaho star has to work somewhere. He made 150 tackles over the last three seasons with six interceptions and a whopping 35 broken up passes. He’s a baller.

Top Transfer Out: WR Jeremiah Hunter, Sr.
There weren’t too many big losses to the transfer portal, but it would’ve been nice if Hunter was still around. He made 123 catches with 12 touchdowns as the team’s leading receiver over the last two years, and now he’ll be a big, dangerous receiver for Washington.

Cal Key Game

Miami, Oct. 5
Few ACC fans seem to be taking Cal seriously, and starting out the conference season at Florida State won’t help the cause. But the Bears get a week off after that and then welcome in Miami from the other side of the nation.

The rest of the ACC slate isn’t all that bad, but lose this, and with a road date at Pitt coming up next, this could be a must win. The two teams are 2-2 in the series.

Cal 10 Best Players

1. Jaydn Ott, RB Jr.
2. Craig Woodson, S Sr.
3. David Reese, LB Sr.
4. Nohl Williams, CB Sr.
5. Lachlan Wilson, P Sr.
6. Marcus Harris, CB Sr.
7. Cade Uluave, LB Soph.
8. Fernando Mendoza, QB Soph.
9. Jack Endries, TE Soph.
10. Trond Grizzell, WR Jr.

Cal 2023 Fun Stats

- Fumbles: Opponents 27 (lost 16), Cal 24 (lost 12)

- Punt Return Average: Opponents 13.7 yards, Cal 2.9 yards

- 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 23-of-38 (61%), Cal 18-of-33 (55%)

Cal 2024 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen

Cal might have finished with a losing season, but going 6-7 was the team’s best campaign since 2019 and this version is even better.

Last year’s team beat the teams it was supposed to - the whopper of a 33-7 victory over UCLA being the outlier - and lost to the good teams, but it had a shot to shock USC and should’ve beaten Auburn.

It’ll be a bit like that again. It’ll beat the teams it’s supposed to and struggle against the powers, but the schedule should be easier. There aren’t any road trips to Washington, Oregon, or Utah this time around, but there is a date at Florida State and the Auburn game is in Alabama.

Here’s the X factor - how will teams do when making the trip to Berkeley?

Miami, NC State, and Syracuse have to go a long way. The Bears will pull off one of those - possibly two - on the way to the first winning seasoning five years.

Set The Cal Win Total At … 6.5

Likely Wins: San Diego State, UC Davis

50/50 Games: Miami, NC State, Oregon State, at Pitt, at SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, at Wake Forest

Likely Losses: at Auburn, at Florida State

- Cal Schedule: 3 Things To Know