List of worst Cal losses, all-time

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concordtom
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6:10a, 10/6/24
There are certainly bad stat losses.
* last night

And then there are the emotional losses.
* getting passed over Rose Bowl selection, 2004.

Or the significant losses.
* Jahvid Best

Have at it, people. I think this thread could be a long one.
List them. Rank them.
You'll feel much better.
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gobears15
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7:08a, 10/6/24
The loss to OSU in 2007 (with Riley) when a win would have bumped us up to #1 in the polls was pretty devastating.
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Bobodeluxe
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In reply to gobears15 • 8:24a, 10/6/24
gobears15 said:
The loss to OSU in 2007 (with Riley) when a win would have bumped us up to #1 in the polls was pretty devastating.
The buzz in TT before the game started was that the UC Berkeley Bears were the worst #2 team in the history of college football. They went on to prove it later that year.
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Big C
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8:28a, 10/6/24

This one hurt because we almost had -- including GameDay -- one of the greatest days in the history of modern Cal Football.

Almost. One play away...
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DiabloWags
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In reply to gobears15 • 8:30a, 10/6/24
gobears15 said:
The loss to OSU in 2007 (with Riley) when a win would have bumped us up to #1 in the polls was pretty devastating.

Yup.
I was there and the Beavs ran all over us.
That was literally the beginning of the end.
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
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BearsWiin
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8:44a, 10/6/24
Losing Bruce Snyder after the 1991 season
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JSC 76
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8:47a, 10/6/24
1990 Big Game.
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blungld
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In reply to JSC 76 • 9:30a, 10/6/24
JSC 76 said:
1990 Big Game.
1990 Big Game - the BS roughing the passer. Hardy should have been the hero.

1992 Big Game - the smack talk loss.

Oregon State - the Riley run and not #1

2004 USC - so proud of Bears. One of the greatest games ever, but after a perfect day Aaron's incompletions at the goal line.

2024 Miami


* and basketball away at WSU with Kidd to not win the PAC.
The Bear will not quilt, the Bear will not dye!
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01Bear
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9:51a, 10/6/24
Add the 2012 Ohio State Game where Bigelow went crazy but then didn't get touches toward the end of the game.
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cal2000
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In reply to gobears15 • 10:06a, 10/6/24
gobears15 said:
The loss to OSU in 2007 (with Riley) when a win would have bumped us up to #1 in the polls was pretty devastating.

This.
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concordtom
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In reply to JSC 76 • 10:21a, 10/6/24
JSC 76 said:
1990 Big Game.
I missed this one, living in DC.
My dad was so angry and disgusted.
Considering it was Stanford (BIG GAME) and not Miami, I put this at the top of the list.


Final 17 seconds, "Revenge of the The Play" (same location, same endzone, 8 years later):

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LunchTime
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10:53a, 10/6/24
Big game with the students cost the game is no question the worst.

But I wasn't so disillusioned that I said I'd never go to a game again. The atmosphere was awesome back then. Even while losing.
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Econ141
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In reply to Big C • 11:28a, 10/6/24
Big C said:

This one hurt because we almost had -- including GameDay -- one of the greatest days in the history of modern Cal Football.

Almost. One play away...


This. The resurgence Cal story and fan base would be national and we enter the "lighter" part of the schedule. Everytime we are about to breakthrough, something stupid happens.
Give to Cal Legends!

https://calegends.com/donation/ Do it now. Text every Cal fan you know, give them the link, tell them how much you gave, and ask them to text every Cal fan they know and do the same.
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Trumpanzee
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11:42a, 10/6/24
2010 vs. Nevada, why? Because I took my family to watch our asses get kicked and sit next to drunk ass Nevada fans who started drinking the week before.

Shane Vereen ran for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns for the Bears (2-1), who had a 22-1-1 record against Nevada entering the game and had won their only previous contest in Reno 81-6 in 1915. Kevin Riley passed for 277 yards and a touchdown but also threw his first three touchdowns of the season.
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blungld
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In reply to 01Bear • 11:55a, 10/6/24
01Bear said:
Add the 2012 Ohio State Game where Bigelow went crazy but then didn't get touches toward the end of the game.
I was at the game and Buckeye fans were worried. Then we have a score overturned on a total total BS made up didn't happen downfield hold by our TE and Telford wimps out and doesn't go for game winning first down/score at the end. Cal should have won that game.
The Bear will not quilt, the Bear will not dye!
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Trumpanzee
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12:28p, 10/6/24
No particular order, USC 2004. First and goal with 30 seconds left, Rodgers can't find the end zone. 2008 Oregon St, Riley takes a sack instead of throwing out of the end zone. Time runs out trying to tie the game. Cal would've been ranked number 1. Miami and Arizona 2015 hail Mary
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concordtom
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12:39p, 10/6/24
I was at the Riley game.
That didn't shake me too much. It was early in the season and in the overall scheme of things it was just another game.

It was exciting up to that point. It just didn't work out.

Last night was a long slow bleed to death. Drop after drop after drop, couldn't stop it from happening.
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sycasey
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In reply to concordtom • 1:32p, 10/6/24
concordtom said:
I was at the Riley game.
That didn't shake me too much. It was early in the season and in the overall scheme of things it was just another game.

It was exciting up to that point. It just didn't work out.

Last night was a long slow bleed to death. Drop after drop after drop, couldn't stop it from happening.

And also let some chances to put an end to it literally slip through our fingers.
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BearFumble
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4:17p, 10/6/24
Quite a few to close from - my pick for worst horror is Cal vs Washington Huskies 1993 in Berkeley.

I call this the Ricky Spears game. If memory serves, Spears brother was killed in the Blackhawk Down incident in Somalia shortly before the game. It was questionable he would play but he did.

Well Cal had like a 20-3 or 23-3 lead, and Spears had an interception! But we blew it.

Cal was in a long losing streak that would reach 19 years to the Huskies. We tried to hold on, but gave up an onside kick with a minute to go and quarterback sneak on last play of game.

So close.
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BarcaBear
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5:28p, 10/6/24
#1 worst loss took place in the media when Tedford kept quiet as Mack Brown convinced voters that Texas deserved to be ranked higher than Cal which stole the Rose Bowl from Cal

close behind this is #2 Riley's brainfart on the field that made him think he could score a TD instead of doing as Tedford told him. why? because we would have been ranked #1 in the country.

loss to Miami is close behind that, however, and may in some ways be worse because Wilcox got in the way. I think it was him that told Bloesch to change his play calling, that or they both agreed to it. one of the few things I liked about Dykes is that he would step on the opponents throat given the chance and run up the score. Wilcox I think has an aversion to the killer mentality.
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concordtom
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In reply to BearFumble • 6:48p, 10/6/24
BearFumble said:
Quite a few to close from - my pick for worst horror is Cal vs Washington Huskies 1993 in Berkeley.

I call this the Ricky Spears game. If memory serves, Spears brother was killed in the Blackhawk Down incident in Somalia shortly before the game. It was questionable he would play but he did.

Well Cal had like a 20-3 or 23-3 lead, and Spears had an interception! But we blew it.

Cal was in a long losing streak that would reach 19 years to the Huskies. We tried to hold on, but gave up an onside kick with a minute to go and quarterback sneak on last play of game.

So close.

Ouch!
Big Ouch!!!
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bear13
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7:00p, 10/6/24
I've been lurking here on these forums since around 2010, my sophomore year at Cal. I've never posted before, so I guess this is my first post. Somehow after all these years, this topic is the one that compelled me to actually write something.

I don't recall a more worst and painful loss than last night. I thought the 14 years or so of watching Cal football made me numb to crazy loses like this in general, but last night was something else. #1 in my book, and hopefully nothing in the future ever tops it.
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LessMilesMoreTedford
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7:11p, 10/6/24
Nothing will top 2006 Arizona, and the ten different things that went wrong to lose to that mediocre team.

If Cal wins, we go to the Rose Bowl as either USC wins out and goes to the title game and we get the at-large to Pasadena, or USC loses to either Cal or UCLA and Cal wins the Pac-10 outright.

The Riley game is painful but that Cal team was very flawed and we would have been screwed that season anyway with the Longshore injury. Cal beats Arizona that afternoon in 98 of 100 universes. But we were in this one.
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95bears
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7:27p, 10/6/24
This tops my list because it was Wilcox doing Wilcox in Year 8. And you could see it coming.

I was at every other game listed except OSU. Those could be mostly chalked up to all manner of random things. This was just pure Wilcox.

BTW the OSU loss was kind of similar in some ways, in that I was in New Orleans for a wedding and EVERY LSU and college football fan in the quarter was rooting for Cal to be #1. Everyone wanted us to beat Miami last night (and FSU last week).

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TedfordTheGreat
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In reply to BarcaBear • 7:29p, 10/6/24
BarcaBear said:
#1 worst loss took place in the media when Tedford kept quiet as Mack Brown convinced voters that Texas deserved to be ranked higher than Cal which stole the Rose Bowl from Cal

close behind this is #2 Riley's brainfart on the field that made him think he could score a TD instead of doing as Tedford told him. why? because we would have been ranked #1 in the country.

loss to Miami is close behind that, however, and may in some ways be worse because Wilcox got in the way. I think it was him that told Bloesch to change his play calling, that or they both agreed to it. one of the few things I liked about Dykes is that he would step on the opponents throat given the chance and run up the score. Wilcox I think has an aversion to the killer mentality.
This one hurts so much. Probably hurts the most since 2 weeks ago, and in the grander scheme probably since OSU in 2007

Gameday is a once in 37 years opportunity. I said these exact words after the FSU game, i will type the exact same words i did after that game.

Cal, our fan base, volunteers, sebastabear, we handed Wilcox a loaded gun. All he had to do was win against FSU to change our national perception. Or win last night against Miami. Either game, 1 win, it would have propeled us forward so much and showed the world that we do play big time football here in california. (If we won against FSU and lost a 1 pointer against miami, we will be regarded as ACC contenders) (if we won against Miami, we will be contenders).

Wilcox botched it, yet again. These things are huge in the eyes of the recruits and eyeballs. Yet time and time again Wilcox fails to live up to the challenge. I thought he finally grew some balls when he went for it on 4th and 1, but then "ugly scared to lose" wilcox rears his head again.

Wilcox, u won't be reading this, but if you are reading it, your natural instincts are that of a LOSER. You have lost time and time again. You have a losing conference record every single year and this year it's looking to be the same. I know this sounds rough, tough and even crass, but if you want to win, you need to change. Constantly doing the same thing over and over again is insanity
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sycasey
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In reply to LessMilesMoreTedford • 8:51p, 10/6/24
LessMilesMoreTedford said:
Nothing will top 2006 Arizona, and the ten different things that went wrong to lose to that mediocre team.
You know what, I think you found that one that still ticks me off the most.
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HongKong_Bear
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9:00p, 10/6/24
I feel like for most of us Old Blues we've endured enough tough losses over the years that after a while we learn to deal with the hurt after all the disappointment. So if you ask me which losses really hurt the most, I feel like I should go back to my youth when I was relatively naive to the ways of being a Cal fan. I've mentioned before in another thread attending in person the 1974 Big Game in Berkeley, when Mike Langford won the game for Furd on the last play with a 50 yard field goal, kicking it off natural grass with the old straight on style. The other painful loss was listening to the Bears lose to UCLA away at UCLA in 1979, 28-27. Similar to the Miami game the Bears were up and seemingly in control in the 2nd half, but it just seemed to slip away, with the Bruins being led by their 3rd string QB Bernard Quarles, who didn't do anything else again of note in his career.
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Big C
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In reply to bear13 • 9:11p, 10/6/24
bear13 said:
I've been lurking here on these forums since around 2010, my sophomore year at Cal. I've never posted before, so I guess this is my first post. Somehow after all these years, this topic is the one that compelled me to actually write something.

I don't recall a more worst and painful loss than last night. I thought the 14 years or so of watching Cal football made me numb to crazy loses like this in general, but last night was something else. #1 in my book, and hopefully nothing in the future ever tops it.

Great first post! I admire your self-discipline on the lack of posting, lol. The game was tough to bear, wasn't it?
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bear2034
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In reply to concordtom • 9:47p, 10/6/24
concordtom said:
Have at it, people. I think this thread could be a long one.
List them. Rank them.
You'll feel much better.

I read blungld's post and it made me feel worse.
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bear13
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In reply to Big C • 10:04p, 10/6/24
Big C said:
bear13 said:
I've been lurking here on these forums since around 2010, my sophomore year at Cal. I've never posted before, so I guess this is my first post. Somehow after all these years, this topic is the one that compelled me to actually write something.

I don't recall a more worst and painful loss than last night. I thought the 14 years or so of watching Cal football made me numb to crazy loses like this in general, but last night was something else. #1 in my book, and hopefully nothing in the future ever tops it.

Great first post! I admire your self-discipline on the lack of posting, lol. The game was tough to bear, wasn't it?
Haha, I've never gone through so many emotions in a span of 24 hours... 23 of which were the most glorious I've felt as a Cal fan in recent memory. ESPN Gameday and all the buildup to it; all the press; the excitement in the air before the game; the exuberant highs up to around midway through the 3rd quarter of the game--up by 25 pts on the #8 team in the land; and all of it just to come crashing down in the last quarter of play...just classic! I thought, after all of that, if I'm ever going to make a first post here, now has got to be the time!

Anyway, glad to now be an active member, even if it took me awhile, haha. Go Bears!
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bear2034
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In reply to bear13 • 11:05p, 10/6/24
bear13 said:
Big C said:
bear13 said:
I've been lurking here on these forums since around 2010, my sophomore year at Cal. I've never posted before, so I guess this is my first post. Somehow after all these years, this topic is the one that compelled me to actually write something.

I don't recall a more worst and painful loss than last night. I thought the 14 years or so of


watching Cal football made me numb to crazy loses like this in general, but last night was something else. #1 in my book, and hopefully nothing in the future ever tops it.

Great first post! I admire your self-discipline on the lack of posting, lol. The game was tough to bear, wasn't it?
Haha, I've never gone through so many emotions in a span of 24 hours... 23 of which were the most glorious I've felt as a Cal fan in recent memory. ESPN Gameday and all the buildup to it; all the press; the excitement in the air before the game; the exuberant highs up to around midway through the 3rd quarter of the game--up by 25 pts on the #8 team in the land; and all of it just to come crashing down in the last quarter of play...just classic! I thought, after all of that, if I'm ever going to make a first post here, now has got to be the time!

Anyway, glad to now be an active member, even if it took me awhile, haha. Go Bears!

How it started:




How it ended:

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ducktilldeath
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In reply to Econ141 • 11:13p, 10/6/24
Econ141 said:
Big C said:

This one hurt because we almost had -- including GameDay -- one of the greatest days in the history of modern Cal Football.

Almost. One play away...


This. The resurgence Cal story and fan base would be national and we enter the "lighter" part of the schedule. Everytime we are about to breakthrough, something stupid happens.
Breakthrough is a noun. The verb is "to break through".
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Strykur
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In reply to ducktilldeath • 11:16p, 10/6/24
ducktilldeath said:
Econ141 said:
Big C said:

This one hurt because we almost had -- including GameDay -- one of the greatest days in the history of modern Cal Football.

Almost. One play away...
This. The resurgence Cal story and fan base would be national and we enter the "lighter" part of the schedule. Everytime we are about to breakthrough, something stupid happens.
Breakthrough is a noun. The verb is "to break through".
The thing is, Cal football has a notoriety for dropping games because of stupidity on the field, stemming from poor coaching, is that the kind of program we want to have, football that is entertaining because of idiocy and not winning? Serious question here.
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bear2034
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11:20p, 10/6/24
2021
Cal 3
Arizona 10.

Cal loses to a shiet Arizona team (last place?).
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bear2034
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In reply to Strykur • 11:22p, 10/6/24
Strykur said:
ducktilldeath said:
Econ141 said:
Big C said:

This one hurt because we almost had -- including GameDay -- one of the greatest days in the history of modern Cal Football.

Almost. One play away...
This. The resurgence Cal story and fan base would be national and we enter the "lighter" part of the schedule. Everytime we are about to breakthrough, something stupid happens.
Breakthrough is a noun. The verb is "to break through".
The thing is, Cal football has a notoriety for dropping games because of stupidity on the field, stemming from poor coaching, is that the kind of program we want to have, football that is entertaining because of idiocy and not winning? Serious question here.

Many schools drop games due to stupidity on the field stemming from poor coaching.
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