I’m ready for 18-22 year olds to determine my happiness on a Saturday

— Walk-On Redshirts (@walkonredshirts) August 1, 2025

I know I am

Excited to see what kind of impact all the new coaches will have this season. I'm hopeful that our offense will be more dynamic and creative compared to the past couple of seasons. Hopefully we will surprise some people.

BearForceOne said:

---

Excited to see what kind of impact all the new coaches will have this season. I'm hopeful that our offense will be more dynamic and creative compared to the past couple of seasons. Hopefully we will surprise some people.

---

Just two years ago with Spavital we were the #48 offense on the country, which wasn't great, but it was far and away the best under Wilcox. Jaydn Ott lead the Pac12 in rushing, but we were very balanced with an Air Raid attack.

I wish we could have seen last year's team with Spavital back, but despite being the #90 offense overall, we were #37 in passing: Mendoza throwing downfield to Endries, Hunter, et al was exciting and was our best offense by far helping us build leads going into the 4th when Wilcox would just sit on them. Imagine if we had just embraced being a pass-first team? Pass to set up Ott and the Jet like the year before? And just keep passing and scoring until the clock expires like an Air Raid team?

Rushinbear said:

---

it will be interesting to see whether recruiting or long-term development matters more. The O has clearly recruited to match their style. If they pull this off in the recruits' first year, it will tell us a lot.

---

Long-term development? In the tran$fer portal era? That concept doesn't exist anymore.

calumnus said:

---

BearForceOne said:

---

Excited to see what kind of impact all the new coaches will have this season. I'm hopeful that our offense will be more dynamic and creative compared to the past couple of seasons. Hopefully we will surprise some people.

---

Just two years ago with Spavital we were the #48 offense on the country, which wasn't great, but it was far and away the best under Wilcox. Jaydn Ott lead the Pac12 in rushing, but we were very balanced with an Air Raid attack.

I wish we could have seen last year's team with Spavital back, but despite being the #90 offense overall, we were #37 in passing: Mendoza throwing downfield to Endries, Hunter, et al was exciting and was our best offense by far helping us build leads going into the 4th when Wilcox would just sit on them. Imagine if we had just embraced being a pass-first team? Pass to set up Ott and the Jet like the year before? And just keep passing and scoring until the clock expires like an Air Raid team?

---

Agree that it would have been interesting to see how last season would have turned out if Spavital had stayed. It was impressive what he accomplished in just his first year. He clearly knows how to run an offense.

Even when he was here under Dykes, the offense put up a ton of points and was exciting to watch. Although we didn't win many games, the games were more fun to watch when we lose 49-42 as opposed to losing 14-7.

Our feelings on Saturdays are not being affected by 18-22-year-olds but by the grown-ups mismanaging them

Ready for what? Almost wins, disappointing losses, waiting to see if Wilcox will get fired, waiting for an invite to the Idaho Famous Potato bowl game......

calumnus said:

---

BearForceOne said:

---

Excited to see what kind of impact all the new coaches will have this season. I'm hopeful that our offense will be more dynamic and creative compared to the past couple of seasons. Hopefully we will surprise some people.

---

Just two years ago with Spavital we were the #48 offense on the country, which wasn't great, but it was far and away the best under Wilcox. Jaydn Ott lead the Pac12 in rushing, but we were very balanced with an Air Raid attack.

I wish we could have seen last year's team with Spavital back, but despite being the #90 offense overall, we were #37 in passing: Mendoza throwing downfield to Endries, Hunter, et al was exciting and was our best offense by far helping us build leads going into the 4th when Wilcox would just sit on them. Imagine if we had just embraced being a pass-first team? Pass to set up Ott and the Jet like the year before? And just keep passing and scoring until the clock expires like an Air Raid team?

---

I stopped being a Spav fan when it took him five games of mediocre/lousy play by the two transfer QBs HE selected (JacksonV and Finley) before he gave Mendoza a shot.

Just saw CFN's preview of our team and it made me angry that Wilcox is still around. If we could have kept some of the studs we had last year (Ott, Jaivian, Endries, etc.) our offense would have been stacked and we could have rolled through our weak schedule. Alas, Cal be Cal'in. I'll be watching as always, but I'm guessing we're 6-7 (or maaaybe 7-6) at the end of the year, then the only exciting thing will be jettisoning Wilcox. And we better dump him barring a 10-3 season.

Strykur said:

---

upsetof86 said:

---

GivemTheAxe said:

---

oskithepimp said:

---

Just saw CFN's preview of our team and it made me angry that Wilcox is still around. If we could have kept some of the studs we had last year (Ott, Jaivian, Endries, etc.) our offense would have been stacked and we could have rolled through our weak schedule. Alas, Cal be Cal'in. I'll be watching as always, but I'm guessing we're 6-7 (or maaaybe 7-6) at the end of the year, then the only exciting thing will be jettisoning Wilcox. And we better dump him barring a 10-3 season.

---

Chancellor Lyons has stated on the record that 6 and 7 win seasons are no longer acceptable. So it looks like Wilcox will have to hit 8-wins THIS season. That should be doable (but no sure thing with essentially a brand new team in Offense)

---

He is so motivated I'm sure. A cushy DC job anywhere in the country awaits after collecting >$40M and the sympathies and admiration of his peers all these years. "How did you win any games under those academic standards and anti-football bureaucracy at Cal?"

---

Unless he wants to be relegated to jobs outside the Power 4, even at coordinator, he has to show something because even programs that have been doormats in college football have shown the right coach can fix everything (Curt Cignetti, Mike Elko, etc.), we have issues but institutional elements do not explain seasons like last year

---

No one will hire him as an HC but I'm sure he can land a high level DC job making $1 million + per year, which on top of the roughly $50 million he will have made from Cal, still puts him in the Top 0.1% of the country which is pretty good for a not particularly bright football player from University of Oregon who never played pro football.

I don't know about everyone else, but for me 8 wins after 9 seasons of garbage should not be a qualifying event for keeping his job. I think we're at the "10 wins or nothing" stage of his ****ty career. Time's a wastin' for us to have a good coach to build success or else we'll be relegated to the dustbin of college football.

oskithepimp said:

---

I don't know about everyone else, but for me 8 wins after 9 seasons of garbage should not be a qualifying event for keeping his job. I think we're at the "10 wins or nothing" stage of his ****ty career. Time's a wastin' for us to have a good coach to build success or else we'll be relegated to the dustbin of college football.

---

I agree that 8 wins given this schedule should not be some sort of "qualifying" moment for Wilcox. College football is likely to "realign" but how is up in the air. Cal needs to win now. 8 wins is not enough to matter IMO. 10 is a number that gets some attention. But Syracuse reached 10 last year and they are not on anybody's hot list for realignment. Cal is not trusted. They need to win and continue to do so.

One good season won't cut it. So yes lets win this season. But lets make sure the program is truly prepared to be good for the long haul. That IMO does not include keeping Wilcox beyond 2025 almost no matter what he does. Make the ACC championship and get a CFP invite and I would be open to changing my viewpoint. Otherwise IMO this needs to be Wilcox's final season.