OMG, all the sunshine pumper hysteria on this board is finally getting to me!
This is my subsequent revision to my 2/13/2019 revision to my initial 1/9/19 dire predictions for the Bears' 2019 season.
My early predictions were premised upon essentially a status quo Bear football team situation for next season; to date, this still looks to be the case so my conjecture about this aspect of Cal remains unchanged. I mean, will the Bears have a deep ball passing game, any running back of note, any standout WRs, an even better defense, apropos play-calling, etc., etc.
So, what has change are my perceptions about how good Cal's opponents may be.
PRESEASON PROJECTED 2019 CAL FOOTBALL SCHEDULE OUTCOMES, Revision 2
UC Davis - Oh hum, this still looks like Cal's traditional early OOC sacrifice to the football gods. This is a Cal WIN! Sure UC Davis was a Big Sky co-champion last season, and their QB Maier was the Big Sky POY; but, I don't think their offense faced anything like Cal's sturdy "D", and besides, Maier is only 6'-0" tall! I just hope that the same won't be said when Cal's offense goes up against the Aggies' FFA defense.
Cal 1-0
@ Washington - Petersen seems to be succeeding in developing another good defensive unit. From 2018, the DL is reloading with instant impact redshirt freshmen, **** Letuligasenoa (6-1, 336) and **** Taimani (6-1, 318), and from 2019 UDub has ensured defensive depth by landing two of the top defensive players on the West Coast; the Huskies signed **** safety Asa Turner, and **** LB Daniel Heimuli from East Paly. Offensively, the Huskies have 6'-6" ***** QB Eason, a transfer from Georgia (and who won the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2015), should make the loss of Browning hardly noticeable. Don't hold your breath for a repeat upset, this will be a Cal LOSS, especially considering UDub will probably be nationally ranked and will also have an extreme partisan home field advantage.
Cal 1-1
North Texas -The Mean Green had a pretty good 9-4 record last season, so this game might not be an easy one for the Bears. The Meanies return junior 5'-11" QB Mason Fine, who has thrown for 3,793 yards with 27 TDs (becoming the program's all-time leading passer and earning his second-straight Conference USA Offensive POY honors). North Texas apparently had a good QB coach; too bad for them that this coach, Harrell, is now at u$C. Anyway, Cal will have a good pass defense and more overall depth foretelling a second Bear home WIN.
Cal 2-1
@Ole Miss- With no more bowl ban and with hiring ex-P12 head coaches Arizona Rich Rodriguez as OC and Colorado Mike MacIntyre as DC, Ole Miss has got be a surprisingly different team than last season's undisciplined 5-7 one. The two most famous quarterbacks in Ole Miss history (Archie and Eli Manning) just recently gave the future of Ole Miss, ex-Long Beach Poly QB Matt Corral, two thumbs up. Yes, Corral is a smallish 6'-1" and a redshirt freshman, but he is a **** recruit that was recruited by Alabama and u$C. This quasi-Pac 12 game is another toss-up but looks like another Cal road LOSS because of home field disadvantage and because the revitalized Rebels should definitely be prepared for whatever Cal brings as their OC and DC have faced and handled Wilcox's Bears before.
Cal 2-2
Arizona State - ASU desperately needs to find a starting QB. As of now, it's either Sterling-Cole, a little used junior, or true frosh **** QB Jayden Daniels (a dual threat who had offers from nine Pac-12 schools and from Ohio State, Georgia, LSU and Alabama). Whoever the Sun Devils decide on, he will have a lot of help from All-American TB Eno Benjamin, who set a school-record 1,652 yards rushing (fourth most in the country last season) and who, in turn, will be running behind five returning offensive linemen who started games last season. This toss-up game is slightly tilting towards a Cal home game WIN, especially if Cal's defense can stymie what looks like to be a potent run-heavy offensive scheme led by an inexperienced QB.
Cal 3-2
@Oregon- This will likely be Cal's third road LOSS given Oregon's several years of outstanding recruiting and according to their latest "best recruiting class in school history" hype! Of course, we all know that Herbert is returning at QB, so the Ducks brought in Penn State grad transfer, veteran receiver Juwan Johnson (6'-4", 231) for him to throw to. And, to blind-side block for these two, the Ducks recruited the top-ranked JUCO player in the country, Aumavae-Laulu (6'-6", 332) and return nationally rated Sewell (6'-6", 345). For immediate help for their loosey goosey defense, the Ducks got ***** DE Thibodeaux (6'-5", 240), the top-rated HS player in the country, and LB Mathis, the nationally top rated JUCO linebacker. The talent-laden Ducks will most likely be nationally ranked in the AP Top 25 when Cal meets the Eugene gaggle in the infamous Autzen Stadium.
Cal 3-3
Oregon State- zzzZZZzzzZZZzzz...uh what? Holy cow, 6'-7" QB Jake Luton was granted a sixth year of eligibility? No matter, the perennial Pac 12 North bottom-dweller Beavers just don't have the overall talent, so home field advantage and game go to the Bears for a much-needed fourth (or, if really lucky, fifth) WIN!
Cal 4-3
@Utah - Don't let the Utes' last season Holiday Bowl loss fool you; Utah will be a formidable opponent for our Bears. Whittingham (who signed a contract extension that could keep him with the Utes through the 2023 season) was playing a red-shirt freshman QB in that bowl game because not only was their starting QB Huntley injured but also their starting All-Pac-12 TB Moss and leading WR Covey, too. All three will be returning, along with defensive All-Pac-12'ers DE Anae, DT Fotu, and CB Blackmon. With a notorious home field advantage to Utah, this game looks like a fourth road LOSS for the Bears against another probable nationally ranked team.
Cal 4-4
Washington State - Leach still hasn't decided upon a QB. For now, it's between ex-CCSF QB Gordon, who had a great Crimson and Gray spring game where he was 21-for-30 for 340 yards and three scores, and EW grad transfer phenom Gubrud, who has thrown for an incredible 9,984 yards with 87 TD passes for the Eagles and was a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award (given to the best offensive player in the FCS). The reason for the Sly Fox's hesitation is that Gubrub did not play (ankle) in the spring scrimmage, but by the time the Cougs play Cal, they'll have their pass-happy QB to go with their returning RBs and WRs. Like Cal, Wazzu also gave Pac-12 COY Leach an extension to 2023 so if he lasts that long it looks like Coach Wilcox will be going up against Leach's pass-crazy spread offenses for the next five seasons! Even though this game will be played in Berkeley, it still feels like another Cal LOSS.
Cal 4-5
u$C- Discombobulated u$C has made the unpopular decision to keep Clay Helton on as head coach, so Helton is still on the hot seat. In order to save himself, he wiped his staff clean. He has chosen North Texas' Harrell to be the new OC/QB coach, gambling that he will do what he did for the Mean Green's Fine for ***** JT Daniels also. So, it seems that u$C is going to the spread offensive style given that Harrell is a Leach disciple. Why not, given the slew of highly rated wide receivers the Trojans have and will have, like *****Vaughns, **** 6'-4" Grimes, *****St. Brown, **** 6'-3" Ford, **** 6'-5" London, etc., etc. As a result, Cal will probably be facing yet another nationally ranked team which will vengefully enjoy oinking Cal for a LOSS.
Cal 4-6
@dirty stanfurd- All anyone really knows about the 'furds is that QB Costello will be returning and that Love and Arcega-Whiteside are gone. This doesn't mean that the 'furds don't have any potential. They do. Although the furds have **** local RB Austin Jones coming in this fall, the running back corps remains the same so nothing that Cal's defense shouldn't be able to handle. As for the WRs, Costello seems to have plenty of targets to throw to, like **** 6'-4" Soph Fehoko, **** 6'-3" Frosh Higgins, **** 6'-2" Jr St. Brown, and **** 6'-2" Soph Wilson. So if Cal's defense can similarly slow their passing attack, at best, this is probably yet another toss-up contest which could result in another Thomas verse Toner FG dual. I'm still going with an upset WIN for Cal to bring the Axe back to Berkeley because defense should be the difference in this rivalry game!
Cal 5-6
@ucla- Chip's retooling is still in-progress. Even so, ucla will be returning the two players, TB Kelly (3 TDs) and kicker Molson (3 FGs), that scored almost all of the bruins' points in their romp over the Bears last season. The bruins' QB Thompson-Robinson (13 Comp out of 15 Att for 141 yds against the Bears) is also coming back, unfortunately more experienced. We'll all know what to expect as this will be the last conference game of the season. However, this shouldn't be a repeat of last year's contest because former ucla QB transfer Modster and Garbers will not be a Brandon redux. This looks to be a toss-up game, but Cal will have the better defense and will probably have a post-season bowl at stake, so this should be a Cal WIN!
Cal 6-6
My predictions as of now have Cal attaining a respectable 6-6 season as a minimum followed by a post-season bowl appearance. If unexpectedly either Modster or Garbers sensationally gel, Cal could bring in additional victories against Ole Miss and/or Wazzu for a repeat 7-5 or for an optimal 8-4 regular season.
Go Bears!
