Bear Insider Cal Weekly Grab Bag – Jun 12, 2026

Hey Cal fans, here’s our weekly walkthrough of some of the most interesting stories of the week. Mainly football and basketball. Not always organic to Cal but relevant to the program’s current and future state…Like Ron Rivera says, “Its interesting but not important”…still, some of its entertaining.

This week, we feature an early look at the Heisman race, Cal’s take down of USC, Rolo’s preeminence, a chat with Ron Rivera, College football’s most experienced teams, the LFTG Performance Index, Cal basketball takes an early road trip, a media nightmare, UCLA’s identity crisis and Tosh’s Rich and Famous tour. Oh, and Phil Steel will not be mentioned…

JKS is one of four ACC QBs on the Heisman watch, so says Tyler Budge of the FWAA. UCLAs Nico Iamaleava also made the cut. The Cal-UCLA matchup on Labor Day weekend got even more interesting.

Cal wins a big time battle vs USC with the commitment of Isaiah Bertola. From the post comments, it’s clear USC fans have no concerns about the school’s hold on elite recruiting in its backyard. Trojan’s, check your six! 

Matrix Analytical, the preeminent analytics auditor for coaches and players, provides validation of the value Rolo brings to the QB room. What took them so long?

Ben Ross, KRON4, talks with Ron Rivera on Tosh Lupoi, the spring season, portal transfers and the way forward for the Bears. Cal’s media presence is at a level not seen in years and its magnifying the program.

Cody Nagel writes about college football for CBS. He analyzed every FBS roster entering the 2026 season, ranking teams by total career experience. Cal has the 18th most experienced roster, 10th most experienced offense, 55th most experienced defense, 20th in games played and 39th in starts.

While experience typically shows up on winning rosters it’s not a complete substitute for elite playmaking. Cal’s recent portal class provided boosts for both.

Reed Knapper’s Love For The Game (LFTG) Performance Index evaluates teams based on head coach rating (Tosh made his top 10 in new coach hires), returning snaps, incoming transfer portal talent, and strength of schedule. He projects Cal, at best, to win 8 games. The floor is 3.  Thoughts?

Cal MBB takes to the road. It’s a different cross country trip than they are used to.

If your school is working towards relevancy and a future in major CFB, there is certain media coverage you must navigate away from.  Texas Tech steered right into it. Brendan Sorsby, Texas Tech QB, is on the rocks.  The Big 12 and the Texas Attorney General are weighing in, and the Texas Tech brand is dead in the water.

Big bro not like little bro. Takers...Really?

Tosh has friends in high places. He knows what to do.

That’s it for this week. Until next week, this is your Bear Insider Cal Weekly Grab Bag.