The California Golden Bears come into the 2022 season with some question marks as well as some promising pieces they can build on. Thankfully for Husky fans Chase Garbers has moved on and will not be a thorn in the side of the purple and gold. Cal was poised to compete for the division in the fall of 2020, but the pandemic disrupted their chances.
Strict COVID restrictions made the 2020 and 2021 season very challenging for the Golden Bears. Uncertainty around available players made sustained success almost impossible.
Defense: Last year the defense continued to be a strong unit for head coach Justin Wilcox. They surrendered 22 points a game and limited teams to 4 yards per carry and 230 yards through the air. The secondary led by Daniel Scott should continue to be one of the better groups in the conference. In the middle of the defense will be a familiar face for Washington fans as Jackson Sirmon joined his dad in Berkley. The former Washington linebacker will look to continue his rise into an all-conference defender. His presence in the middle of the Golden Bear defense should take some pressure off of the safeties, who led the team in tackles a year ago.
Offense: With Garbers moving on Cal looked to the portal to find their next signal caller. Purdue’s Jack Plummer is slated to take over in Berkley in 2022. After an impressive four year run as Purdue he lost the job to Aidan O’Connell who went on to be an All Big-10 quarterback. The most exciting unit on the offense is their receiving corps. It is headlined by Michael Strudivant and Jeremiah Hunter. Rob Hwang of the Golden Bearcast said that the expectations of the receivers hasn’t been this high since DeSean Jackson was at Cal in 2007.
Verdict: Although there is some hope around the offense in Berkley, their schedule is not favorable. Even with the draw of Arizona and Colorado from the south, Cal still has a tough north division and a non-conference matchup with Notre Dame. With their line at 5.5 wins I see them narrowly missing the mark with a 5-win season.
