It’s been a roller coaster of a season so far for the California Golden Bears. A strong start to the season, including a major upset at Auburn, awakened a dormant Cal football fanbase that was desperate to be good again.
From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows
After their strong start, which included hosting College Gameday, Cal would lose four straight games by a total of nine points. Each loss felt like more of a gut punch than the last.
Yet despite the tough losses, the team easily handled Oregon State last weekend and is now back to .500 on the year. This season has brought about a wide range of emotions. However, the team is still on track to play in a bowl game. How this team plays the rest of the season could have major implications on how the university wants to proceed with the coaching staff, too.
Bowl eligibility
Playing in a bowl game is a big deal for Cal. Yes, fans of bigger schools expect to play in a bowl game each season. Yet for Cal, they’ve only played in just three bowl games in the eight-year tenure of head coach Justin Wilcox.
In those three bowl games, he’s only led the Bears to victory once. To be bowl-eligible, a team must have six wins, with at least a .500 record. FBS teams can only count one win against an FCS team, and luckily, Cal has played just one FCS team. Right now, with four games left in the regular season, Cal needs just two wins to become bowl-eligible.
The next four games are all extremely winnable, making their chances to play in a bowl significant. But is a bowl appearance enough to save head coach Wilcox’s job next season?
The Justin Wilcox dilemma
I think every Cal football fan was excited when Wilcox was named as the head coach for the California Golden Bears. However, the excitement is starting to wear out through after eight years of ups and downs.
It’s not an easy task to be the head coach for this university given the history of sports, politics, and financial situation. Still, this school should demand excellence in football like they do for everything else.
Since becoming the head coach of Cal, Wilcox has an overall record of 40-47. That’s not a terrible record. However, when considering how many of those losses are by one score, it just makes it feel even worse. The “what ifs” have been a major part of the Wilcox era at Cal, but closing out games has been their Achilles heel.
Before the season, I predicted the Bears to finish the season with an 8-4 record. That’s still on the table, but nothing is a given, especially in football.
Is an 8-4 record and a bowl appearance enough for Wilcox to keep his job? That’s the million-dollar question, and one that the donors will need to decide. Are they okay with the status quo, or do they want to try and propel themselves to the next level given the uncertainty of the college football landscape?
What’s next?
This season has provided so much good for Cal football and their fans. With College GameDay coming to Berkeley and the amount of attention they have received nationally, it feels like they’re on the right track.
We're live at Berkeley catching up with Cal fans on the set of @CollegeGameDay! (Via @ThomasCP_NFL & @BPok24) pic.twitter.com/nLrDmHQzck
— The League Winners (@LeagueWinnersFB) October 5, 2024
Going to a bowl game would be considered a success for this season. Yet in the back of the mind of every Cal fan are the possibilities this season could have bestowed upon them.
There’s a good chance Cal could be one of the top-ranked teams in the entire country if they had just won those close games early in the season. Now, they have to fight uphill to get where they want to be.
Eight wins is still very much on the table. To me, eight wins and a bowl appearance would make the coaching decision very hard going forward. Anything less, and there’s a good chance Cal might consider buying out Wilcox and starting over.
Cody Henderson
I root for teams that only let me down. Talking all things Las Vegas Raiders and Cal Bears football. Follow me on X where I post my dramatic takes.