2014-15 Football Previews – (Pac-12) – Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears are not a good football team. Sorry to be so blunt with fans of Berkeley, but there’s no nice way of saying that this group was not a contender in 2013, and it’s going to be one in 2014.
Pac-12 Conference 2014-15 College Football Previews:
Head Coach: Sonny Dykes
2013 Record: 1-11
California Gambling Odds to win BCS Championship: 500-1
California Gambling Odds to win Pac-12 North Division: 50-1
California Gambling Odds to win Pac-12 Conference: 100-1
In 2013, the Golden Bears went a dreadful 1-11 overall. Their only victory came against the Portland State Vikings in Week 2, and their only loss decided by single digits came against Arizona on Nov. 2. The team had an average point margin of negative-22.9, which is the reason it didn’t win a single conference game and got blown out game in and game out.
In 2014, the hope isn’t that this group can compete for a Pac-12 title – no, this institution is far more realistic about its current rebuilding process. The hope is to take the right steps toward relevancy, making small, but important improvements along the way.
Team Strengths:
This team’s obvious strength can be found directly behind center. The team passed for 331.4 yards per game last season—good enough for 11th in the country—and you can thank then-freshman quarterback Jared Goff for those numbers.
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Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, their star youngster (who threw for 935 yards in the first two weeks of 2013. He also threw for 504 yards against Washington State on Oct. 5) separated his shoulder toward the end of the season against Stanford. That said, he’s healthy entering 2014, and he’ll be the center of attention when this team takes the field again in September.
Receiver, while not loaded with the same kind of talent you’ll find in other places across the conference, is the deepest position on the roster. Goff will have plenty of options when it comes to targeting the end zone, but it’s important to note that he only threw 10 touchdowns all of 2013 despite collecting 3,508 yards.
Team Weaknesses:
As good as the passing game is, this team needs to create a balance on offense. Having a great quarterback is one thing, but taking the pressure off him with a solid running game will be what gets this team into the end zone.
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Last season, Cal rushed for just 122.2 yards per game. That number was only good enough for 109th in the nation, and it’s the reason the team scored just 23 points per contest (98th).
Defensively, last year’s squad gave up a school record 45.9 points per contest. Health was a big-time problem, but with a new defensive coordinator in place, the hope is for a simpler scheme that focuses on man coverage and blitzing the opposing quarterback more frequently.
2013-14 California Football Prediction: 3-9
This year’s team is going to be deeper than it was in 2013. The hope is that the injuries are few and far between (unlike last season), and with more experience on both sides of the ball, getting an extra win or two seems like a possibility.
Who knows: This team might even get its first win over a conference opponent under Dykes. 2013 was the head coach’s inaugural season in Berkeley, and getting that first victory will feel great, even if it is a small step in the right direction.
2014 California Schedule
- Sat, Aug 30 @ Northwestern
- Sat, Sept 6 vs Sacramento St
- Sat, Sept 20 @ Arizona
- Sat, Sept 27 vs Colorado
- Sat, Oct 4 @ Washington St
- Sat, Oct 11 vs Washington
- Sat, Oct 18 vs UCLA
- Fri, Oct 24 vs Oregon
- Sat, Nov 1 @ Oregon State
- Thu, Nov 13 @ USC
- Sat, Nov 22 vs Stanford
- Sat, Nov 29 vs BYU
