Cal football has announced several future opponents in recent weeks. Some of those opponents have added some shine to the Golden Bears future schedules. Cal's football program felt a little lost during the last couple years under head coach Jeff Tedford. It got even worse during the Sonny Dykes days. Almost from the moment Justin Wilcox was hired as head coach in 2017 it felt like the football program was changing in Berkeley. It hasn't always been pretty but it felt different. On and off the field. On the field, the defense was immediately improved. That wasn't too difficult as Dykes played no defense. The offense was rarely pretty. Cal is 20-18 in the three seasons under Wilcox. Each season has been more promising than the last. He's led a dramatic re-build of the football program. That re-build is reflected in the upcoming football schedules. Cal is going to Notre Dame. There are few colleges with a bigger football name. TCU, Auburn, Florida, and Minnesota have all scheduled a home/away series with Cal. 2025 is the only season of the next ten that doesn't currently include a Power 5 school. That season has an open date and there's time to find one. Perhaps the Irish will come to Berkeley.
2020: at UNLV, TCU, Cal Poly
2021: Nevada, at TCU, Sacramento State
2022: UC Davis, at North Texas, at Notre Dame
2023: Auburn, San Jose State
2024: UC Davis, at Auburn, San Diego State
2025: UNLV, at San Diego State
2026: at UNLV, at Florida
2027: Florida
2028: Wyoming, at Minnesota
2029: at Wyoming, Minnesota
Cal's football schedule has often been dotted with the likes of Mississippi, Purdue, Michigan State, Tennessee, Miami but I can't recall a ten-year stretch like the above. Assuming they find a Power 5 school for the 2025 season, Cal will face a prominent national team in each season of the coming decade. I love seeing the Golden Bears step up their non-conference competition. Cruising into the conference schedule with patsies (even when Cal could be considered a fellow patsy) always felt counterproductive. If Cal is to schedule "lesser" schools I prefer those schools to be regional. They are doing that with the likes of Cal Poly, Sacramento State, UC Davis, San Jose State, San Diego State, and to a less regional extent with the Nevada schools. Maybe with the upcoming semi-weekly migration of Raiders fans to Las Vegas, Cal sees a manufactured east bay-Nevada connection. As for more natural, regional rivalries, there was a time when the Bay Area boasted a nice number football powers. Cal, Stanford, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, and USF could play football with any team in the nation. That was a long time ago. Cal, Stanford, and San Jose State are now the lone FBS schools in Northern California. I like seeing San Jose State on Cal's schedule. Other than being a short plane ride away, I like seeing games against San Diego State, despite recent troubling games against the Aztecs. I like seeing the Nevada schools as well, despite a particular troubling game against the Wolfpack. I think that Rashaad Penny and Colin Kaepernick have each scored again against Cal. Losing to Cal Poly, Sacramento State, and UC Davis are not options. Stanford lost to Davis a few years ago and it will never be forgotten. A few years after that stunning game I was in the Davis student store. There were TVs scattered about the store playing highlights of the game on a loop. Not an option.
Cal football has a promising present and future. The team, recruiting classes, coaching staff, and even a questioning student body reflect that. The upcoming schedule reflects it as well.
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