In Week Four, Boston College will meet the last of the three newest additions to the ACC as California heads out east. After a hot 3-1 start (featuring the now-famous Calgorithm and a first-ever appearance as the host of College GameDay), last season’s promise ended with a 6-7 mark after injuries and bad luck slowed the Bears down. After an offseason of hefty change, head coach Justin Wilcox is looking for his first winning season since 2019.
Game Notes:
Saturday, September 27th | Time TBD | Chestnut
Hill, MA | Network TBD
Series:
Boston College and Cal have faced off exactly once: on September 19th, 1987, in a 23-17 Eagles win.
2024 Recap:
Cal was much better than its record indicated in 2024. Powered by an offense that featured steady gunslinger Fernando Mendoza and star running back Jaydn Ott, the Bears took down Auburn and lost to all three of FSU, Miami, Pitt and NC State by a combined 9 points. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be difficult for Wilcox to build on the season and really breakthrough in 2025 because of the amount of change the program saw this offseason: Cal lost 33 players to the portal and brought in 38.
Offense:
There will be a lot of new faces in this Cal offense. Mendoza is gone after transferring to Indiana; so is his leading target TE Jack Endries (Texas). The running back room was especially decimated; Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma), Jaivian Thomas (UCLA), and Kadarius Calloway (NM State) were among the 5 scholarship backs to leave the program. Wilcox has not named a starting QB for the upcoming season yet, but expect it to be either Ohio State transfer Devin Brown or freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Brown is the more experienced player, but Sagapolutele arguably has a higher ceiling. The highly-touted prospect was a longtime Bears commit before flipping to Oregon — but after a few weeks with the program, he hit the portal again and ended up at Cal for the opportunity to see the field sooner. WR Trond Grizzell (one of the few holdovers from last year) and SMU transfer LJ Johnson Jr. provide whoever starts behind center with some weapons, but it will take a few games to see who in Cal’s new skill corps really stands out.
Defense:
The Bears’ defense was generally strong last season, barring performances against the likes of SMU and Miami offenses that feature large skill gaps. On the defensive line, some combination of Aidan Keanaaina, Nate Burrell, T.J. Bollers and Stanley Saole-McKenzie will likely take most of the snaps; Keanaaina — who transferred from Notre Dame prior to last season — likely is the best of the bunch. The secondary will look almost entirely new due to graduation or losses to the portal; Cam Sidney is really the only member of the current secondary that saw meaningful snaps last year.
Match-Up Versus Boston College
It’s hard to get a read on how this matchup will go for the Eagles. The very high rate of turnover for the Bears benefits BC, especially given the earlier matchup date. But by Week Four it is very possible that either Brown or Sagapolutele has grabbed the QB job and the defensive secondary has found some gamers. BC has the home field advantage (during Family Weekend as well) so I’ll lean towards the Eagles, but we won’t really have a sense until the season gets underway.
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