Bear Insider Cal Weekly Grab Bag - Sep. 11, 2026
Fresh Week 1 rankings are in, and Cal slid to No. 50 in Chris Vannini’s updated 138-team FBS list, down one spot from No. 49.
UCLA made the biggest move of the bunch, climbing 41 places into the Top 25. Syracuse checked in at No. 74, up four spots after what the source described as a “master class performance against FCS New Hampshire.”
The Syracuse predictions have already been rolling in, and the experts at Syracuse.com are calling for an Orange win and cover after watching the full Cal-UCLA game last Saturday. Another Syracuse outlet took a lighter approach, but still landed on Syracuse winning in the fourth meeting all time between the teams.
For anyone looking to catch the broadcast side of the matchup, Awful Announcing highlighted Cal Radio Network voices Justin Allegri and BI’s own Mike Pawlawski, who will be on the call with Cal-UCLA highlights. It’s always a good listen.
If you’re mapping out your football weekend, Cal and Syracuse will be on ACCN on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PDT. Nate Longshore’s rundown of the most veteran FBS rosters has Cal at No. 18 and Syracuse at No. 76, a point of emphasis heading into the game.
There’s also a Cal volleyball note worth keeping an eye on. The Bears picked up a road win Tuesday at USC and are now 5-1. They’ll be back home Oct. 2 against Virginia.
And on a much more solemn note, the day carries a tribute to Mark Bingham. The Cal Bear and American hero died 25 years ago today aboard United Airlines Flight 93, about 350 miles north of Shanksville, Pa., where the plane went down.
Bingham was a Cal graduate, rugby player, two-time national champion and later the founder of the Bingham Group. He was heading home from New York after a fraternity brother’s wedding. He overslept that morning and was the last passenger to board.
Flight 93 left Newark at 8:42, and within 20 minutes hijackers had crashed planes into the World Trade Center towers. At 9:25, the crew was warned to be alert for a cockpit intrusion. Five minutes later, the hijackers had control of the aircraft.
Moved to the back of the plane, Bingham and several other passengers came up with a plan to retake it. They worked with crewmembers and made calls home. Bingham’s mother told him to do everything he could to overpower the hijackers, and he did.
Bingham and several passengers rushed the cockpit, and during the struggle Flight 93 crashed into an empty field in Shanksville. Their actions spared countless lives in the nation’s capital.
ESPN’s Adam Ruttenberg wrote a remembrance of Bingham several years ago, and the piece still resonates. Go Bears Forever, Mark.
In Other News...
Cal Has An Early Problem It Must Fix Before Syracuse
Cals first step into the new ACC spotlight did not go the way it needed to, with the Bears falling 45-24 to UCLA after hanging around long enough to reach a tie before the game slipped away late. The opener offered a reminder that Cal has enough talent to stay in the fight, but also enough rough edges that the margin for error is thin, especially when execution starts to fray in the final stretch.
Now the focus turns quickly to Syracuse, and the early market movement says plenty about how the matchup is being viewed outside Berkeley. Cal is going to need a cleaner, more complete effort on both sides of the ball to change that perception, because the Orange come in with enough recent production to make mistakes expensive. For the Bears, the challenge is less about proving they can flash and more about showing they can finish. [Read more 🡒]
San Jose State Faces A Bigger Test In Its Home Opener
San Jose State heads into its home opener with a little momentum and a lot more to prove, coming off its first win of the season against Eastern Michigan. The Spartans found needed production in a few new places last week, and now they get a quick chance to see whether that showing travels back home, where Cal Poly arrives unbeaten and looking like a sturdier early test.
Senior quarterback Luke Weaver is set for his first home start, adding another layer to a game that already feels important for San Jose States early-season tone. Cooper Hoch and Jabari Bates gave the Spartans a boost in the opener, and if that kind of support shows up again, San Jose State will have a better shot at handling a Cal Poly team that has already done everything asked of it so far. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Offense Is Repeating A Frustrating Pattern Fans Know Too Well
Cals offense has been leaning on a familiar script, and it has not been a comfortable one to watch. The Bears keep trying to make early-down runs carry the drive, but the result has often been the same old long-yardage situations that leave the offense behind schedule and put extra pressure on the passing game when the defense knows what is coming.
Against UCLA, that pattern showed up again in the field-position battle and on the money downs. Cal spent too much of the day working from deeper on its own end of the field, struggled to stay efficient on second downs, and still managed to move the chains more than half the time on third down. Meanwhile, UCLAs ground game was the steadier unit, consistently picking up first downs and keeping Cals lead runner from getting loose near the line of scrimmage. [Read more 🡒]