The calendar is already stacked against Cal before the first official tip, and the AP preseason poll only sharpened that picture on Monday.
The Bears will see seven teams ranked in the AP top 25 this season, with three of those opponents sitting in the top 10. Cal itself did not land anywhere in the preseason rankings, and it also missed out on the list of 44 teams that received AP votes. The coaches poll told the same story, with Cal absent there as well and outside the 45 teams that got votes.
The toughest name on the schedule is No. 2 Duke, which will welcome Cal on Saturday, January 2, in the Bears’ second ACC game. Cal opens league play three days earlier at North Carolina, a rare preseason omission from the rankings.
The rest of the top-25 slate gives Cal little room to breathe. Four of those games will come at Haas Pavilion, one will be played at a neutral site in Nevada, and only two will be on the road at the opponent’s place.
Here’s the full rundown of Cal’s games against preseason top-25 teams:
- Cal vs. 10th-ranked Houston in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, on Sunday, November 8
- No.
21 USC at Cal on Wednesday, November 11, three days after the Houston game
- Cal at 11th-ranked Louisville on Wednesday, January 13
Cal faced four of those opponents last season and finished 1-3 in those matchups.
Before the regular season starts, the Bears have one more tune-up left. They opened exhibition play with a 60-59 win over Loyola Marymount and will finish the preseason schedule this Saturday at Oregon State. Their first regular-season game comes at home against Adams State on Monday, November 2.
Cal is coming off a 22-12 season that ended in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. The Bears finished 9-9 in ACC play a year ago and were picked 15th in this season’s preseason ACC poll.
On the recruiting side, Cal recently added a commitment from top-50 class of 2027 guard Gene Roebuck.
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Californias recruiting momentum took another jolt when four-star tight end Rahzario Edwards changed course after originally pledging to the Bears in late May. Edwards had been one of the more notable gets in Cals class, so his decision to flip to Mississippi is the kind of setback that stings because it lands before the season even gets going and underscores how fragile these commitments can be.
The unease around the class does not stop there. Four-star quarterback Dane Weber, another Cal commit, also made a trip to UCLA, though he brushed it off as just a visit for now. Even without an immediate change, it is the sort of development that keeps a staff on edge, especially when one highly regarded recruit has already moved on and another is still taking a harder look around the conference. [Read more 🡒]
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A big part of the challenge is navigating SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has already established himself as the focal point of the Mustangs attack and a player who can make a defense pay in a hurry. Cal also has its own questions to sort through at quarterback, which makes this a difficult matchup even before factoring in SMUs recent special-teams change at placekicker. For a Bears team looking for stability, this is the kind of test that can expose every weak spot. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Are Running Out Of Patience With This Season
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What stands out now is how little certainty Cal has heading into the next matchup with SMU. Lupoi said the quarterback picture is still being evaluated, leaving the Bears in the awkward spot of trying to reset after another uneven outing while also deciding who gives them the best chance to get back on track. [Read more 🡒]