Cal’s season has reached the point where the final three games matter less for the record and more for the audit.
The Bears are on a three-game skid, and the losses have exposed the same ugly pattern over and over. It started with a 41-7 drubbing by Wake Forest, when Cal’s lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter.
Then came a 59-20 loss at SMU, a game that flipped hard after halftime as the Bears gave up 42 points in the second half despite taking a lead into the break. That was followed by a trip to North Carolina and another collapse, this time a 31-10 loss to NC State after Cal went into halftime tied and then allowed 21 points after the break.
The numbers tell the story cleanly enough: slow starts, then nothing when the game turns. Through the last two losses, Cal has been shut out after halftime and has surrendered 63 points.
But on Tuesday, general manager Ron Rivera said he’s not spending much time looking backward.
“We can’t control what’s behind us and it has been disappointing,” Rivera said. “But what I’m really excited about is the way the approach has been for what’s in front of us.”
That forward-looking tone comes at a moment when the program’s direction has been under a brighter spotlight than usual. Rivera had publicly criticized head coach Tosh Lupoi’s leadership just days earlier, saying the first-year coach had been open to some of his advice but less receptive to other guidance. Those remarks naturally stirred questions about how the two are working together and who should shoulder the blame for a rough season.
Still, Rivera and Lupoi stood together at Tuesday’s press conference and talked about what comes next. Their focus was on player development and on building something sturdier for next season.
Lupoi said the previous offseason made roster construction difficult. He was still coaching Oregon in the College Football Playoff while the transfer portal window was open, which limited how much attention he could give to recruiting and assembling the roster.
This offseason should be different. It will be the first time Lupoi and Rivera go through the entire roster-building process together, and Lupoi said he’s eager to work with the incoming top-20 high school recruiting class. He also pointed to the chance to be more selective with transfer portal additions, choosing players who fit the program’s culture.
That evaluation won’t stop with newcomers. Rivera said the final three games will help reveal which players respond when things get tough and which ones can be part of the future.
“When it is hard, what you’re looking for is guys that step up, guys that play. And that’s also part of what helps you make your decision going forward,” Rivera said.
There’s also the biggest offseason question hanging over the roster: quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. His return to Cal next season remains uncertain, and a Nov. 6 report from The Athletic said that a return was unlikely.
Lupoi said Tuesday that he had not read the report. Rivera said he believes Sagapolutele can come back, but he would not go any further than that.
“I believe he can come back, and again, we’ll see what happens. I don’t want to put words in anybody’s mouth,” Rivera said. “The biggest thing that’s important right now is what’s going on these next three weeks.”
For Cal, that’s where the focus has landed. The season hasn’t gone the way anyone wanted, but these last three games will still tell the staff plenty about who can help shape what comes next.
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