Jon Wilner: Cal rides new brain trust, QB to surprising 3-0 start; Aztecs up next

by Jon Wilner

All it took was one bounce. The ball hit the turf, caromed off the right foot of Minnesota’s punt returner, and Cal pounced — on the ball, the game and perhaps its season. Three plays later, the Golden Bears were in the end zone to take control of what became a 27-14 victory Saturday night.

Last year, they would not have gotten the bounce.

Or they would not have converted the muff into a touchdown.

Or they would have scored the touchdown but relinquished the lead late in the game in some gut-wrenching fashion.

But it feels different this season, doesn’t it? It feels like there’s more opportunism to come, like the Golden Bears are capable of building on their undefeated start and barging through doors that did not exist a month ago.

Everything is in front of them after taking down Minnesota, including a victory total that would satisfy the man in charge.

Late in training camp, general manager Ron Rivera was asked to define a successful season. His response: “Anything that puts us in a solid bowl game — eight, nine wins. I think that’s what you’re looking for.”

Eight or nine wins? The Golden Bears haven’t won eight games in the regular season since 2009. They haven’t won more than eight since 2006. This team does not have Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. It does not have Cameron Jordan on the defensive line.

California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (3) throws during an NCAA college football game against Oregon State Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Corvallis, Ore. (AP Photo/Mark Ylen)

But it does have Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback and a first-class brain trust around him. Add the stout defense and manageable schedule — and presuming the kicking game does not implode — and the Golden Bears have a better chance to clear Rivera’s victory bar than anyone could have imagined a few weeks ago.

What next? A trap game, that’s what.

Cal heads to San Diego State on Saturday in a slightly vulnerable spot, fresh off a stirring victory and facing an opponent with two weeks to prepare.

The Golden Bears are 12-point favorites. Handle their business at Snapdragon Stadium — by any margin, by any means — and they will be 4-0 for the first time since 2019.

That’s halfway to Rivera’s goal without starting ACC play. And if you’ve been watching the ACC play, well, it should be abundantly clear that Cal can win at least four. In fact, Cal should win four, at minimum.

But let’s start with who the Golden Bears don’t play: No. 4 Miami, No. 7 Florida State, No. 18 Georgia Tech and Clemson.

We can only conclude the ACC office used the Calgorithm to construct the schedule, because the Golden Bears miss the four best teams in the conference.

Which means they play eight of the worst teams.

Their schedule begins with a trip to Boston College, which just lost to Stanford.

Then comes a home date with Duke, which just lost to Tulane.

Then the Golden Bears face North Carolina and coach Bill Belichick, who lost to TCU (but only by 34 points).

Then comes a trip to Virginia Tech, which just lost to Old Dominion (by 19 points, at home).

Then comes a visit from Virginia, which is a powerhouse … in lacrosse.

The finishing stretch against Louisville, Stanford and SMU could be a tad tricky for several reasons, but the Bears should win at least one and perhaps two.

Then again, it might not matter by that point — at least for securing enough wins to meet Rivera’s goal.

Which is also chancellor Rich Lyons’ goal, presumably.

Lyons told the Hotline last winter that Cal’s revenue sports, football and men’s basketball, “need to be competitive, like so many of our other sports.”

He didn’t define the ceiling for football coach Justin Wilcox, but he set the floor.

“Another six-win regular season (in football) will be disappointing given how much we are investing,” Lyons said. “We can’t keep investing and not deliver in our revenue sports.”

Combine the February comments from Lyons with the August remarks by Rivera and the only conclusion is that another 6-6 season could be problematic for Wilcox, who’s in his ninth season and under contract for two more.

Then again, the Golden Bears could have six wins by the middle of October at the rate they’re going.

The ascent to relevance begins with the freshman quarterback, Sagapolutele, whose velocity, touch and ball placement are the stuff of upperclassmen — upperclassmen about to be selected in the NFL draft.

But don’t discount the impact first-year offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and senior offensive analyst Nick Rolovich have made on Sagapolutele specifically and the offense generally. The Golden Bears are better prepared, make smarter adjustments and take optimal advantage of Sagapolutele’s skills. The totality of coaching on that side of scrimmage is an order-of-magnitude greater than in past years.

Also, a slew of transfers have enabled the Golden Bears to patch holes in the depth chart, with tailback Kendrick Raphael (NC State), receiver Jacob De Jesus (UNLV), edge rusher TJ Bush (Liberty) and cornerback Hezekiah Masseson (Florida International) playing prominent roles.

Oh, how the plot has turned.

Nine months ago, Cal fans were panicked over the apparent lack of a quarterback following Fernando Mendoza’s departure.

Five months ago, they were apoplectic over a mass exodus into the transfer portal.

One month ago, they were resigned to another season of mediocrity.

And then Sagapolutele threw his first pass of the season — a 35-yard, back-shoulder completion down the left sideline at Oregon State — and everything changed.

Cal thumped the Beavers, whacked Texas Southern and outlasted Minnesota.

The Golden Bears are undefeated with loads of brainpower on the sideline and a soft schedule ahead.

If they take care of San Diego State, they’ll be halfway to eight wins in the middle of September with a slew of winnable games around the bend.

It certainly feels different in Berkeley. Now, we’ll see if it is different.