Cal Bowl Projections: Experts Uncertain If Bears Will Be in a Bowl

Three of the eight experts cited do not have Cal in a bowl game, but five do

Cal wide receiver Chase Hendricks (7) had nine receptions against Wagner | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cal is 2-1 heading into Friday night's home game against Clemson (2-1), but college football experts are still unsure whether the Golden Bears are a bowl team.

Of the eight experts we cite, three of them don't believe Cal will be in a postseason game, and the other five have Cal playing five different opponents. Two experts have the Bears playing in the Poinsettia Bowl, and that is the only agreement on possible bowl destinations for the Bears..

Cal and all teams that were members of the Pac-12 in 2023 will go to a Pac-12-affliated bowl game this season. Cal could land in another bowl if Pac-12 bowl vacancies are filled.

The Pac-12-affliated bowls are listed at the end of this article. Here are the predictions for Cal from eight sites:

On Si (Bryan Fischer)

Poinsettia Bowl -- Cal vs. Oregon State.

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ESPN (Kyle Bonagura)

No bowl for Cal.

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ESPN (Mark Schlabach)

Armed Foreces Bowl -- Cal vs. Oklahoma State

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On3 (Bett McMurphy)

No Bowl for Cal

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CBS Sports (Brad Crawford)

Poinsettia Bowl -- Cal vs. North Dakota State

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Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan)

New Mexico Bowl -- Cal vs. New Mexico

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USA Today (Erick Smith)

No bowl for Cal

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College Football News (Pete Fiutak)

Independence Bowl-- Cal vs. Memphis

Below is the hierarchy of Pac-12-affiliated bowl games. These games have tie-ins with teams that were Pac-12 members in 2023, and they are known as Legacy Pac-12 teams. The 12 Legacy Pac-12 teams are Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Washington, Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado, Oregon and Oregon State.

--- 1. Alamo Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – December 28, 6 p.m. Pacific time, at the Alamodome in San Antonio Texas. TV: ESPN.

--- 2. Las Vegas Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. SEC/Big Ten) – December 31, 12:45 p.m. Pacific time, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. TV: ESPN.

--- 3. Holiday Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. ACC) – December 28, 2 p.m. Pacific time, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. TV: ESPN.

--- 4. Sun Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. ACC) – December 31, 11 a.m. Pacific time, at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. TV: CBS.

--- 5. Poinsettia Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. current Pac-12) – December 23, 4:30 p.m. Pacific time, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. TV: CW Network.

--- 6. Independence Bowl (Legacy Pac-12 vs. Big 12) – December 22, 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. TV: ESPN.

--- 7. ESPN bowl pool (possibly the Armed Forces Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl and First Responders Bowl)

If no vacancies remain for a bowl-eligible Cal team, it's possible that the Bears would go to a bowl affiliated with the ACC or elsewhere.

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