Cal Bowl Projections: Saturday's Win Does Not Convince Experts

Only one of the eight sites we cite predicts that Cal will get to a bowl game

Cal's Carson Perry-Smith catches a touchdown pass against Virginia Tech | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week, none of the eight college football experts we cited projected that Cal would wind up in a bowl game this season.

After the Bears upset Virginia Tech 25-20 on Saturday, Cal’s bowl prospects are only marginally better, according to the experts.

Only one of the eight respected sites we cited predict that Cal will be in a bowl game, and that one site lost a little credibility with the matchup it projected.

College Football News projected Cal to be in the Poinsettia Bowl, but it matched the Bears against UNLV in that game.  That is an unlikely pairing since Cal faced UNLV in the regular season two weeks ago, and although rematches sometimes occur in bowl games, bowl officials tend to avoid them.

Presumably Cal will get more attention as a possible bowl team if the Bears upset 21st-ranked Wake Forest in Berkeley Saturday night.

Cal and other schools that were members of the Pac-12 in 2023 will go to Pac-12-affiliated bowl games this season. The Pac-12 bowls are listed at the end of this story.

College Football News (Pete Fiutak)

Poinsettia Bowl -- Cal vs. UNLV

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On SI (Brian Fischer)

No bowl for Cal

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CBS Sports (Brad Crawford)

No bowl for Cal

.

ESPN (Kyle Bonagura)

No bowl for Cal

.

ESPN (Mark Schlabach)

No bowl for Cal

.

On3 (Brett McMurphy)

No bowl for Cal

.

Athlon Sports (Steven Lassan)

No bowl for Cal

.

USA Today (Erick Smith)

No bowl for Cal

.

Below is the hierarchy of bowl games affiliated with teams that were Pac-12 members in 2023, which includes Cal. Those teams are known as Legacy Pac-12 teams.:

--- 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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