Cal Involved in Two of the Top 20 College Football Games of 2020
More proof that Cal is expected to be a contender in the Pac-12 this season is the fact that two of its conference games are ranked among the nation's top 20 college football games of 2020 by 247Sports.com.
Only teams with high expectations play important games, and the Golden Bears' games against Arizona State (Nov. 7) and USC (Oct. 10) rank as No. 20 and No. 19 on the 247Sports.com's list. Both of those games are on the road.
Here is what 247Sports.com said about the Cal-Arizona State game:
Arizona State is my surprise pick to win the Pac-12 South but to do so they have to knock off the most experienced team in the conference in November. The Sun Devils return phenom Jayden Daniels at quarterback after a tremendous freshman season with nearly 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns against two picks. Former NFL coach Marvin Lewis is no longer a special assistant and is now the co-defensive coordinator.
Herm Edwards had much of us laughing for appearing to bring a spoon to #ForksUp country when he was hired two years ago, but no one is laughing now. He has rebuilt the Sun Devils into a contender with tough-as-nails coaching and fantastic game-day adjustments. His team lost only one game by more than 10 points last season. This game figures to be a defensive battle, especially with Cal returning seven starters from the conference's top defense.
Here is what 247Sports.com said about the Cal-USC game:
The two most experienced teams returning in the Pac-12: Cal is first and USC is second.
Cal ate offense's lunches in the Pac-12 last season and the Bears are the most experienced team returning in the conference with 18 returning starters. USC has 17 returning starters. Both should contend for a title in the Pac-12. The Bears will contend in the Pac-12 because of their defense, and if USC wants to prove worthy of the preseason hype, it must knock off the Bears at home.
The opportunity is definitely there for USC against Cal. The Bears' offense was atrocious last season, averaging only 21.2 points per game, but every single offensive player returns. The Bears have to be better offensively, right? Bill Musgrave takes over at offensive coordinator after the team showed some guts winning four of the final five games last season, including the Redbox Bowl.
Cal fans would like to think the Bears' Oct. 17 home game against Oregon and the Oct. 31 home game against Washington will be big games as well, as Cal hopes to contend for Pac-12 North title. But you will notice both of the games involving Cal on the 247Sports.com list looked at the games from the perspective of the Bears' opponent. In other words, they are games Arizona State and USC need to win to claim a Pac-12 South title.
Cal is charaterized in the 247Sports.com report as the most experienced team in the Pac-12, which I guess is true since the Bears return 18 starters. It also refers to Cal "returning seven starters from the conference's top defense." Well, statistically, Cal was fourth in both scoring defense and total defense last year.
Cal lost to both Arizona State and USC last year in games played in Berkeley. But Bears quarterback Chase Garbers missed the second half of both games with injuries.
In case you are wondering, the Oct. 24 game between Penn State and Ohio State is ranked as the top game of the season, with the Sept. 19 Georgia-Alabama matchup No. 2.
Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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