Welcome to the ACC, Cal Football

The ACC welcomed three new members to the conference on July 1, and one of those was new members is the Cal Golden Bears.

It’s particularly notable considering the Bears were one of the first members of the Pac-12 and spent every non-independent season in the Pac-12. But now the Bears are in the ACC, and they’re flying to Pittsburgh this season as part of a world tour — or rather, flying all over the United States for the 2024 season.

So, let’s take a look at the first of the three ACC newcomers.

History

The Golden Bears have been playing football since the 1880s, but after early success in the 1900s, including four straight claimed titles in the early 1920s, it’s been tough sailing since the 1950s.

The Golden Bears have won 694 games all time (good for 37th all-time), and with a 694-571-51 record, their .547 win percentage is 62nd all-time.

There are five claimed national titles (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923 and 1937), but the Bears have never finished No. 1 in an end-of-season AP or Coaches’ Poll.

The Bears were independent until 1915, joining the Pacific Coast Conference (which knew many names before becoming the Pac-12) in 1916.

Cal is coming off four consecutive losing seasons, going 6-7 (4-5 Pac-12) last season.

Coaching Staff

Justin Wilcox has served as the head coach at Cal since the 2017 season, leading the Golden Bears to a 36-43 (21-37 Pac-12) record.

It’s a difficult job in Berkeley, Cal., but it’s been an up-and-down tenure. Cal finished the 2018 and 2019 seasons with bowl eligibility (winning eight games, including the Redbox Bowl against Illinois in 2019), and didn’t make it back to bowl eligibility until last season.

Wilcox is a defensive-minded coach, and while his Cal teams have put together some strong defenses, the last two seasons have been a step back.

Outlook

Cal is entering its first season in the ACC, after jumping off the sinking ship that was the Pac-12, and the Golden Bears are set to travel 29,000 miles in 2024, according to CBS Sports’ Josh Pate. The Bears should have a solid offense, led by Pac-12 leading rusher Jaydn Ott, but the defensive performance (traditionally a strength under Wilcox) slipped last season. The Bears return 66% of their production from last season.

Pitt is 1-2 all-time against Cal, but all three meetings came before 1970. The last meeting was a 30-15 win for the Golden Bears in Berkeley, Cal.