Cal Football Season Preview, Part 2: Questions Facing the Bears

The 2020 season will be unlike any other, so naturally we are seeking answers

This is the second in a four-part series previewing Cal's 2020 season. We looked at strengths and weaknesses in Part 1. In subsequent installments, we will examine the Bears’ stars and best-case and worst-case scenarios.

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Every college football season brings new questions, and for months this past spring and summer the No. 1 question was simply whether the sport would even be played this fall.

For now, at least, that question is answered.

Cal opens its long-delayed season Saturday at home against Washington, and the Bears will play a seven-game schedule they hope ends with a bowl trip.

Cal coach Justin Wilcox talks here about what he is eager to find out about his team:

But we still have questions — of course we do — about this Cal team and this season.

Here goes:

Will the new offense be as potent as hoped with limited preparation time?

Players and coaches have been consistently upbeat about the transition to new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave’s approach even during a condensed “training camp.” Musgrave has good things to say about quarterback Chase Garbers and the feeling seems entirely mutual. Even the Cal defense is impressed by the offense.

But the real test comes when the Bears face someone they haven’t been practicing against for several weeks. Like Washington.

Cal has beaten the Huskies two years in a row, but totaled just 32 points in those two games. We’ll see if the Bears are ready to blossom offensively in Week 1.

Cal offensive linemen / Photo by Kelley L. Cox, USA Today

Can the offensive line be as effective as anticipated?

The Bears return their top six O-linemen from a year ago, with seniors Jake Curhan, Michael Saffell and Valentino Daltoso anchoring the unit.

Being older and more experienced won’t be enough. The Bears’ line must be better than a year ago when Cal ranked just eighth in the Pac-12 in rushing yards per game and allowed 46 sacks.

Will Chase Garbers emerge as an elite quarterback?

It all seems as simple as keeping the junior quarterback upright and intact. When he was healthy enough to start and play more than half a game last season the Bears were 7-0. They were 1-5 otherwise.

After outrunning collarbone and head injuries, Garbers was terrific down the stretch, leading the Bears to wins over Stanford, UCLA and Illinois. He was cool in clutch moments, rarely made mistakes and grew as a team leader.

Now he must shine in Musgrave’s West Coast offense. He must engineer faster starts and avoid lulls. He must take advantage of what seems likely to be a more diverse, creative game plan. And he must hit the deck after scrambling when approached by a player wearing a different jersey.

Elijah Hicks / Photo by Al Sermeno, KLC fotos

Can the secondary adapt to all the changes in the defensive backfield?

A new DBs coach and new players in four of five positions in the secondary. A lot of change in the defensive backs room.

But cornerback Camryn Bynum, one of the Pac-12’s best, returned after briefly opting out to prepare for the NFL. And senior Elijah Hicks, a three-year starter at corner, slides that experience to safety.

It’s on new DBs coach Marcel Yates to create new chemistry and return the Bears’ secondary to its 2018 level, when Cal was among the nation’s leader with 21 interceptions.

How will the front seven hold up after the exits of Luc Bequette and Tevin Paul?

Bequette, a three-year starting defensive end, and Paul, a returning starter at outside linebacker, bolted late in the summer. Bequette transferred to Boston College and Paul opted out of playing the 2020 season.

Nose guard Brett Johnson slid outside to replace Bequette, which means that Aaron Maldonado, who missed nearly half of last season due to personal reasons, must be ready to go at nose. Three freshman linemen — Stanley McKenzie, Ethan Saunders and Jaedon Roberts — likely will get an early shot at showing what they can do.

And sophomore Braxten Croteau steps into the spot vacated by Paul, creating less experience and a thinner roster at OLB.

New Washington coach Jimmy Lake, left / Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie,, USA Today

Is the overall strength of the Pac-12 diminished to the point where Cal can win a conference title?

This seems to be a huge opportunity for the Bears in a most bizarre season. Washington has a new coach and quarterback. Oregon has a new quarterback and five new offensive linemen. Stanford is coming off its worst season in a decade.

And the Bears get all three of them at Berkeley, albeit with no one watching in Memorial Stadium.

We will know a lot more after this weekend. Cal-UW could establish a pecking order to chasing Pac-12 favorite Oregon, which sounds motivated to make a statement in its opener at home against Stanford.

The team that wins the Pac-12 will have to be more than just good. It will need to nimbly maneuver an unprecedented season with unforeseen obstacles that are liable to rise up at any time.

Will there be any bowl games left for Pac-12 teams to play?

First of all, the Rose Bowl is off the table except as host of a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

The Alamo Bowl, Sun Bowl, Independence Bowl and the new LA Bowl all plan to play. So far.

Otherwise, the list of bowl games with Pac-12 tie-ins is getting shorter by the week. The Holiday Bowl opted out for 2020. The Redbox Bowl, Cal’s postseason destination last season, will take the year off. The Las Vegas Bowl, to be played in the Raiders’ new Allegiant Stadium, is uncertain about its plans, and there have been reports that the LA Bowl is considering canceling its game.

Will Cal, or any Pac-12 team, get through the next seven weeks unscathed?

This is unknowable, but evidence from across the country suggests it will be difficult for the entire conference to play each week without COVID-19 cases forcing the cancellation of games.

Daily testing in the Pac-12 is a huge benefit, and Cal’s safety protocols appear to be well conceived.

But the chances of reaching the other side in this treacherous season depend on so many factors, including the most basic question: Can college football players in the Pac-12 continue to be more responsible than all those folks who refuse wear masks or socially distance?

*** Part 1 of our Cal season preview series: Strengths and Weaknesses

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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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