This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Pac-12 logjam seems, from the outside, tough to crack. In the North, Oregon and Stanford always seem to be at the top.
But if you circle one potential riser this year, it might be Cal. Armed with a high-powered offense led by one of the most quietly prolific quarterbacks in the country, Sonny Dykes' unit likely will improve for the third straight year.
Said Dykes last month: "We've really grown up as a program." Time to find out.
Strengths • Jared Goff attracted a media horde at media day — much more interest than the prior year. The gunslinger looked the part of a star at times last year (No. 8 nationally with 327 yards of offense per game), distributing the ball relatively evenly to his receivers and developing exciting finishes against Arizona, Colorado and Washington State last year. The Cal team had a bit of a "Cardiac Kids" vibe for a while, and one wonders if the 17 returning starters have benefited from that experience. Dynamic receivers Kenny Lawler and Stephen Anderson are back, as is running back Daniel Lasco.
Weaknesses • It's hard to overlook the chief problem that led to Cal winning only one of its last seven games: The Golden Bears couldn't stop anybody. Even back to his Louisiana Tech days, Dykes has struggled to field good defenses. His unit was No. 123 on that side of the ball in the FBS last year. It was bad, particularly against the pass (367 yards per game allowed), and Cal hired a new cornerbacks coach this summer. Cal's schedule against Texas, Utah, UCLA, Oregon and Stanford are particularly punishing.
Outlook • It's a ho-hum, ease-into-the-season start for the Golden Bears, with only Texas seeming to stand out in the first five games. But Cal has a tough October to get through — at Utah, at UCLA and USC at home — before facing Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State to close the year. Dykes will have time to get his unit warmed up, but the offense will have to be at its best, and the defense will have to be better than last year if Cal is to take that next step.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Cal schedule
Sept. 5 • Grambling State
Sept. 12 • San Diego State
Sept. 19 • at Texas
Sept. 26 • at Washington
Oct. 3 • Washington State
Oct. 10 • at Utah
Oct. 22 • at UCLA
Oct. 31 • USC
Nov. 7 • at Oregon
Nov. 14 • Oregon State
Nov. 21 • at Stanford
Nov. 28 • Arizona State Editor's note
This is the third in a series previewing each Pac-12 football team going into 2015. Next: Colorado.