Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 59. California
OH THE BAND IS OUT ON THE FIELD
“And the Bears! The Bears have won! The Bears have won! Oh, my God! The most amazing, sensational, dramatic, heart-rending...exciting, thrilling finish in the history of college football! California has won the Big Game over Stanford! Oh, excuse me for my voice, but I have never, never seen anything like it in the history of I have ever seen any game in my life! The Bears have won it! There will be no extra point!” - Joe Starkey
No matter what they do, whether they go 12-0 or 0-12, Cal will always have The Play. Just like Joe Starkey described, The Play perfectly encapsulates everything great about college football: The rivalries, the wackiness of the band out on the field, the passion of the Cal player slamming the ball into a trombone player, the crazy play, the controversy of whether the player’s knee was down or not, a tremendous announcer call—it’s the perfect college football moment. Tightwad Hill, named after the $0 view of the field, is a great place to watch a game, perched on a hill with a perfect aerial view of the stadium, see the picture above. Between all this, a tradition of pumping out top tier NFL talent, and competing for the Bay Area’s premier college football team with Stanford, a good Cal is good for college football. They bring a clean, fun brand of football and tap into a massive market with the Bay Area.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+------------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+------------+------+--------------+--------+
| 9 | California | 1991 | 31.511 | 10-2 |
| 9 | California | 2004 | 30.5 | 10-2 |
| 13 | California | 2006 | 29.794 | 10-3 |
| 21 | California | 2008 | 19.959 | 9-4 |
| 25 | California | 1993 | 11.785 | 9-4 |
| 30 | California | 1990 | 9.497 | 7-4-1 |
| 39 | California | 2015 | 8.997 | 8-5 |
| 39 | California | 2003 | 8.645 | 8-6 |
| 38 | California | 2002 | 5.817 | 7-5 |
| 32 | California | 2005 | 4.999 | 8-4 |
| 49 | California | 2009 | 2.084 | 8-5 |
| 48 | California | 2007 | 1.861 | 7-6 |
| 46 | California | 2019 | 0.363 | 8-5 |
| 55 | California | 2011 | -4.395 | 7-6 |
| 50 | California | 1983 | -6.309 | 5-5-1 |
| 52 | California | 1988 | -6.396 | 5-5-1 |
| 62 | California | 2018 | -6.644 | 7-6 |
| 52 | California | 1996 | -9.156 | 6-6 |
| 51 | California | 1987 | -10.909 | 3-6-2 |
| 57 | California | 1998 | -11.741 | 5-6 |
| 75 | California | 2017 | -12.394 | 5-7 |
| 67 | California | 2010 | -13.32 | 5-7 |
| 72 | California | 2016 | -13.751 | 5-7 |
| 82 | California | 2020 | -13.943 | 1-3 |
| 63 | California | 1992 | -14.827 | 4-7 |
| 82 | California | 2014 | -16.239 | 5-7 |
| 84 | California | 2021 | -18.193 | 5-7 |
| 75 | California | 1999 | -19.195 | 4-7 |
| 70 | California | 1989 | -19.914 | 4-7 |
| 67 | California | 1985 | -20.45 | 4-7 |
| 92 | California | 2022 | -22.123 | 4-8 |
| 75 | California | 1994 | -22.516 | 4-7 |
| 80 | California | 2000 | -25.252 | 3-8 |
| 78 | California | 1997 | -26.896 | 3-8 |
| 79 | California | 1995 | -29.915 | 3-8 |
| 93 | California | 2012 | -31.376 | 3-9 |
| 89 | California | 1986 | -36.67 | 2-9 |
| 90 | California | 1984 | -40.367 | 2-9 |
| 104 | California | 2001 | -49.536 | 1-10 |
| 114 | California | 2013 | -56.801 | 1-11 |
+------+------------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 17228 (59th)215-248-5 record
1 conference title
10-5 bowl record
11 consensus All-Americans
121 NFL players drafted
Some of Cal’s statistics here are STUPID. 121 NFL players drafted is by far the most we’ve seen, with the second most being Illinois with 101. After that is Purdue with just 87. So, Cal averages about 3 players a draft despite just 15 winning seasons in 40 years. And they’re not pumping out quantity over quality, either. Notable alumni include QB Aaron Rodgers, TE Tony Gonzalez, RB Marshawn Lynch, WR Desean Jackson, WR Keenan Allen, QB Jared Goff, DE Cameron Jordan, C Alex Mack, CB Nnamdi Asomugha, OT Mitchell Schwartz, the list goes on and on. Consensus All-Americans include LB Ron Rivera (1983), who’s gone on to coach for over a decade in the NFL, TE Tony Gonzalez (1996), CB Deltha O’Neal (1999), who led the both the NCAA (9 in 1999) and NFL (10 in 2005) in interceptions, 7th overall pick DL Andre Carter (2000), P Nick Harris (2000) who set the NCAA record for career punting yards, and LB Evan Weaver (2019), who recorded the 4th most tackles in a season ever with 181.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2013 (1-11 overall, 0-9 Pac-12)
Heading into the year, Cal had a new coach in Sonny Dykes, and a 5-star freshman QB in Zach Kline who was the #2 pro style passer coming out of high school. But it wasn’t Kline who Dykes would end up choosing for the starting job, it was a lanky true freshman by the name of Jared Goff who’d win the role and never look back. 2013 Cal struggled mightily, but not necessarily because of their offense. Goff led the Bears to 23.0 PPG, while the defense gave up a whopping 45.9 PPG. Their only win was 37-30 over FCS Portland State, and losses included 16-55 to #2 Oregon, 22-44 to Washington State, 10-37 to #11 UCLA, 17-49 to Oregon State, 28-62 to USC, and last and definitely least, 13-63 to Stanford. There were signs of promise in Dykes and Goff’s first year though. A 34-52 loss to Ohio State was the 4th most points given up by the Buckeyes all season, and Goff threw for nearly 400 yards with 3 TDs to 1 INT. By the end of the year, he had thrown for 3500 yards with 18 TD 10 INT, and would go on to throw 78 more TDs over the next 2 years and be drafted #1 overall by the St. Louis Rams.
5. 1993 (9-4 overall, 4-4 Pac-10)
Like many Cal teams we’ll see in these top 5 season descriptions, this team had a lot of talent. A 5-0 start included 2 Pac-10 wins and a #16 ranking, before losing 4 straight to fall to 5-4 and 2-4 in the Pac. Cal saved their best for last though, finishing as one of the hottest teams in the country with a win over #13 Arizona, 46-17 over Stanford, 42-18 over Hawaii, and 37-3 over Iowa in the Alamo Bowl. The reason for the 0-4 midseason stretch was mainly QB Dave Barr’s shoulder, injured in the first loss against #13 Washington. Barr finished 2nd in the NCAA in passer rating with 68% completions for 2619 yards 21 TD 12 INT. 13 players were drafted over the next 3 years, including Barr and 1st rounders OT Todd Steussie, DE Regan Upshaw, and DE Duane Clemons.
4. 2008 (9-4 overall, 6-3 Pac-10)
Cal won 9 games despite a QB controversy that lasted the entire year. Nate Longshore, a 2 year starter, entered the year as the backup to talented sophomore Kevin Riley, but the two would trade positions periodically. The one constant was future 1st round RB Jahvid Best, who ran for 1580 yards and 15 TD on 8.1 YPC. In the opener against Michigan State, Best and backup Shane Vereen ran for 100 yards each in a 38-31 win, with Riley looking like the much better QB over Longshore. But their play would both be up and down just as the season was. Following a 66-3 demolition of Washington State, the #25 Bears lost in a 27-35 upset at Maryland. A 6-2 start saw a win over #23 Oregon, who’d finish the year #10, but also a loss to Arizona. They’d lose 2 more road games against #6 USC and Oregon State, before finishing with home wins over Stanford and Washington, and a 24-17 win over Miami (FL) in the bowl. Cal was 7-0 at home but just 1-4 away. Riley completed just 51% of throws for 1360 yards 14 TD 6 INT, while Longshore wasn’t much better with 57% for 1051 yards 10 TD 4 INT, finishing as Cal’s 5th all time leading passer. Dominant LB Zack Follett had 87 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 12.5 TFL, finishing #1 in the country in total TFL with 23. C Alex Mack won the Pac-10’s Morris Trophy for the 2nd straight year as the conference’s best lineman, and also took home the “Academic Heisman” with the Draddy Trophy.
3. 2006 (10-3 overall, 7-2 Pac-10)
Spirits were high in Berkeley. Jeff Tedford had built a serious Pac-10 contender and dark horse national title contender, starting the season ranked #9, their highest preseason ranking since 1952. Lee Corso even predicted them to win the national title. A slow start, however, saw them go down 0-35 to Tennessee in the opener before losing 18-35. That’s when the win streak began. Minnesota, Portland State, #22 Arizona State, Oregon State, all beaten by 25+ points. #16 Cal hosted #11 Oregon for Homecoming, with a sold out crowd of 72,516 turning up for one of the biggest wins of the 2000s, beating the brakes off the Ducks 45-24. A few weeks later, in a sleepy 31-24 OT win over Washington, Marshawn Lynch took over, racking up 203 yards from scrimmage and 2 4th quarter/OT touchdowns. To celebrate, he stole one of the golf carts in the stadium and “ghost rode the whip” around the field in true Marshawn fashion. Everything was setting up for a top 10 matchup to decide the Pac-10 title vs USC later in the season. After the Trojans had lost to Oregon State, Cal was alone in first place. But things would be derailed after an upset loss to Arizona, falling from #8 to #17, and then a 9-23 loss sealed their fate of no outright Pac-10 title. However, with a win on the final day over Stanford and a USC upset loss to UCLA, Cal tied for the Pac-10 title at 7-2, their first since 1975. A dominant 45-10 win over #21 Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl sealed a 10 win season and #14 finish.
Lynch won Pac-10 Offensive POTY, rushing for 1350 yards with 11 TD, also adding 328 receiving yards and 4 TD. WR Desean Jackson was 1st Team All Pac-10 with over 1000 receiving yards and 9 TD on 59 catches, also earning consensus All-American as a punt returner (18.2 average and 4 TDs). The defense was full of future NFL players, but none were better than CB Daymeion Hughes, winner of Pac-10 Defensive POTY, the Ronnie Lott Trophy, and a consensus All-American, with 8 INTs and 2 TDs.
2. 2004 (10-2 overall, 7-1 Pac-10)
Sonny Dykes, the former Cal coach who was on the Texas Tech sideline when they played Cal in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, called this Bears team “as talented a college football team as I’ve seen in a long, long time.” He wasn’t exaggerating. Cal demolished the opening competition, beating Air Force, New Mexico State, and Oregon State by a combined 146-35. The matchup of #7 Cal at #1 USC was highly anticipated after Cal handed USC their only loss in 2003, so GameDay was on campus for the biggest Cal-USC game maybe ever. Aaron Rodgers set an NCAA record for consecutive passes completed in a game with 23, but fell short of the end zone on 4th and goal to lose 17-23. Cal had dominated, outgaining USC 424-205 in yardage, but USC forced timely turnovers and the goal line stand at the end was the biggest in program history. USC wouldn’t lose a single game, finishing 13-0 and as the national champion. Cal would also win the rest of their regular season games, beating up on a weak Pac-10, but simultaneously impressing with wins like 27-0 over eventual 9-3 and #19 Arizona State, the 3rd ranked team in the Pac behind USC and Cal.
But yet, when the season had ended, there was just one Rose Bowl spot left for a team to play Michigan, and it would go to either #4 Cal or #6 Texas. Texas coach Mack Brown had some timely words of encouragement to the voters, saying "If you've got a vote, vote for us…This team deserves to go to the BCS. They deserve to go more than some teams that are being talked about.” As a result, Texas got the Rose Bowl spot and beat Michigan, while Cal’s season ended on a sour note, losing 31-45 to #20 Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.
Cal dominated the postseason Pac-10 awards. Jeff Tedford won Pac-10 Coach of the Year despite Pete Carroll winning the national title. QB Aaron Rodgers was 1st Team All Pac-10, completing 66% of throws for 2566 yards 24 TD 8 INT. RB JJ Arrington joined him on the 1st Team, also earning consensus All-American status and finished 8th in Heisman voting with a 2000 yard rushing season and 15 TD on 7.0 YPC. Backup RB Marshawn Lynch looked even better at times, running for 628 yards and 8 TD on 8.8(!) YPC. WR Geoff McArthur was another 1st Team selection, with 862 receiving yards to finish as Cal’s all-time leading receiver with 3188. Arrington, OG Marvin Philip, and DE Ryan Riddle were All-Americans. Overall, 9 players made 1st Team All Pac-10, more than any other team including USC.
1. 1991 (10-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-10)
The season started with a bang, but also a lack thereof. Cal ran up the score so much on Pacific (86-24) that the Victory Cannon on Tightwad Hill ran out of ammo. The win would foreshadow a season where Cal ranked top 5 in the nation in offense thanks to multiple consensus All-Americans at their skill positions. A 5-0 start jetpacked Cal from unranked to #7, wins coming over Purdue, #24 UCLA, and 45-7 over Oregon. Cal lost a respectable 17-24 result to #3 Washington, who would finish the year unbeaten and share the national title with Miami (FL). The Bears would remain in the top 10 for the rest of the regular season, sticking it to USC 52-30 in front of a home crowd of 70,000, and winning the rest of their games up until the Big Game against Stanford. #6 Cal fell to #21 Stanford in front of a Cardinal crowd of over 85,000, finishing the year tied for second in the Pac instead of an outright second placed finish. The reason why the 1991 team gets the nod over 2004 for first place though, is how strongly they finished. Cal molly whopped #13 Clemson 37-14 in the Citrus Bowl, finishing the year with their highest ranking in the last 70 years at #8.
QB Mike Pawlawski won the Pac-10 Offensive POTY, throwing for 2500 yards with 21 TD 13 INT. RB Russell White, one of the best players in school history and nephew of former USC Heisman winner Charles White, earned consensus All-American, rushing for 1177 yards and 14 TD. WR Sean Dawkins wouldn’t earn consensus All-American honors until the next season, but still finished 2nd in the Pac with 11 receiving TDs on 40 catches. Kicker Doug Brien earned 1st Team All Pac-10, hitting 19 of 28 FGs, and would go on to win a Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, setting an NFL record with 17 PATs made in the postseason.
5th Quarter
What’s the first thing that comes to mind for you about Cal football? Is The Play the best, most iconic, most famous, however you want to describe it, play in college football history? Why has Cal produced so many top tier NFL players but struggled to put wins on the table? If Aaron Rodgers finishes the final drive and beats #1 USC in 2004, does Cal win the national title, and where would Cal football be today? How do you feel about the direction the university has taken in the last decade focusing much more on academics over football? Are they making the best decision for the university, or is the importance of a strong football program something they’re overlooking?
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