After a couple weeks off, an FBS institution has once again made a head coaching change on a Sunday following a disappointing result on Saturday. This time, it was a 31-10 loss to Stanford in the Big Game that did Justin Wilcox in after nearly nine full seasons on the job. Cal is not dreadful this season -- in fact, at 6-5, the Golden Bears have already qualified for their third straight bowl game. But after nearly a decade, it became clear that's all Cal contended for under Wilcox.
In fact, Saturday's loss meant Cal will not finish above .500 in any of Wilcox's nine seasons and, unless Cal springs a home upset of SMU, the Bears will finish below .500 in league play each season under Wilcox.
What was the high point? Generally speaking, it was 2019. Coming off a 7-6 season in 2018, Cal opened the year 4-0 with wins at No. 14 Washington and at Ole Miss, placing them No. 15 in the AP poll. The Bears lost four straight to fall out of the poll and they haven't returned since, but the No. 15 ranking remains the program's highest since 2009. Wilcox's team rebounded to win four of their last five and three straight, with road wins at Stanford and UCLA, and then beat Illinois in the Redbox Bowl at nearby Levi's Stadium. The eight wins of that season was the high point of the Wilcox era.
What was the low point? Personally for all involved, it had to be the 2020 season. Dealing with some of the most onerous covid restrictions in the country, Cal was scheduled to play seven games, actually played four of them, and won one. On the field, the low point arrived on Nov. 12, 2022, a 38-10 loss to Oregon State, the sixth of six straight losses amid a 4-8 season.
The breakup of the Pac-12 was true rock bottom, but that would've happened no matter who was coaching Cal.
What did Wilcox get right? His teams generally played good-to-acceptable defense -- the 2018 team was in the top 10 nationally -- and his program identified a possible Heisman Trophy winner and future No. 1 pick in a 2-star, 2,149th-ranked player in Fernando Mendoza.
What did Wilcox get wrong? Prior to Mendoza (who finished 36th), Wilcox did not have a single quarterback finish among the top 50 nationally in passing offense, and the Bears finished 96th or lower in scoring annually from 2018 to '23.
What did Cal get right? There aren't many other FBS schools that would give their coach nine tries to post a winning record in conference play. (This is a compliment.)
What did Cal get wrong? There aren't many other FBS schools that would give their coach nine tries to post a winning record in conference play. (This is not a compliment.)
Where does Wilcox go from here? Still only 49, Wilcox is a West Coast native with (brief) experience in both the SEC and the Big Ten. He'll have options coaching on the defensive side of the ball in college football and the NFL.
Where does Cal go from here? It's Ron Rivera's search, so who knows where he's looking. Were it my search, I'd start with UConn head coach and California native Jim Mora.