Cal football's rise gaining attention and momentum, but can they keep it up?

"BERKELEY - Cal closes out its non-conference schedule Saturday night at San Diego State, with the Bears seeking a victory that will make them 4-0 for the first time in six seasons and fuel confidence in the program that seems to be gaining some national traction. Without a winning record since 2019, the Bears (3-0) are betting favorites for the first time this season, given a 12.5-point edge according to DraftKings."

"ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote this about the Bears early in the week: "After Saturday night's upset-that-didn't-look-like-an-upset over Minnesota, they're projected favorites in each of their next six games." Being projected as a favorite does not promise a victory, but imagine if the Bears won all six of those. Cal hasn't started a season 9-0 since 1950, when Pappy Waldorf was the coach and Justin Wilcox wouldn't be born for another 26 years."

"Wilcox is not concerned with the first five games of the ACC schedule - Boston College, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Virginia. His focus is solely on SDSU. "We don't spend a lot of time talking about the (point) spread and favorites and who's not favored," Wilcox said. "We respect everybody we play and our job is to go out and play the best football we can."

Cal enters the San Diego State game 3-0 and aims for a 4-0 start to boost confidence and national momentum. DraftKings lists Cal as a 12.5-point favorite. Projections show Cal favored in its next six games after the win over Minnesota. The program has not had a winning record since 2019 and last began 9-0 in 1950. Coach Justin Wilcox is focused on the immediate opponent SDSU rather than the upcoming ACC slate. Cal has started a different offensive line each game; Fred Williams III became the fourth starting tackle and earned praise for his Minnesota performance.

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