35 - 31 
Cal suffered an ugly 35-31 loss in the Hawaii Bowl to Hawaii in a game they led 21-0. The loss was frustrating for Cal fans, but maybe it shouldn’t have been. If there is one thing that is consistent about Cal, it’s their inconsistency over the last several years. That’s who they currently are.
They play a great game, then a bad one. They play a great half, then have a bad half.
In their last games, they lost in a blowout to a 4-win Stanford team, then beat SMU to knock them out of the ACCCG, and then the Hawaii loss we just mentioned.
Cal finished the season at an uneven 7-6, and will have a new coach. Justin Wilcox was fired, and interim Nick Rolovich head-coached his last game at Cal. In walks Tosh Lupoi as the coach for 2026.
His pedigree, minus the lack of head coaching experience, is pretty good. He was on Alabama’s staff under Nick Saban, so he’s got some national championship history. He coached in the NFL from 2019-2021, and now he’s been at Oregon since 2022 as defensive coordinator. The Ducks have a top 5 defense this year.
The former Cal Defensive Lineman may bring the hard-nosed, tough, physical mentality that’s been missing from Cal football for years. It certainly was missing against Hawaii, who bullied the Cal defense in the second half. A 4-loss G5 team should not just physically push around a P4 team.
Where Cal probably doesn’t have to worry is at QB. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolute has announced he’ll return to Cal. The future sophomore has a chance to be Cal’s best QB since Aaron Rodgers. His raw talent is off the charts. He just needs more polish.
A ton of schools will have QB questions next year, but not Cal unless something unforeseen happens.
Cal let a major opportunity slip away Wednesday night, but there’s a chance they could be a factor in next year’s ACC.
