College Football Previews #79 and #80 - California and Oregon

California hopes to contend for a Pac 12 Championship in 2023. The Golden Bears will need several veterans to play bigger roles and for everyone to remain healthy for this to become a reality. Head Coach Justin Wilcox enters his 7th season at the helm with moderate expectations. California welcomes back eight starters on Offense including all five starters on the Offensive Line. The Wide Receiving Unit returns two starters in junior Jeremiah Hunter and sophomore Mavin Anderson. Sophomore Running Back Jadyn Ott - the final returning starter on Offense - is poised for a huge season and will share carries with fellow sophomore Byron Cardwell (Oregon transfer). Look for sophomore Quarterback Sam Jackson V (TCU transfer) to be the starter in the Season Opener at North Texas on September 2nd. California returns ten starters on Defense including two starters on the Defensive Line in junior Defensive End Ethan Saunders and sophomore Defensive End Nate Burrell. The Linebacking Unit brings back three starters and will be anchored by junior Outside Linebackers Xavier Carlton and Myles Jernigan. The Secondary welcomes back five starters and will be led by a pair of shutdown Cornerbacks in junior Lu-Magia Hearns III and sophomore Jeremiah Earby. The Special Teams Unit is inexperienced with sophomore Kicker Michael Luckhurst and junior Punter Lachlan Wilson handling the Kicking and Punting duties respectively. California needs to start fast this season as their schedule is daunting in the 2nd half of the campaign, which includes road games at Utah, at Oregon, and at UCLA. The Golden Bears also play a Non-Conference game against Auburn in mid September. I predict California to go 5-7 and finish in 9th place in the Pac 12 Conference. The Golden Bears won't qualify for a Bowl Game in 2023 but better days are ahead for Cal fans. They just need to remain patient.

Oregon hopes another double-digit win season is in the cards and that it also brings a Pac 12 Championship with it. Head Coach Dan Lanning enters his 2nd season at the helm with sky high expectations. The Ducks have the talent on both sides of the ball to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Whether they do or not will depend on several factors. Oregon welcomes back five starters on Offense but only one starter on the Offensive Line. The Wide Receiving Unit brings back two starters in juniors Kris Hutson and Troy Franklin. Senior Quarterback Bo Nix - another returning starter - is a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate. Look for junior Running Back Bucky Irving to share carries with fellow junior Noah Whittington. The two will give the Ducks a dynamite 1-2 punch in the backfield. Oregon brings back six starters on Defense including two starters on the Defensive Line in senior Defensive Tackle Casey Rogers and senior Defensive End Brandon Dorlus. The Linebacking Unit also returns two starters in senior Outside Linebacker Mase Funa and junior Inside Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. The Secondary also welcomes back two starters and will be led by senior Safety Steve Stephens IV. Look for senior Cornerback Khyree Jackson (Alabama transfer) and junior Nickelback Tysheem Johnson (Ole Miss transfer) to have immediate impacts in the Secondary. The Special Teams Unit will be carried by senior Kicker Camden Lewis while sophomore Punter Ross James will handle the Punting duties. Oregon hopes to get back to the Pac 12 Championship Game this season but knows the road will be much tougher than it has been in the past. The Ducks have a difficult Non-Conference schedule with games at Texas Tech and against Hawaii. Oregon also faces a tough ending to the Conference schedule with home games against USC and Oregon State and a road game at Utah. I predict Oregon to go 10-3 and finish in 4th place in the Pac 12 Conference. The Ducks will win their Bowl Game to cap off a solid 2nd campaign under their new regime.

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