Cal’s big win over Minnesota opens the door for a potentially great season

The Golden Bears are starting to make a name for themselves again. The win over Minnesota could rank among Cal’s biggest in recent memory.

The Bears may not have elite talent, but thanks to an easy schedule in a down conference, they could emerge as the ACC’s representative in the College Football Playoff.

While Cal didn’t play perfectly against the Gophers, they utilized their home-field advantage and capitalized on Minnesota’s mistakes.

The Gophers missed a field goal and muffed a punt in the fourth quarter, and that second mistake led to the game-sealing touchdown for the Bears.

Freshman Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele continues to shine, finishing with 279 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

His performance was doubly impressive because the Gophers historically have an outstanding defense and had only allowed 10 combined points entering the contest.

The Bear defense also did its thing, limiting Minnesota to 14 points. Cal has everything to play for now, and this feels like a special season in the making.

Stanford revives 2025 campaign with bounce-back victory over Boston College

The Cardinal got a crucial win over Boston College last week, and amazingly, as bad as their season started, they’re currently undefeated atop the ACC.

Stanford’s offense stepped up against the Eagles, with Micah Ford leading the way on the ground, rushing for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson showed encouraging flashes from his Oregon State days, managing the game while throwing for 186 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions.

The Tree had two receivers finish with at least seventy receiving yards in Sam Roush and Bryce Farrell, each of whom hauled in a touchdown pass.

Stanford’s defense struggled in the first half, but rebounded enough to hold BC scoreless in the second.

If the Cardinal offense can continue to perform at this clip, they could pull an upset deeper in their conference schedule.

Stanford travels to Charlottesville next in what should be another winnable matchup. If Tree can get a win on the road, it would create some buzz on the farm.

Winless Beavers facing a tough four-game stretch after Texas Tech loss

Oregon State football is in a difficult spot.  While this season isn’t lost, it’s pretty close to being gone.

The Beavs’ remaining schedule is no cakewalk, with Oregon, Houston, Appalachian State, and Wake Forest looming in their next four matchups. They probably need two wins among them to go bowling.

Oregon State needs to find a way to gain some momentum before entering the new Pac-12, and fortunately, the schedule gets much easier down the stretch.

Maalik Murphy’s confidence is the key to salvaging what’s left of the season. He went 9-3 at Duke, and did not come to Corvallis to lose.

If he can perform well against the Ducks, it could motivate the rest of the players to show some fight.

The Beavers may not be able to turn their season around, but crazier things have happened. They gotta have heart.

Bad loss to North Texas doesn’t have to derail Washington State’s season

As a Washington State alum, I’m peeved by our fanbase right now. It feels like a lot of the Cougars faithful is falling into the negativity trap. I mean, we’re 2-1.

As humbling as the loss to North Texas was, the Mean Green is not a FCS team. They’re also undefeated.

The Cougs have no time to lick their paws, as they host Washington in the Apple Cup this week. WSU probably won’t win the contest, but they gotta try and compete.

If Washington State can keep their morale afloat, they could still make a bowl game with winnable games Colorado State, Louisiana Tech, and Oregon State, twice.

At the beginning of the season, many Coug fans would’ve been happy to be 2-1 three games in. They need to fill out Martin Stadium next week and represent the program. No doubt, Husky fans would fill theirs.

It’s easy to forget that Mike Leach had three losing seasons in Pullman before swinging his sword. He also lost the 2015 opener to Portland State.

As ugly as last week was, Washington State could still be alright. Real Cougs don’t quit.