{"id":135727,"date":"2025-08-11T01:18:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T01:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/135727\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T01:18:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T01:18:13","slug":"2025-california-football-predictions-golden-bears-ranked-54th-in-rj-youngs-ultimate-136","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/135727\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 California Football Predictions: Golden Bears Ranked 54th in RJ Young&#8217;s Ultimate 136"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/personalities\/rj-young\" class=\"contributor-wrapper pd-t-b-10 flex\" data-v-d8ab971f=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754875091_286_RJ-Young-727x727.png\" alt=\"RJ Young\" class=\"contributor-headshot\" width=\"36\" height=\"36\" data-v-d8ab971f=\"\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>RJ Young<\/p>\n<p>FOX Sports National College Football Analyst<\/p>\n<p> <\/a>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">This isn&#8217;t your average college football ranking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it&#8217;s my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:<\/p>\n<ul displaynav=\"true\" class=\"mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\" data-v-7259cf83=\"\">\n<li class=\"ff-h\" data-v-7259cf83=\"\">Who do I think is good?<\/li>\n<li class=\"ff-h\" data-v-7259cf83=\"\">Why do I think they&#8217;re good?<\/li>\n<li class=\"ff-h\" data-v-7259cf83=\"\">What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">Here is a look at where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/california-golden-bears-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">California<\/a> lands in my Ultimate 136.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><strong>Team ranking: <\/strong>54<br \/><strong>Last year&#8217;s ranking: <\/strong>68<br \/><strong>Top player: <\/strong>LB <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/tj-bush-player\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">TJ Bush Jr<\/a>.: First on team last season for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/liberty-flames-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Liberty<\/a> with 9.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks; 14 games as a true freshman for Liberty in 2023, career totals of 32 tackles, 7 TFL and 2 sacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><a><strong>[<\/strong><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/california-golden-bears-team-schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Cal&#8217;s 2025 schedule<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><strong>RJ&#8217;s take:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/devin-brown-6-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Devin Brown<\/a> might give head coach Justin Wilcox a bit of what he lost in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/fernando-mendoza-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fernando Mendoza<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/indiana-hoosiers-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Indiana<\/a>. But the Brown we saw at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/ohio-state-buckeyes-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ohio State<\/a> did not look like the highly-touted recruit we saw out of Corner Canyon High School. And that\u2019s why 5-star and true freshman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/jaron-keawe-sagapolutele-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele<\/a> might end up taking over at some point for the Golden Bears at QB.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">But this team will be defined by what it lost in the transfer portal rather than what it gained: RB <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/jaydn-ott-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaydn Ott<\/a> is at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/oklahoma-sooners-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Oklahoma<\/a>. Tight end <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/jack-endries-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jack Endries<\/a> is at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/texas-longhorns-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Texas<\/a>. Wide receiver <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/nyziah-hunter-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nyziah Hunter<\/a> is at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/nebraska-cornhuskers-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nebraska<\/a>. Still, that\u2019s not as bad as it could be because Cal\u2019s schedule is\u00a0sawft.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">There isn\u2019t a preseason top 25 opponent on it! And to make the point as clear as the sky above the Pacific Ocean on a cloudless day, here\u2019s the schedule in its entirety:<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">AUG 30 at Oregon State<br \/>SEP 6 Texas Southern<br \/>SEP 13 Minnesota<br \/>SEP 20 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/san-diego-state-aztecs-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Diego State<\/a><br \/>SEP 27 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/boston-college-eagles-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boston College<\/a><br \/>OCT 4 Duke<br \/>OCT 10 OPEN DATE<br \/>OCT 17 North Carolina<br \/>OCT 24 at Virginia Tech<br \/>NOV 1 Virginia<br \/>NOV 8 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/louisville-cardinals-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Louisville<\/a><br \/>Nov 15 OPEN DATE<br \/>Nov 22 at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/stanford-cardinal-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Stanford<\/a><br \/>Nov 29 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/college-football\/smu-mustangs-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SMU<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">Now, look at that and tell me Wilcox can\u2019t find Cal&#8217;s first double-digit winning season since 2004.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><strong>[<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/college-football\/2025-college-football-rankings-rj-youngs-ultimate-136\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"><strong>Check out RJ Young&#8217;s Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here<\/strong><\/a><strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><strong>California Win Total Odds:<\/strong> Over 5.5 (+116) Under 5.5 (-142)<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\">Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school&#8217;s rival is too high? Get at me on X, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RJ_Young\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@RJ_Young<\/a>, and I&#8217;ll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-8d19012c=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/personalities\/rj-young\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RJ Young<\/a> is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RJ_Young\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">@RJ_Young<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience      <\/p>\n<p>\n        recommended\n      <\/p>\n<p> Arrow pointing to the leftArrow pointing to the right <\/p>\n<p>Item 1 of 3<\/p>\n<p>   <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/NCAAFootball.vresize.160.160.medium.0.png\" alt=\"College Football\" class=\"team-logo\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\"\/> Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more     <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RJ Young FOX Sports National College Football Analyst This isn&#8217;t your average college football ranking. My Ultimate 136&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":135728,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1318,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-135727","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115007501316251298","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135727","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135727"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135727\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135728"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135727"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135727"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135727"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}