The most underrated college football team from every Power 5 conference

Underrated college football team from the Pac-12: California Golden Bears

The Pac-12 is another division that can go to literally anyone. We could obviously say that about all conferences technically, but the Pac-12 is really up in the air. The powerhouse Utah is expected to have a down year. Oregon, the favorites in the conference, has to replace Justin Herbert, the best quarterback in the division last season, and maybe most talented in the country. USC always seems to deal with turmoil and Clay Helton is coaching for his job this season. That’s never a good situation to be in.

Meanwhile, Cal is sitting here at 20/1 while everyone is beating each other up. This could be a golden opportunity for the Golden Bears.

As with a lot of these teams, this all starts with a talented returning quarterback. Chase Garbers was really good in games he started last season. The coaches have said they expect him to take another step this season as a junior. He was really good at times last season but struggled with injury issues. He’s great at tight-window throws and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. That’s going to help him lead Cal this season to Pac-12 contention.

Cal is returning just about every important player on offense. This after taking major steps last season. The team led the country in turnovers with 31 in 2018. In 2019, they dropped that to just 13. Taking major strides like that shows a pattern of smart offensive play.

Speaking of offense, the reason we’re extremely high on Cal is the addition of Bill Musgrave as offensive coordinator. Adding a mind like his will be a huge to the Golden Bears. This might be the best bet in the country if you’re into long shots.