Cal

Cal's offseason centers on one transformative gamble: that a spectacular transfer portal class can instantly elevate the Golden Bears into ACC title contention under new head coach Tosh Lupoi. The Bears added 218.8 PPA through 32 portal arrivals while losing just 11.0 PPA from 36 departures, headlined by Chase Hendricks (66.1 PPA from Ohio) and quarterback Jackson Brousseau (42.0 PPA from Colorado State) joining returning starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. JP+ rates Cal 60th nationally at +0.1 points, with the offense grading 75th (-0.8) and defense 71st (-0.3), though significant defensive front and coverage turnover creates structural uncertainty around those projections.

JP+ projects 6.4 wins for Cal, which would represent a solid foundation for Lupoi's inaugural season despite facing road tests at SMU, Virginia, and NC State. The portal additions of Ian Strong (41.1 PPA from Rutgers) and Hendricks should offset the departures of Landon Morris to Wake Forest and Jayden Dixon-Veal, though defensive continuity risks loom large with substantial edge pressure and coverage attrition from 2025. If Lupoi can quickly integrate the new talent and Sagapolutele develops chemistry with his revamped receiving corps, Cal could surprise in ACC play. If the defensive replacements struggle and offensive cohesion takes time, the Bears will lean heavily on home games against Pitt, Stanford, and Wagner to reach bowl eligibility.