2021 California
5–7 (4–5 Pac-12), coached by Justin Wilcox. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Stanford 41–11Nov 20
By 30 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to TCU 32–34Sep 11
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | vs Nevada | L 17–22 | 50% |
| Sep 11 | at TCU | L 32–34 | 31% |
| Sep 18 | vs Sacramento State | W 42–30 | 73% |
| Sep 25 | at Washington | L 24–31 | 33% |
| Oct 2 | vs Washington State | L 6–21 | 62% |
| Oct 15 | at 9Oregon | L 17–24 | 19% |
| Oct 23 | vs Colorado | W 26–3 | 57% |
| Oct 30 | vs Oregon State | W 39–25 | 46% |
| Nov 6 | at Arizona | L 3–10 | 69% |
| Nov 20 | at Stanford | W 41–11 | 45% |
| Nov 27 | at UCLA | L 14–42 | 29% |
| Dec 4 | vs USC | W 24–14 | 58% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat USC 24–14; unranked in the final AP poll; 7th in the Pac-12.
In program history: The tied 61st-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 112 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 4–5 7th in Pac-12
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 285–267
- Coach
- Justin Wilcox
- Elo
- 1495 −1 this season
- SP+ rating
- 3.4 No. 68 of 130; offense No. 77, defense No. 51
- SRS
- −0.1 No. 72 of 130 in FBS
- Returning
- 98% of last season’s EPA, No. 8 of 128
- Recruiting class
- No. 28 roster talent No. 40 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Bill Musgrave
- Defensive coordinator
- Peter Sirmon
- Offense
- Spread option
- Defense
- 3–4 or 2–4–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.12 | 42% | 1.17 | 79th of 130 |
| Defense | 0.10 | 43% | 1.19 | 48th of 130 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.11 def | 42% off 42% def | — | 75th off 50th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.6 | own 26 | 13% allowed |
| Defense | 3.0 | own 29 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -6.0, 90th of 130 (offense -4.8, defense 1.1).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Chase Garbers QB | 2,531 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Chase Garbers QB | 16 TD |
| Rushing yards | Christopher Brown Jr. RB | 607 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Damien Moore RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Trevon Clark WR | 658 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Trevon Clark WR | 4 TD |
| Tackles | Daniel Scott S | 82 tkl |
| Sacks | Cameron Goode LB | 7 sacks |
| Interceptions | Daniel Scott S | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2021 class
| J. Michael Sturdivant WR | ★★★★ | No. 145 |
| Jermaine Terry II TE | ★★★★ | No. 207 |
| Mavin Anderson WR | ★★★★ | No. 292 |
| Kai Millner QB | ★★★★ | No. 296 |
| Akili Calhoun DE | ★★★★ | No. 363 |
| Derek Wilkins DL | ★★★★ | No. 377 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2021 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 4.0 | 0.902 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.8 | 0.903 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Defensive line | 5 | 3.4 | 0.877 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.860 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Whole class | 19 | 3.3 | 0.874 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2022
The 2022 draft| Rd 7 | Cameron Goode OLB | Miami Dolphins |
| Rd 7 | Elijah Hicks S | Chicago Bears |
Roster 117
The 2021 roster117 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2021 line; 66 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 2
The 2021 portal Raymond Woodie III S | ★★★ | from  Florida State |
 Beaux Tagaloa DL | ★★★ | from  San José State |
Transfers out 9
 Makai Polk WR | ★★★ | to  Mississippi State |
| Bradrick Shaw RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| DeShawn Collins RB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Devon Modster QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jaden Casey QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jeremiah Hawkins WR | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| Poutasi Poutasi OL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Spencer Brasch QB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Zach Angelillo RB | ★★ | no new school on file |
2021 Pac-12 standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Utah | 8–1 | 10–4 | 12 |
| Oregon | 7–2 | 10–4 | 22 |
| UCLA | 6–3 | 8–4 | |
 Arizona State | 6–3 | 8–5 | |
| Washington State | 6–3 | 7–6 | |
| Oregon State | 5–4 | 7–6 | |
| California | 4–5 | 5–7 | |
| USC | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Washington | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Colorado | 3–6 | 4–8 | |
| Stanford | 2–7 | 3–9 | |
| Arizona | 1–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.