This is a part of a continuing series, taking a look ahead to Cal's opponents during the 2021 season.

Previous Installments: Nevada | TCU | Sacramento State | Washington | Washington State | Oregon

The last time Cal played Colorado, everything looked a bit different. Cal was on their way to their first bowl game in three seasons in Justin Wilcox's second season, coming off a streak-snapping road win over USC and a postponement of the Big Game due to air quality in California. Colorado had just fired head coach Mike MacIntyre, after a 5-0 start in 2018 turned into a 5-6 record with a game against the Bears on-tap. QB coach Kurt Roper had taken the interim job for the final game of the season, with hopes of getting the Buffs bowl eligible.

Within three minutes, Cal had a 14-0 lead without having an offensive possession, with Elijah Hicks and Ashtyn Davis each returning interceptions for touchdowns. The Cal defense forced five turnovers, and did just enough on offense in a 33-21 win.

Three years later, Colorado will come back to Memorial Stadium, after two coaching changes and a surprise 2020, where the Buffs started the year 4-0.

Head Coach: Karl Dorrell (4-2 at Colorado, 39-29 overall)

2020 Record: 4-2 (3-1 in conference)

Last Time These Teams Played: A 33-21 Cal victory in 2018 in Memorial Stadium

Since Colorado joined the Pac-12, Cal has won both games versus the Buffaloes at home, along with the two games right before (in 2010 and 2011). This is a Colorado team that got footing under Dorrell in 2020, with running back Jarek Broussard breaking out (895 yards and 5 TDs in six games). They won their first four games before a final week loss to Utah knocked them out of contention in the Pac-12 South. In the aftermath of Mel Tucker leaving to Michigan State after a year, Dorrell and his staff greatly exceeded expectations in Boulder.

Now, with a full season ahead, they'll look to build on it, with a handful of familiar names still in place, but a handful of new faces and transfers looking to make an impact.

Who's Gone:

QB Sam Noyer - Noyer was voted second team all Pac-12 a year ago, but transferred to Oregon State this spring after shoulder surgery knocked him out for the spring. In his stead, second year QB Brendon Lewis and Tennessee transfer (and one-time Cal commit) JT Shrout are battling for the top job. Lewis, at 6'2" and 225, is a bigger QB who can run a bit more than Shrout, who has plenty of arm talent but didn't put things together when thrown into a tough situation at Tennessee.

DL Mustafa Johnson - One of the top linemen in the Pac-12, Johnson went undrafted but will likely get picked up by a team prior to the 2021 season. Replacing him on the interior will be a challenge, with Jeremiah Doss, a 6'4", 265 lbs senior, set to be one of the main pieces there.

OL Will Sherman - Not the Civil War-era general, but a left tackle who was drafted by the New England Patriots. Moving to left tackle for the Buffs is Frank Fillip, who made the flip from right tackle to left this spring.

DC Tyson Summers - Colorado has a new defensive coordinator for 2021 after Summers was let go. Dorrell promoted defensive line coach Chris Wilson to defensive coordinator. Wilson coached the defensive line under Justin Wilcox, and will run a 3-4 base with the Buffs, with some similar 2-4-5 nickel concepts built in.

The Important Pieces

RB Jarek Broussard - The Pac-12 offensive player of the year in 2020, Broussard is an ideal one-cut back in Colorado's zone schemes. He's not a breakaway speed guy, but he's effective between the tackles, finds creases and fights for extra yards. He's a part of a good RB room with Alex Fontenot (Colorado's rushing leader in 2019, missed 2020 with an injury) and Aashad Clayton also in the room

WRs Brenden Rice, Dimitri Stanley, and La'Vontae Shenault - A trio of productive wideouts, Stanley and Shenault (younger brother of Laviska) were 1-2 in receptions for Colorado a year ago, but Rice (yes, the son of Jerry Rice) has possibly the highest ceiling of the group. Stanley may be the fastest of the group, but Rice was extremely impressive against a talented Utah secondary last year

ILB Nate Landman and OLB Carson Wells - Back for another season, Landman is a player, in an alternate universe, would have been extraordinarily productive at Cal. Instead, he's done it at Colorado, and returned for a final year of eligibility after an achilles tear in 2020. Landman tackles well from sideline to sideline and has been a playmaker in the backfield. Wells had a tremendous 2020, with 16 TFLs and 6 sacks in six games from the OLB position.

DB Isaiah Lewis - Great tackler at the safety position and one of the more tenured DBs for the Buffs, who return three starter in that group.

Transfers

Colorado got a handful of solid pieces out of the portal this cycle, including the aforementioned Shrout, Notre Dame LB transfer Jack Lamb, OL Noah Fenske from Iowa, OL Max Wray from Ohio State, and LB Robert Barnes from Oklahoma.

Other Important Notes

- Four of the five OL starters return from a year ago, one of the stronger points for the Buffs. Casey Roddick, a onetime Cal commit, has been a fixture at the right guard spot.

- One person still on the Buffs coaching staff from that 2018 group? Offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini, who was the co-offensive coordinator at the time.

Overall Outlook

Colorado is among the handful of teams breaking in a new QB in 2021 (including Stanford, Oregon, and Arizona), and while that may be a handicap for some teams, the Buffs have put together a solid run attack and have the experience for that to translate from year to year. Colorado did struggle defensively to an extent in 2020, allowing 5.4 yards per carry on defense.

At this point in the season, there'll be a much better feel for what each team is and isn't, as the Bears look to continue keeping Colorado out of the win column in Berkeley.