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

Cal's final contest of the 2020 season ended up being against Oregon. A then-winless Cal team played their best game of the season, holding the Ducks without a point in the second half, forcing two fumbles, including one on the Ducks final drive, to close the door on Oregon in a 21-17 win.

Cal will get Oregon on a Friday night in Eugene, as they look to continue a streak they've had going since the 2018 season, where the Bears have beaten the previous season's Pac-12 conference champion. They'll go against an Oregon team that will have a different face at quarterback, but a number of other returners, and some familiar coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

Head Coach: Mario Cristobal (25-10 at Oregon, 52-57 over 9 years of coaching)

2020 Record: 4-3 (3-2 in conference), lost in the Fiesta Bowl to Iowa State

Last Time These Teams Played: Cal took down Oregon 21-17 in Berkeley on December 5th, 2020

Oregon has been at the top of the conference for the past two years, and while COVID knocked Washington out of the Pac-12 title game and replaced the Huskies with Oregon, the Ducks took down USC to earn a NY6 Bowl bid in 2020. Oregon has also been the class of the conference on the recruiting end, putting together three straight top-10 recruiting classes, and four straight top-15 recruiting classes since Cristobal took over for Willie Taggart at the tail end of 2017.

The Ducks will have some changes to deal with in 2021. Tyler Shough, who started every game for Oregon in 2020, grad transferred to Texas Tech, as a quarterback competition was coming. Boston College transfer Anthony Brown, who got an extra season due to Covid-19, appears to be the front runner for the spot, though true freshman Ty Thompson is one to watch for.

Oregon also lost defensive coordinator Andy Avalos to the Boise State job, and they grabbed Tim DeRuyter from Cal, leading to a pseudo-coaching swap of DeRuyter for now-Cal OLB coach Keith Heyward. Marcel Yates was then hired away from Cal to replace Heyward, and Cal then hired Tre Watson from UNLV, with Watson having served as a GA at Oregon from 2018-19.

That makes for plenty of crossover between the Bears and the Ducks, especially with Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, and defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon all having played their college ball for Oregon.

All the change aside, Oregon returns a handful of key pieces, including a possible top 2022 draft pick in edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, as they look to maintain their spot at the top of the Pac-12 North for the third year in a row.

Thibodeaux - A contender to be the first non-QB number one NFL draft pick since Myles Garrett in 2017. Thibodeaux has plenty of pass rushing gifts, with his strength on the edge and will be utilized in a pass rushing role by DeRuyter

Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe - The interior linebackers, a five star duo which pushed multi-year starter Isaac Slade-Matautia to the transfer portal (to SMU), are set to play bigger roles in DeRuyter's defense. Sewell, like his older brother Penei, is an athletic monster, as is Flowe, who had some of the most physically impressive high school tape. Flowe missed the 2020 season due to injury, but has a ton of potential at the position

Brown - The second half of the Cal-Oregon game a year ago saw Tyler Shough be relatively ineffective, a performance that led to him being taken out of the game for Brown in the Pac-12 championship game at points, and benched in the Fiesta Bowl against Iowa State, and Brown was productive enough to be the frontrunner for the QB spot (five-star Ty Thompson and Bay Area native Jay Butterfield are in the mix as backups)

CJ Verdell and Travis Dye - Two talented running backs back for another season, with Dye showcasing ability both in the run and pass games, while Verdell has been one of the best in the conference, though he was hobbled during the matchup with Cal a year ago.

Johnny Johnson III, Jaylon Redd, and Mycah Pittman - Oregon returns their starting wideouts from a year ago, with Johnson and Redd taking the extra Covid year. Pittman has possibly the highest ceiling among the group as a longer wideout with plenty of ability.

Mykael Wright - One of the best DBs in the conference, not the biggest at 5'11", but Wright has been effective as a tackler and in man coverage. He's also one of the better returners in the country.

Other Notable Returning Starters

Offensive line - A handful of returners here, including seventh year tackle George Moore, TJ Bass, Ryan Walk, and Alex Forsythe. This is a position group where Cristobal has recruited above and beyond every other program in the Pac-12, most recently pulling a five-star lineman out of Texas in Kelvin Banks

Tight End - DJ Johnson returns for another year after converting to the position, a big threat at 6'5" and 258 lbs, a tough threat in the passing game

Mase Funa and Jamal Hill - Two other key defensive starters, with Funa manning the other OLB spot opposite Thibodeaux, and Hill in as a nickel/star type player who can serve multiple roles for the Ducks.

Under Cristobal, Oregon has recruited better than anyone in the conference, and has excelled accordingly. That said, they're breaking in a new full-time starter at the quarterback position. Even with Brown having plenty of experience at Boston College, there's still less certainty than you'd normally like at the spot. A full offseason of working in Joe Moorhead's RPO offense should help on that front, and there's other weapons Oregon has, including Troy Franklin, one of the best wideouts in the 2021 class.

Defensively, Cal fans are familiar with what DeRuyter can do for a defense, in terms of scheme or otherwise. A 3-4/2-4-5 hybrid makes sense for Oregon considering the versatile talent they have at every level, with athletic monsters in Thibodeaux, Flowe, and Sewell. They already ran something similar under Andy Avalos, so the changes with DeRuyter involved should be interesting to watch.

Cal will play Oregon on a Friday night in Eugene, and the Bears have had the Ducks number defensively the past two matchups, holding Oregon to 17 points in each of the last two games, but it's a matter of Cal figuring out the offense against possibly the most talented defense they'll face in 2021. The Bears ground out drives against Oregon in 2020 on their way to a win, and that may be the menu again for the Bears in 2021 to win up in Eugene for the first time since 2007. It is the most difficult game on Cal's schedule for the year.