The now somewhat-infamous blogpost by CBS Sports, in which Cal is projected to go 11-1 and win the conference, pretty much seals it: this is potentially the most exciting season since 2015, and arguably even longer than that, since the talent on both sides of the ball is a bit more evenly distributed. Of course, that's just a projection, and the games still have to be played, which...is the issue.

Is it somewhat cosmically ironic that the second the Bears sniff modest expectation, that the entire world is hit by a once in a century type plague? Some might say that, sure. But not us here at Cal Rivals -- we find it poetic (a term we are using fairly tongue-in-cheek) that a pandemic had to happen for us to once again reach the promised land, and so we refuse to bow in this moment to that reality. Let's stay hyped with Some Things I Am Looking Forward to in the 2020 Season (If There Is One):

1) The Man, Chase Garbers - You've seen the numbers. Cal wins if he is in the lineup. Sometimes big. Most of the time, ugly. But they win, and his performance in high-pressure, get-it-done situations is as remarkable as his overall improvement as a player. Perhaps Kedon Slovis is ahead of him in the Pac-12's QB rankings, but getting a guy to second here is as high as they've had since Goff. So the question remains: can he take the next step and push the Bears into the conference elite?

2) The Musgrave Offense - Unfortunately, no one outside of the program has really seen the final form of this yet, since practices were interrupted during installs. (Later this week, we'll think aloud on about whether or not Cal might have gained a bigger advantage by retaining Beau Baldwin in some hypothetical alternate universe, given the continuity.) Given the true emphasis on tight ends, formational variance -- something we begged for but did not get for most of Baldwin's tenure -- and Musgrave's track record of development in the NFL, it's an exciting mystery that we can't wait to see fully unveiled.

3) The Returning Offensive Line - When Angus McClure came in for the retiring Coach Greatwood, he was left a luxury: a bunch of returning starters across the board at offensive line, with plenty of room for improvement. The run game was somewhat inconsistent the whole year, while the pass protection was largely very solid. Throw in a couple of guys returning from injury who were projected starters the year before, and you got yourself a unit going.

4) A healthy Kekoa Crawford - Another guy who the Bears just seem to win with in the lineup.

5) The emergence of Nikko Remigio as the #1 receiver (or 1B receiver, but I feel strongly that he's the #1) - Just starting to scratch the surface of what he can do -- the team's leading receiver last year with 20% of his total yardage coming in the Big Game, he'll be counted on for more performances like that going forward as one of the now elder statesmen in the group..

6) The Freshmen Receivers - Namely, whoever and whichever one of them ends up playing. Stan Justin Baker.

7) Mystery Man Craig Woodson - Probably the biggest thing on the defense, due to the general level of excitement in the program over his emergence in the backfield. The rotation remains up in the air, since Daniel Scott and Elijah Hicks will also play back there, but it seems very likely they'll find some role for him between the six or seven top defensive backs.

8) JOHNSON! - Do the Bears play him outside of the nose? What ungodly feats of offensive destruction will he be able to perform in his second season?

9) Fully Operational Cam Goode - After coming up just shy of double digit sacks -- he would have been the first to do so in over a decade -- Goode will be looking to hit that magic number as a redshirt senior.

10) 240 Pound Kuony Deng - Enough said.

11) The Larry Berroya ShootyHoops Invitational (And Memorial Tailgate) - This one's more personal than anything, but the pandemic has made me even more immensely fond of the Cal community and the fall games we all have together. I can't wait to be able to share that space again with all of you. I also can't wait to raise one for Larry.