Cal is riding high after securing one of its biggest victories in recent seasons Saturday when the Bears defeated Auburn, 21-14, on the road to move to 2-0 on the year. The Bears used a dominant performance from the defense, which included forcing five turnovers, plus a two-touchdown day for quarterback Fernando Mendoza to seal the win.

Now, Justin Wilcox's team will head into the final game of nonconference play looking to build a winning streak ahead of the start of ACC games.

Sunday, the Bears earned some respect for their victory in both major polls by receiving votes both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The coaches awarded Cal five points while the team picked up three points in the AP top 25, which is voted on by media members around the country.

The Bears were last ranked in the AP Top 25 back in September 2019 when they checked in at No. 15 that season following a road victory over Ole Miss.

Wilcox's teams have often been on the wrong end of close matchups, and the eighth-year head coach hopes to change that moving forward. To do that, he understands a letdown cannot come next for the Bears.

"Now the key is that we continue to get better," Wilcox said. "This can't be the best we play all year. We gotta continue to grind and get better. ... We'll celebrate, but we got a game next week. We'll give them 24 hours to enjoy the win, but we got a lot of football left to play."

Four ACC teams currently sit in the AP Top 25 after Week 2 of the season led by Miami at No. 10. The Hurricanes will come to Berkeley for the first time Oct. 5. Louisville (No. 19), Clemson (No. 21) and Boston College (No. 24) round out the group.

ACC teams Syracuse and North Carolina also received votes in the latest AP poll.

Boston College, Syracuse, North Carolina State, North Carolina and Pittsburgh all received votes in the coaches poll as well with Miami, Louisville and Clemson all being part of rankings.