Golden Bears face early road tests in 2021

The Pac-12 finally unveiled its 2021 football schedule Tuesday morning, solidifying Cal’s travel plans for the fall.

The Golden Bears will open with three non-conference games, hosting Nevada on Sept. 4, traveling to play at TCU on Sept. 11 and finishing the prePac-12 portion of their schedule Sept. 18 against FCS opponent Sacramento State.

The Bears’ toughest tests in the Pac-12 North will come on the road, as they travel to Seattle to face the Washington Huskies in their conference opener Sept. 25 and head to Eugene, Oregon to face the Ducks in a Friday night showdown Oct. 15.

Cal will face 2020’s top two finishers in the Pac-12 South at home. They’ll take on Colorado at Memorial Stadium on Oct. 23 and host USC on Nov. 13.

The Big Game, which finished in a heartbreaker for the Bears in 2020, will be played Nov. 20 at Stanford Stadium.

Chase Garbers is expected to return at quarterback for a third year under center for the Bears, and all players from the 2020 season — even seniors — are eligible to play in 2021 after the NCAA amended eligibility rules in the pandemic.

2021 will be head coach Justin Wilcox’s fifth in Berkeley. Last season was a disappointing one for Cal in several ways: They missed their opener because of virus cases and contact tracing, then lost the first three games on the schedule before upsetting Oregon.

Cal finished 1-3 as their final two games against Washington State and Arizona were canceled amid virus concerns.