Under Justin Wilcox, the California Golden Bears have focused on playing close, competitive games. With a defensive rebuild needed, and an offensive identity in flux, it made sense for Cal to readjust and realign. Play slower, reduce variance, give the Bears a chance to win every game. That would be the formula to victory, to reestablish recruiting credit.
And for a few years, it appeared to be working. Cal slowed down the pace. The games became more winnable. The offense had the ability to score quickly. Cal upset Pac-12 title contenders, they beat USC, they finally came close to beating Stanford, and suddenly it seemed like the Bears were back on the right track.