If any team in college football knows the value of a conference’s brand, it’s California.
The Golden Bears have been gradually discarded from the Pac-12 like yesterday’s news over the past two years as longtime conference rivals USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington have left for the Big Ten’s greener pastures. Cal is set to call the ACC home in 2024 as its old home’s teams splinter into leagues nationwide.
However, that hasn’t stopped Golden Bears running back Jaydn Ott from looking down on a team from the biggest fish of all—the SEC—ahead of Cal’s meeting with Auburn Saturday night.
“I think there’s a lot of focus on the name: Auburn. And, you know, what I see on film is just like, not really in comparison to what their name is,” Ott told reporters Wednesday. “I just want to get that into my guys’ heads, like, you know, a name doesn’t mean anything. And at the end of the day, they’re still human, and we have just as much of a chance as they do to go in there and get the win.”
The Tigers started slow but finished fast in their opener against Massachusetts, ultimately blowing out the Minutemen 59–10. The Golden Bears also had a productive offensive opener, gaining 669 yards in a 58–21 win at North Texas.
Auburn enters Saturday as a 5.5-point favorite in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
