Two teams facing significant changes in leadership head into the LA Bowl. UNLV lost their head coach Barry Odom to Purdue, while Cal will be without star quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who entered the transfer portal.
A team without its head coach versus another without its starting quarterback in a non-playoff bowl game does not qualify as unprecedented in the current and chaotic era of college football , but those are the circumstances No. 24 UNLV and California are trying to navigate in the LA Bowl hosted by Gronk on Wednesday night. 'It’s just a crazy world, and it’s continuing to change every year,' Cal center Will McDonald said. The Rebels (10-3) saw Barry Odom depart for the vacancy at Purdue on Dec.
8, less than 48 hours removed from a loss to Boise State in the Mountain West championship game with a spot in the College Football Playoff at stake. The Golden Bears (6-6) won’t have Fernando Mendoza after the two-year starting quarterback announced last Wednesday he was entering the transfer portal, less than three weeks removed from leading a game-winning touchdown drive against rival Stanford and delivering an emotional postgame interview after retaining the Axe trophy and securing postseason eligibility. 'He fought for us all year and put his body on the line every single week, so all you can do is appreciate guys like that and wish them luck in their next adventures,' said McDonald, who transferred to Cal as a sixth-year senior after playing at Coastal Carolina. Without Mendoza, who threw for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions in 11 games this season, Cal will turn to either sixth-year senior Chandler Rogers, fifth-year sophomore CJ Harris or freshman EJ Caminong. Rogers started the season finale against No. 12 SMU when Mendoza was ill but left with an injury, making Harris the likeliest choice to start. Harris began his career at Ohio and made his Cal debut in the loss to the Mustangs, going 6 of 11 for 75 yards with an interception and rushing for 26 yards. 'Obviously, when your starting quarterback gets in the portal, it creates some chaos,' McDonald said. 'But, I mean, we have guys that are ready to play'
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