Previewing the 2015 season with the California Golden Bears:

2014 record: 5-7

Final grade for 2014: C-minus

Key losses: WR Chris Harper, DB Avery Sebastian, DL Brennan Scarlett, DL Austin Clark, ST Bryce McGovern

Key returnees: QB Jared Goff, RB Daniel Lasco, WR Kenny Lawler, WR Stephen Anderson, WR Bryce Treggs, LB Michael Barton

Most important player: Goff. Mel Kiper Jr.'s top-ranked draft-eligible quarterback in the country needs to stay healthy if Cal expects to climb past the six-win mark and back into a bowl. If Cal had a respectable defense, he would be more prevalent in the Heisman conversation.

Impact newcomer: CB Antoine Albert. The Bears need all the help they can get in the secondary and Albert, a highly regarded junior-college transfer, was brought in to help -- likely in the form of rotational depth -- from day one.

Best-case scenario for 2015: 9-5, including a bowl win. The offense will be among the best in the country and if there’s defensive improvement, Cal should be in every game.

Worst-case scenario for 2015: 2-10. Cal was a few plays from that mark a year ago, so while we don’t expect it to take a step back, this is a possible floor.

Class of 2015 signee to watch: While wide receiver Carlos Strickland was a huge addition for the 2015 class, the Golden Bears will be in more need of immediate help on defense, and Jaylinn Hawkins has an opportunity to make a statement at cornerback. Hawkins was a standout receiver in high school but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a mainstay at defensive back in short order. -- Erik McKinney

Class of 2016 storyline: Cal’s 2016 class is off to a phenomenal start with 20 commitments already, including two four-star prospects in quarterback Armani Rogers and athlete Zion Echols. Inside linebacker and safety are the only two positions that have yet to be addressed, though safety D.J. Morgan could be a potential addition down the line. -- Erik McKinney

Biggest remaining question mark: The secondary. We have a general idea of who will be out there, but it’s hard to forecast how good the unit will be until we see it in action, and even then it will be hard to start drawing conclusions until Cal’s third game (at Texas).

Breakout player: RB Daniel Lasco. Some might argue he broke out last year when he ran for 1,115 yards, but from a conference-wide perspective he still flew under the radar. With another big year, that will change.

Most important game: at Washington, Sept. 26. If Cal wants to move up in the Pac-12 North pecking order, this is the game that matters most. It’s the conference opener and a loss to the Huskies would seemingly project Cal on a path back to the bottom half of the division, while a win likely means a 3-1 or 4-0 start.

Upset watch: at UCLA, Oct. 22. In Berkeley last year, the Bears came up just short in a 36-34 loss to their UC-system rival, which makes this year’s a game worth circling on the calendar.

Projected 2015 finish: 7-6, with a bowl win.