It's been a tough season for the Cal Golden Bears, there's no other way to look at it.

After a 3-1 start that included a Hail Mary pass landing in and then out of the hands of a receiver in a 24-17 loss at Notre Dame, followed by the Bears' best performance of the fall in a 49-31 shellacking of Arizona, the season has taken a sharp pivot.

The Bears (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) have lost their last four games, including being the only team that lowly Colorado has beaten all season. And now they get the No. 9 Trojans (7-1, 5-1), who are chasing the potential for a College Football Playoff berth as the teams meet Saturday night (7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN).

The Bears have exciting talent scattered across their roster, but their weaknesses are glaring. They’re capable of causing headaches for talented opposition, yet their lack of consistency in certain areas renders them a lesser threat.

Still, it's not a team USC can overlook in any way. Cal led No. 8 Oregon until late in the second quarter last week before things ultimately unraveled -- which kind of mirrors the script of their season.

Let's take a closer look at the matchup ...

Coach: Justin Wilcox (6th season, 29-33)

Record: 3-5, 1-4 Pac-12

Stats/national ranks

Scoring Offense: 23.4 PPG (101st)

Scoring Defense: 25.0 PPG (62nd)

Total Offense: 374.5 YPG (82nd)

Total Defense: 415.6 YPG (100th)

What the Bears do well:

The Bears have featured a capable passing game, headlined by quarterback Jack Plummer, a transfer from Purdue, and his talented top duo of receivers. The team has thrown for a healthy 261.1 yards per game, with Plummer completing 61.2% of his passes and throwing 13 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions. Jeremiah Hunter (35 catches for 544 yards and 2 TDs) and J. Michael Sturdivant (43-516-6) have proven to be productive pass catchers, both capable of winning at the catch point and creating separation. They’ve been a challenge for opposing secondaries to handle, and Plummer has shown himself to be capable of getting them the football with good placement. Plummer’s decision making has generally been strong, helping the Bears to minimize their turnovers. The Cal passing attack isn’t necessarily one of the most imposing in the conference, but the talent of its key playmakers keeps it dangerous.

Cal’s defense has shown a knack for taking the ball away, managing to secure an impressive 15 turnovers in just 8 games. That’s good for 11th most among all Power 5 schools, and the Bears have gotten it done both by forcing fumbles and picking off passes. Their secondary deserves plenty of credit in particular, demonstrating impressive ball-hawking skills to come away with 10 interceptions on the year. Though the Bears don’t feature much top-end talent on defense, they play with a tenacity and opportunism on that side of the ball that allows them to make opponents pay for miscues. Their ability to take the ball away has been a saving grace for this team, keeping them in games despite offensive lapses.