The Cal football team is good. It is 4-0 and ranked No. 24 in the country.

That happened fast.

Now, I am the first to say I did not see this coming. Who would have thought the Bears, with the quality of their defense last year and their inability to finish football games, would have started the season on a four-game winning streak?

With the Bears’ season records from the last two years, this kind of start seemed unlikely, though it seemed probable that this season would be better than previous ones, especially with Jared Goff’s prowess and preseason accolades.

The four wins are important because they show a team on the rise. But once again, it cannot be stressed enough that these wins must be taken with perspective — not necessarily with a grain of salt, but with a frame of reference. The most challenging part of the Bears’ season is still very much to come.

And that is perhaps the most important point of all.

So far, Cal has played an FCS team, a subpar San Diego State unit and a downtrodden Texas team that has lost the pizzaz of seasons past, while the Bears’ biggest win of the season so far was a victory against Washington — their first since 2008.

Let’s take a look at the season to come.

The Bears will face Washington State at home this weekend — a team that began its season with a loss to Portland State, another FCS team. The Cougars are coming into the game 2-1, but their wins have not been against the most impressive teams either: Rutgers and Wyoming.

The victory against the Cowboys at home was the Cougars’ first home win in more than a year. Adding on to Washington State’s recent troubles, its win against Wyoming was also the first time the Cougars have beaten an FBS opponent at home since 2013.

Saturday’s game should be an easy win for the Bears. This is a Cougars defense that gave up 409 yards last week to a Wyoming offense that has lead its team to a 0-4 record. If the Bears do not come away with a convincing victory, this team could be far more similar to last year’s than it originally appeared.

After Homecoming Weekend, Cal is headed east to face No. 10 Utah. This game is already scheduled to be played in primetime, but the likelihood of the game actually being a real contest seems small. Utah is a team that earned a deafening win against Oregon last week, 62-20, which knocked the Ducks out of the top 25 for the first time since 2009.

But it doesn’t get better from there.

After their vacation out of state, the Bears will get a bye week. Then they go on a trip down South to face Josh Rosen and the Bruins, currently ranked No. 7 in the country. The young freshman has been able to lead his team to close victories, including a 24-23 win over BYU. Assisting Rosen has been star running back Paul Perkins, who has 525 yards on 82 carries. The powerful offensive combo has landed the team in the top 10 in the country. If there is any offense that can challenge Goff & Co., it will be Rosen’s.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier from there, as the Bears will end the season with games that include USC and Stanford. Cal’s defense has allowed teams to come back and score 20 points in the last two games. Even with the five turnovers last week, this type of defensive performance will not match up against these conference powerhouses that reside in the Pac-12 South.

Yes, the Bears have played well. And yes, they are a better team than in years past. But with the schedule to come and the way the team has been playing, let’s not crown them Pac-12 champion just yet.

Alaina Getzenberg covers football. Contact her at agetzenberg@dailycal.org