The Bears have snuck into the Polls this morning, garnering a 22 in the AP and a 23 in the coaches poll. They were about 27 in the AP last week, and about 39 in the coaches ranking based on other's receiving votes. Good thing the coaches just try and copy the AP each week.
Before this week, they were the highest rated team in the RPI not to be ranked (RPI rank 10). They are now one of five teams with 15 victories. According to the RP!, they have played the 37th toughest schedule, and have some impressive road wins.
Of course, a lot has already been written about the incredible win on Saturday night at Washington. This was a game for the ages. There have been some incredible games in the past - some say the five overtime games against Oregon in 1977 was the best one ever. However, I think that this game could be elevated over time as a turning point for the Bears, and I mean the whole program.
In 1986, we had a new coach (Lou C), a great player (Kevin Johnson), and a vow from the coach that we would beat UCLA. He had not known that we had not beaten them in something like 52 straight tries, spanning 27 years.
For those of you who were students then, you remember bursting into the game (the ticket takers didn't even try to punch your AP card) and screaming your lungs out as the Bears dropped a fairly mediocre UCLA team. It was that burden that was lifted from the program, that got the Bears moving forward in the late 80's and 90's - under Campinelli, Bozeman and finally Braun - where we finally plateaued after 7 or 8 years. But we were rarely the joke we were in the 60's and 70's and early 80's again. We had started the rise - we built a great court, we played in the tournament on occasion, most of the time we were competing for a tournament slot. In 1990 we were in the NCAA tournament for the first time in 30 years, and were back nine times in the next 18 years.
But this game, I think, will be the turning point, where the Bears are viewed as a true contender. This is a game where, if you can win on the road in a triple overtime while playing poorly against a very good Washington team, and come out with a win, then you start to believe that you can win it all. When you out-rebound a team that leads the nation in rebound ratio, you start to believe that you can win it all. When you can't shoot your three point shot, as the leading three point shooting team in the country, and you still win, you start to believe.
Mike Montgomery came to Cal, and so far has proven that he can coach, and the Bears have proven that they can win. And it seems we are finally at the next level.
So what does that mean for the future? Who knows. But it clearly does mean that there is no point where you can count these Bears out. There is some magic in this team.
Jerry Palm's College RPI site does a projected RPI, and he has us going 28-3 with a final RPI of 14 - which works out to a 4 seed. While the Pac 10 conference RPI this year is a little low (Oregon State is dragging us down) we are 4th overall, ahead of the SEC, Mountain West and Big 12, but behind the Big 10, Big East and ACC.
If the Bears can go to maples this weekend and deal with Stanfurd, look out. This is going to be a tough game - the Cardinal are backed up, with three losses already in the Pac 10 - two this weekend by one point each (although the first, by Arizona State was by 30 points!)
This is the Montgomery homecoming game. I imagine he wants to do well. I also imagine the Trent Johnson's replacement wants to do well. Remember, Stanfurd has a new head coach (or as they call it, the Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball - nice when you can sell EVERYTHING). He is Johnny Dawkins, the assistant from Duke. They started out well, but have lost three of the last four. You can already hear the calls for the Ax swishing away - if Monty can clobber them. T Johnson is doing OK at LSU - 13-3, but lost his last two to Utah (Cal beat) and Alabama.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Rankings, Rankings, Rankings
Final Football Rankings are in - the Bears are 26 in the AP pool, and 25 in the final Coaches poll. That is up about four slots in each. Frankly, less than what I expected, but I am a homer.
Here is what my final football ranking would look like:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Utah
4. Texas
5. Penn State
6. Oklahoma
7. Oregon
8. Oregon State
9. Texas Tech
10. Mississippi
11. Ohio State
12. TCU
13. Alabama
14. California
15. Virginia Tech
16. Georgia Tech
17. Georgia
18. Florida State
19. Boise State
20. Arizona
21. Michigan State
22. Cincinnati
23. West Virginia
24. Oklahoma State
25. Missouri
This was my vote in the CollegeBCS.com vote. Am I a Pac 10 homer? Perhaps. But here is my thinking:
First, the top five. I think USC looked better in the Rose Bowl than any other team. They played a very good Penn State team, and had thier way with them. Penn State, I think, could have beaten Texas or Oklahoma.
In the bowls, I think once again the Big 12 was exposed. They played no one all season, and then they play competition with defense and they get crushed. Texas won, so they got the highest ranking, But if they had played Florida, they may have lost as well. As far as it goes for Utah, I really think they are a top 10 team, but not a top five team. But they won all their games, and beat an overrated Alabama team in the Sugar Bowl. So they deserve a number 2 ranking. I do think that they are really in the class of Oregon, Oregon State, and Cal. Not in the class of Florida or USC.
At the end of the year, I think Oregon was playing superbly. Oregon State I gave a high ranking because they lost the Roger's boys, and they still thumped Oklahoma State.
I think the difference between number 9 Texas Tech and number 19 Boise State is nothing. Any of those could be interchanged. However, I did what I did based on the won loss record and the total number of top 25 wins. And then I adjusted based on my opinion. So there.
As far as it goes, I think my poll does diverge from the AP and others based on the fact that I actually watch west coast games, as well as east coast games. So I did include west coast teams in my poll.
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I do want to say about the AP poll: there are nine 4 loss teams ahead of Cal, and 5 three loss teams ahead of Cal. Of those teams, 5 had the same wins against top 25 oposition (one of which was Oregon, who we beat). There were three who had one win against top 25 opposition, and 6 who had NO wins against top 25 opposition. But the Bears were ranked behind all of them. It is a joke.
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At least the Men's hoop team is getting some love finally. We are not ranked yet, but will be after this weekend. Right now, the Bears are ranked number 10 in the RPI, and will improve with a road victory today against Washington. There are only 7 teams with as many victories as the Bears, and only one team with more - 15-0 Clemson. The Bears are tied with 6 other teams with 14 wins. Before the season, I predicted 18 wins would get us into the tournament. I think at this point, even though we are still early in the season, we are playing for seeding. The Bears could come back from next weeks road trip 5-0 in the Pac 10, after bearing Washington and Stanfurd on the Road. I could easily see us beating the Oregon Schools at home the week after, and go to LA 7-0 in the Pac 10. Granted, if we lost the last 11 games of our season, we may not make it. But there is a very real chance of finishing the first half of the season 7-2 or 8-1 in Pac 10 play. And that is the tough half of the conference season. This year, we get more teams at home in the second half.
I was nervous going into the Washington State game. I was concerned because that is a tough place to play, and they have a good team. But the Bears handled themselves well. It seems like they have a good head on, and are committed to playing to their potential. That has not been the case in a long time.
It used to be that we would wins many games because we were simply better, and some games that we should not because we got hot. But inevitably we would lose some games because we just had a brain cramp. These Bears seem to have a mental toughness that has been lacking in these parts for as long as I can remember.
It's nice to see.
GO BEARS!!
Here is what my final football ranking would look like:
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Utah
4. Texas
5. Penn State
6. Oklahoma
7. Oregon
8. Oregon State
9. Texas Tech
10. Mississippi
11. Ohio State
12. TCU
13. Alabama
14. California
15. Virginia Tech
16. Georgia Tech
17. Georgia
18. Florida State
19. Boise State
20. Arizona
21. Michigan State
22. Cincinnati
23. West Virginia
24. Oklahoma State
25. Missouri
This was my vote in the CollegeBCS.com vote. Am I a Pac 10 homer? Perhaps. But here is my thinking:
First, the top five. I think USC looked better in the Rose Bowl than any other team. They played a very good Penn State team, and had thier way with them. Penn State, I think, could have beaten Texas or Oklahoma.
In the bowls, I think once again the Big 12 was exposed. They played no one all season, and then they play competition with defense and they get crushed. Texas won, so they got the highest ranking, But if they had played Florida, they may have lost as well. As far as it goes for Utah, I really think they are a top 10 team, but not a top five team. But they won all their games, and beat an overrated Alabama team in the Sugar Bowl. So they deserve a number 2 ranking. I do think that they are really in the class of Oregon, Oregon State, and Cal. Not in the class of Florida or USC.
At the end of the year, I think Oregon was playing superbly. Oregon State I gave a high ranking because they lost the Roger's boys, and they still thumped Oklahoma State.
I think the difference between number 9 Texas Tech and number 19 Boise State is nothing. Any of those could be interchanged. However, I did what I did based on the won loss record and the total number of top 25 wins. And then I adjusted based on my opinion. So there.
As far as it goes, I think my poll does diverge from the AP and others based on the fact that I actually watch west coast games, as well as east coast games. So I did include west coast teams in my poll.
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I do want to say about the AP poll: there are nine 4 loss teams ahead of Cal, and 5 three loss teams ahead of Cal. Of those teams, 5 had the same wins against top 25 oposition (one of which was Oregon, who we beat). There were three who had one win against top 25 opposition, and 6 who had NO wins against top 25 opposition. But the Bears were ranked behind all of them. It is a joke.
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At least the Men's hoop team is getting some love finally. We are not ranked yet, but will be after this weekend. Right now, the Bears are ranked number 10 in the RPI, and will improve with a road victory today against Washington. There are only 7 teams with as many victories as the Bears, and only one team with more - 15-0 Clemson. The Bears are tied with 6 other teams with 14 wins. Before the season, I predicted 18 wins would get us into the tournament. I think at this point, even though we are still early in the season, we are playing for seeding. The Bears could come back from next weeks road trip 5-0 in the Pac 10, after bearing Washington and Stanfurd on the Road. I could easily see us beating the Oregon Schools at home the week after, and go to LA 7-0 in the Pac 10. Granted, if we lost the last 11 games of our season, we may not make it. But there is a very real chance of finishing the first half of the season 7-2 or 8-1 in Pac 10 play. And that is the tough half of the conference season. This year, we get more teams at home in the second half.
I was nervous going into the Washington State game. I was concerned because that is a tough place to play, and they have a good team. But the Bears handled themselves well. It seems like they have a good head on, and are committed to playing to their potential. That has not been the case in a long time.
It used to be that we would wins many games because we were simply better, and some games that we should not because we got hot. But inevitably we would lose some games because we just had a brain cramp. These Bears seem to have a mental toughness that has been lacking in these parts for as long as I can remember.
It's nice to see.
GO BEARS!!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Bears Winning Week
While I have not posted as much as I would have liked to over the past weeks, it seems clear to me that the Cal Bears athletic programs are at a point not seen in 50 years.
The Bears hoops team is on the rise, and if we can get though this weekend undefeated in conference play against beatable but tough Washington teams, the Bears will be in the top 25 in both polls, and probably the top 10 in the RPI (currently 14th).
The Football team will also finish in the top 25, I predict, after the final polls are taken, having gone 9-4 in a rebuilding year, with a bowl victory over a big name, Miami (even though Miami is down).
Football recruiting is cruising along, plugging in what seems like all of the gaps to make the Bears a strong contender for the conference title next season, with what I think is a pretty good schedule to make it. Maryland at home, USC at home, Oregon State at home, and Arizona at home. The only issue is Oregon away, and I think we can take those guys (particularly since the entire Oregon football staff seems to be falling apart).
The Women's basketball team is fighting to maintain perennial top 10 status, becoming a national fixture in recruiting.
Water polo, Women's Volley Ball, Crew, Rugby, Softball, are at the top of the nation in each sport year after year. Baseball, Men's and women's soccer and Gymnastics are almost there. Same with Field hockey, Tennis, and Golf.
So, in almost all major sporting endeavors, the Bears are at the top of the nation, or in the top 25. In fact, Track and Field is the only sport where there is much room for improvement is track and field, where the addition of Jahvid best and Shane Vareen would improve the team considerably.
The Student Athlete High Performance Center is going up,which will not be just a gym, but a fully integrated physical, nutritional and emotional / psychological training facility - the first of it's kind in the US for college athletics. It will bring state of the art training and conditioning to a whole range of athletes at Cal.
The funding for the University Athletic programs are in place, which essentially means that Football is stabilized. Jeff Tedford just signed a long term contract extension - he is here until 2015. He also has put in place at Cal a deferred compensation plan which means to me that he does really want to stay until retirement, because that is not the kind of plan you use to defer comp when there is no expectation that you are going to be staying. He has said that Berkeley is his home, and he has turned down other colleges, as well as the NFL. In fact, I could see him here for another 20 years, bring Cal multiple BCS games and perhaps a few national championships. Recruiting is actually picking up, I think, for the Bears. There are few institutions that offer what Cal can - world leading education, as well as top level athletics, in a top living destination. I would count on one hand the number of Universities that can offer that - maybe Texas. UCLA if it had a decent football team and not a scumbag coach. USC if it actually offered academics. Michigan and Ohio State if they were in a nice part of the world. Stanford if they had a football team.
Football drives the funding, and the new sales process for the seat plan will definitely put the cash in the Athletic Department's pocket. And we have confidence that we can build it all because we have a good team, which will be a great team, and will continue to drive the success of the other programs at Cal.
I see a time in the not too distant future where Cal wins the Sears cup year after year - even though we do not count crap like fencing. The Bears will win multiple National Championships, and will be a strong contender in every sport. It all comes down to the money that football raises, and the investment in the right talent in coaching. And because of the investment in Jeff Tedford, the Cal football cash cow will soon drive all of the athletic programs to the top of the charts.
What does that mean to the University? Frankly, it means that when all of the sports are endowed with a quarter billion dollars, the athletic department will be on solid ground. That athletics will start to support educational missions, rather than the University funds supporting athletics. That more and more donors will be putting funds in both the school and athletics, since success breeds familiarity, and in fundraising, that breeds cash.
What Sandy Barour has done to set the table for the Bears over the next decades has been tremendous. She deserves every bit of praise that she gets. These past few years have been years of great growth and success and it will only grow from here.
GO BEARS!!
The Bears hoops team is on the rise, and if we can get though this weekend undefeated in conference play against beatable but tough Washington teams, the Bears will be in the top 25 in both polls, and probably the top 10 in the RPI (currently 14th).
The Football team will also finish in the top 25, I predict, after the final polls are taken, having gone 9-4 in a rebuilding year, with a bowl victory over a big name, Miami (even though Miami is down).
Football recruiting is cruising along, plugging in what seems like all of the gaps to make the Bears a strong contender for the conference title next season, with what I think is a pretty good schedule to make it. Maryland at home, USC at home, Oregon State at home, and Arizona at home. The only issue is Oregon away, and I think we can take those guys (particularly since the entire Oregon football staff seems to be falling apart).
The Women's basketball team is fighting to maintain perennial top 10 status, becoming a national fixture in recruiting.
Water polo, Women's Volley Ball, Crew, Rugby, Softball, are at the top of the nation in each sport year after year. Baseball, Men's and women's soccer and Gymnastics are almost there. Same with Field hockey, Tennis, and Golf.
So, in almost all major sporting endeavors, the Bears are at the top of the nation, or in the top 25. In fact, Track and Field is the only sport where there is much room for improvement is track and field, where the addition of Jahvid best and Shane Vareen would improve the team considerably.
The Student Athlete High Performance Center is going up,which will not be just a gym, but a fully integrated physical, nutritional and emotional / psychological training facility - the first of it's kind in the US for college athletics. It will bring state of the art training and conditioning to a whole range of athletes at Cal.
The funding for the University Athletic programs are in place, which essentially means that Football is stabilized. Jeff Tedford just signed a long term contract extension - he is here until 2015. He also has put in place at Cal a deferred compensation plan which means to me that he does really want to stay until retirement, because that is not the kind of plan you use to defer comp when there is no expectation that you are going to be staying. He has said that Berkeley is his home, and he has turned down other colleges, as well as the NFL. In fact, I could see him here for another 20 years, bring Cal multiple BCS games and perhaps a few national championships. Recruiting is actually picking up, I think, for the Bears. There are few institutions that offer what Cal can - world leading education, as well as top level athletics, in a top living destination. I would count on one hand the number of Universities that can offer that - maybe Texas. UCLA if it had a decent football team and not a scumbag coach. USC if it actually offered academics. Michigan and Ohio State if they were in a nice part of the world. Stanford if they had a football team.
Football drives the funding, and the new sales process for the seat plan will definitely put the cash in the Athletic Department's pocket. And we have confidence that we can build it all because we have a good team, which will be a great team, and will continue to drive the success of the other programs at Cal.
I see a time in the not too distant future where Cal wins the Sears cup year after year - even though we do not count crap like fencing. The Bears will win multiple National Championships, and will be a strong contender in every sport. It all comes down to the money that football raises, and the investment in the right talent in coaching. And because of the investment in Jeff Tedford, the Cal football cash cow will soon drive all of the athletic programs to the top of the charts.
What does that mean to the University? Frankly, it means that when all of the sports are endowed with a quarter billion dollars, the athletic department will be on solid ground. That athletics will start to support educational missions, rather than the University funds supporting athletics. That more and more donors will be putting funds in both the school and athletics, since success breeds familiarity, and in fundraising, that breeds cash.
What Sandy Barour has done to set the table for the Bears over the next decades has been tremendous. She deserves every bit of praise that she gets. These past few years have been years of great growth and success and it will only grow from here.
GO BEARS!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Cal Hoops starts Pac 10 Play
Cal basketball is starting Pac 10 play with the highest position in terms of RPI since I have been watching the Bears. We currently are at 27 (down from 13 last week after playing home games against three lowly ranked teams). But still - 27 going into the conference and at 11-2. We could lose 11 pac 10 games and still get into the tournament, depending on the home and away split. We are also liked by Sagarin, which currently has us at number 33 in his most accurate rating system. So we are solidly in the hunt as a decent team.
Other news - the Bears lead THE NATION in three point shooting. We have become a great shooting team. Wow - when did this all happen. Oregon won a few years ago with fantastic guard play and terrible inside game. i think we could be like they were this year. They have to come out to guard us, and it opens up a bit more inside.
So, this is exciting for the Bears hoops team after half a decade of progressively getting worse, and hoping that the turn-around is right around the corner. I still feel that there is quite a bit of work to be done on our hoops program - we need five years of tournament play to move up to the level where we are getting guys consistently wanting to play for us, staying home in the Bay Area, and getting some international guys. We can not afford to continue to hope we get some diamonds in the rough. Our recruiting needs to be more consistently good. We have a great story to tell academically, with our facilities, as well as with our culture as a university. We need to continue to win to make it all hang together, and become a powerhouse. I believe that it is going to come in football, and I think it can come in basketball as well. If we can get five good years from Monty, then I think we are good.
GO BEARS!!
Other news - the Bears lead THE NATION in three point shooting. We have become a great shooting team. Wow - when did this all happen. Oregon won a few years ago with fantastic guard play and terrible inside game. i think we could be like they were this year. They have to come out to guard us, and it opens up a bit more inside.
So, this is exciting for the Bears hoops team after half a decade of progressively getting worse, and hoping that the turn-around is right around the corner. I still feel that there is quite a bit of work to be done on our hoops program - we need five years of tournament play to move up to the level where we are getting guys consistently wanting to play for us, staying home in the Bay Area, and getting some international guys. We can not afford to continue to hope we get some diamonds in the rough. Our recruiting needs to be more consistently good. We have a great story to tell academically, with our facilities, as well as with our culture as a university. We need to continue to win to make it all hang together, and become a powerhouse. I believe that it is going to come in football, and I think it can come in basketball as well. If we can get five good years from Monty, then I think we are good.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Style Points
A lot of folks on the message boards are hyped up about how the game against the Hurricanes was not pretty - the passing stunk, the Bears should have run Miami into the ground, etc... I think the point is, the last game of the season style points do not matter. 9-4 is 9-4 - we won the bowl game. There is no other game after the Bowl. If we lost, I could be pissed, since we should have won. But winning dominantly in a crappy mid-tier bowl game is not going to do anything for anyone.
At the end of the bowl season, folks are going to look at Cal and say - hey they beat Miami by 7 - just like the spread said. Good for them - they are a top 25 - 30 team at 9-4. Which is what we are.
Was anyone really surprised that our passing game was not our strength? Is there really outrage about that? Can anyone really come up with more vitrol about Nate Longshore? We had an inadequate passing game all season long, with either Nate or Kevin at the helm. What was two weeks of extra practice going to change? We still had the same QBs - one apparently injured - who were throwing the passes. I was excited as heck that Best was kicking butt and taking the game onto his shoulders, and the defense did another great job. I was worried about that before the game, as I knew that was the only way we were going to win. So what if our passing game sucked again. I expected it. To expect otherwise is simply silly, and to complain again about what is the same, week in and week out is kind of boring.
The amazing thing is that we are 9-4 with the worst passing season since 2000, and injuries to both our first and second string QB at some point during the season. rushed for 188 yards per game and passed for 189 yards per game. Remarkably balanced and decent stats at the end of the year. But, unfortunately, some do not like to see the sausage being made.
Our offense this year was not pretty most of the time. But we got the job done enough in this rebuilding year to make a strong showing, and to get guys experience who needed it. We developed a tremendous defensive philosophy which I think will make the Bears a place to play for skilled defensive players. We also developed experience where we desperately needed it this season - throughout the entire offense. We needed players on the line, at wide-receiver, as well as a more experience for our running backs as well as our QBs. And we got it. We are going to be a much better team next year, even with 5 starters lost to graduation.
The nice thing is, many of those starters will earn a spot on an NFL team. As have most of the Bears recently who have gone through the system, and who have started for us on a consistent basis. We are now a feeder team for the NFL. Last year, we had 7 guys drafted. This year, probably 4 or 5. Next year, the same, I could see the same, depending on who comes out early, if anyone. If you average 5 per year, that means that 20 to 25% of your players will be playing in the pros. And that generates interest. And that generates excitement, which generates talent.
The last 4 years, since Aaron Rogers left, Nate Longshore has been the starter (except when he has been injured, or this year on again / off again). This is the Nate Longshore era. And, you live and die by your QB. During that time, Cal won 34 games, and lost 17. During that time, we won our first Pac 10 Championship - shared with USC - since 1975. During that time, Cal won 4 bowl games. During that time, Nate Longshore started 30 games and won 20 of them for the Bears. The rest of the victories have been by backup QB Riley, Ayoob and Levy, who went a combined 14-7. In other words, no real difference.
As a comparison to Aaron Rogers - he was 17 -5 in his Cal career as a starter.
In other words, if we had Aaron Rogers, we would have won exactly 1.3 more games. I can see that.
Let's face it - Cal has had a great run over the last 7 years with Jeff Tedford at coach.
1) We have been to bowl games 6 years running, and have won 5 of them.
2) Of course - no losing seasons
3) More weeks ranked in the top 25 than in the previous 50 years combined.
4) More players drafted into the NFL than 95% of all other division 1A teams.
5) New football facilities being built
6) New Stadium Retrofit / remodel, to make football and athletics sustainable for the next 50 years at Cal.
7) Consistently top 25 recruiting classes
8) No shenanigans with NCAA violations
9) Improved academic standing for the entire team
10) Improved expectations, to where 9-4 is a disappointing year.
Let's face it - I think we could have easily beaten Maryland this year. I think we should have beaten them, as well as Arizona, and possibly Oregon State. But certainly Maryland. And that would get us to 10 wins. Last year, of course, we should have had 10 wins as well, except for the fateful injury. In fact, we should be coming off 4 years of 10 wins per season. And I do believe that we are going to make that a habit in the future. And if that is the case, then eventually we will be in BCS games, and we will be in the Rose Bowl. We got screwed in 2004 - but that will not happen again - they made an extra spot for us. So the Bears are doing fine.
GO BEARS!!
At the end of the bowl season, folks are going to look at Cal and say - hey they beat Miami by 7 - just like the spread said. Good for them - they are a top 25 - 30 team at 9-4. Which is what we are.
Was anyone really surprised that our passing game was not our strength? Is there really outrage about that? Can anyone really come up with more vitrol about Nate Longshore? We had an inadequate passing game all season long, with either Nate or Kevin at the helm. What was two weeks of extra practice going to change? We still had the same QBs - one apparently injured - who were throwing the passes. I was excited as heck that Best was kicking butt and taking the game onto his shoulders, and the defense did another great job. I was worried about that before the game, as I knew that was the only way we were going to win. So what if our passing game sucked again. I expected it. To expect otherwise is simply silly, and to complain again about what is the same, week in and week out is kind of boring.
The amazing thing is that we are 9-4 with the worst passing season since 2000, and injuries to both our first and second string QB at some point during the season. rushed for 188 yards per game and passed for 189 yards per game. Remarkably balanced and decent stats at the end of the year. But, unfortunately, some do not like to see the sausage being made.
Our offense this year was not pretty most of the time. But we got the job done enough in this rebuilding year to make a strong showing, and to get guys experience who needed it. We developed a tremendous defensive philosophy which I think will make the Bears a place to play for skilled defensive players. We also developed experience where we desperately needed it this season - throughout the entire offense. We needed players on the line, at wide-receiver, as well as a more experience for our running backs as well as our QBs. And we got it. We are going to be a much better team next year, even with 5 starters lost to graduation.
The nice thing is, many of those starters will earn a spot on an NFL team. As have most of the Bears recently who have gone through the system, and who have started for us on a consistent basis. We are now a feeder team for the NFL. Last year, we had 7 guys drafted. This year, probably 4 or 5. Next year, the same, I could see the same, depending on who comes out early, if anyone. If you average 5 per year, that means that 20 to 25% of your players will be playing in the pros. And that generates interest. And that generates excitement, which generates talent.
The last 4 years, since Aaron Rogers left, Nate Longshore has been the starter (except when he has been injured, or this year on again / off again). This is the Nate Longshore era. And, you live and die by your QB. During that time, Cal won 34 games, and lost 17. During that time, we won our first Pac 10 Championship - shared with USC - since 1975. During that time, Cal won 4 bowl games. During that time, Nate Longshore started 30 games and won 20 of them for the Bears. The rest of the victories have been by backup QB Riley, Ayoob and Levy, who went a combined 14-7. In other words, no real difference.
As a comparison to Aaron Rogers - he was 17 -5 in his Cal career as a starter.
In other words, if we had Aaron Rogers, we would have won exactly 1.3 more games. I can see that.
Let's face it - Cal has had a great run over the last 7 years with Jeff Tedford at coach.
1) We have been to bowl games 6 years running, and have won 5 of them.
2) Of course - no losing seasons
3) More weeks ranked in the top 25 than in the previous 50 years combined.
4) More players drafted into the NFL than 95% of all other division 1A teams.
5) New football facilities being built
6) New Stadium Retrofit / remodel, to make football and athletics sustainable for the next 50 years at Cal.
7) Consistently top 25 recruiting classes
8) No shenanigans with NCAA violations
9) Improved academic standing for the entire team
10) Improved expectations, to where 9-4 is a disappointing year.
Let's face it - I think we could have easily beaten Maryland this year. I think we should have beaten them, as well as Arizona, and possibly Oregon State. But certainly Maryland. And that would get us to 10 wins. Last year, of course, we should have had 10 wins as well, except for the fateful injury. In fact, we should be coming off 4 years of 10 wins per season. And I do believe that we are going to make that a habit in the future. And if that is the case, then eventually we will be in BCS games, and we will be in the Rose Bowl. We got screwed in 2004 - but that will not happen again - they made an extra spot for us. So the Bears are doing fine.
GO BEARS!!
Emerald Bowl Win
Well, the Bears defeated the Hurricanes in a dominant display of running and defense, and a truly terrible display of our passing game. Apparently, Kevin Riley was injured and Nate Longshore needed to play the entire game. Normally, I think that it would be fine for Nate to play the whole game. I remember watching Nate and DeSean Jackson after the Holiday Bowl when we defeated Texas A&M in 2006 - Nate was the MVP, and he played great. They were predicting a national championship the next year. And we almost made it - except for those last 6 games.
it is a strange end to a pretty good Cal career. He ends up as 5th on the all time Cal passing list. There are some pretty good players on that list. He has started and won more Cal games than any other QB for the Bears in the last half century. He has been the starting QB for half of Jeff Tedford's tenure at Cal. And that has been a pretty impressive tenure. Tedford and Pete Carroll are the only Pac 10 coaches to not have a losing season at their current schools. Nate - for all the hatred that is thrown his way, is a big part of that.
That being said, he played dreadfully on Friday Night. It was really surprising. I mean, there were plenty of people open who would have made big plays and gotten plenty of receiving yards after catch if Nate could have hit them in stride. In the first quarter, there were three passes that were just horrible.
I understand the desire of JT to have a balanced attack. Generally that works, and it would have worked very well if Nate could hit anyone. But at the end of the day, it was clear that Jahvid Best was the best option, and he should have had at least 35 carries on the night. The Bears would have had at least 400 yards rushing. Anything that the Bears ran outside was at least a 15 yard gain. It was like watching a man amongst kids.
The defense also was dominating. It was fun watching the three and outs, the negative yards for almost the entire first half, the interception, fumble, etc.
But this game did not give us the bounce that I think we needed. The Bears will certainly be taken more seriously next year that this year - Jahvid Best is going to be on everyones radar screen as a Heisman hopeful, and certainly as one of best running backs in the country. Averaging more than 8 yards per carry is pretty good in a single game. Over a season, it is crazy.
At the end of the year, Jahvid Best had 1580 rushing yards - number 5 in the country right now. That was averaging less than 15 carries per game this year. All of the guys currently in front of him in total yardage have at least 80 more carries than he has this year - in other words - about 30% more.
In any event, he is going to be a devastating weapon for the Bears next year. And I am excited about that.
But our offense needs balance, and to that end, the Kevin Riley era needed to begin well in this bowl game. It would have been nice to bring positive momentum into the offseason for Kevin, and it would have been nice for him to have gotten in synch with the receivers a little bit. I think it will happen, but it would have been a bigger media splash if he came out, had a huge game, and we destroyed the U. Instead, we barely win on a defensive play (not that it ever seemed to me that the game was in doubt) and the Bears go into the offseason worrying about the QB position again.
Oh well. At least we know one QB who has been eliminated.
GO BEARS!!
it is a strange end to a pretty good Cal career. He ends up as 5th on the all time Cal passing list. There are some pretty good players on that list. He has started and won more Cal games than any other QB for the Bears in the last half century. He has been the starting QB for half of Jeff Tedford's tenure at Cal. And that has been a pretty impressive tenure. Tedford and Pete Carroll are the only Pac 10 coaches to not have a losing season at their current schools. Nate - for all the hatred that is thrown his way, is a big part of that.
That being said, he played dreadfully on Friday Night. It was really surprising. I mean, there were plenty of people open who would have made big plays and gotten plenty of receiving yards after catch if Nate could have hit them in stride. In the first quarter, there were three passes that were just horrible.
I understand the desire of JT to have a balanced attack. Generally that works, and it would have worked very well if Nate could hit anyone. But at the end of the day, it was clear that Jahvid Best was the best option, and he should have had at least 35 carries on the night. The Bears would have had at least 400 yards rushing. Anything that the Bears ran outside was at least a 15 yard gain. It was like watching a man amongst kids.
The defense also was dominating. It was fun watching the three and outs, the negative yards for almost the entire first half, the interception, fumble, etc.
But this game did not give us the bounce that I think we needed. The Bears will certainly be taken more seriously next year that this year - Jahvid Best is going to be on everyones radar screen as a Heisman hopeful, and certainly as one of best running backs in the country. Averaging more than 8 yards per carry is pretty good in a single game. Over a season, it is crazy.
At the end of the year, Jahvid Best had 1580 rushing yards - number 5 in the country right now. That was averaging less than 15 carries per game this year. All of the guys currently in front of him in total yardage have at least 80 more carries than he has this year - in other words - about 30% more.
In any event, he is going to be a devastating weapon for the Bears next year. And I am excited about that.
But our offense needs balance, and to that end, the Kevin Riley era needed to begin well in this bowl game. It would have been nice to bring positive momentum into the offseason for Kevin, and it would have been nice for him to have gotten in synch with the receivers a little bit. I think it will happen, but it would have been a bigger media splash if he came out, had a huge game, and we destroyed the U. Instead, we barely win on a defensive play (not that it ever seemed to me that the game was in doubt) and the Bears go into the offseason worrying about the QB position again.
Oh well. At least we know one QB who has been eliminated.
GO BEARS!!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Bears Hoops wins a big one
Cal wins a big one last night against Nevada, and so goes to number 10 in the RPI rankings. This is huge. While we all talk about the bears weak out of conference schedules over the last few years, and event today, it does not seem like we are going up against the big guys. But the Bears currently have played the 9th toughest schedule, and are 8-2 against it.
Granted, we lost the two toughest games that we scheduled - Florida State and Missouri. But both of those guys are in the top of the RPI rankings. And we beat Utah, which is number 32, and 10-2 UNLV, which is highly ranked.
When it comes to the Pac 10 tournament season, it looks more and more likely that the league is not up to what it was last year, and the Bears have a decent shot at getting through it in pretty good shape. We clearly have holes in our game, but when your guys can shoot, it make a big difference. Opponents have to change their defense, and come out of their comfort zones. This is the first year in a while when Cal seems to have shooters and a point guard who can also shoot. If we had a dominating big man or two this would be a great team.
The nicest part of the schedule so far, which has really helped us in the RPI rankings, is that many of our games have been on the road or at least in neutral territory. The Global Sports Classic was a great Tournament for the Bears since 1) it gave a huge PRI boost getting to the finals, and 2) it gave the team the idea that it could play in a tournament scenario and do well. Also, going on the road to play Missouri (a loss - so only count's a little against us) and Utah - a win, so it counts as 1.4 wins) is great. If you are going to play decent teams - do it at their house. That way, if you lose the loss is not that bad, and if you win it is a huge boost. And the tournament committee looks at your OOC record in a HUGE way. These games are going to help the Bears later on.
Anyway, I think that this is the best that the Bears could have hoped for going into the season. Our next few games at home - the Golden Bear Classic and the game against Colgate - need to be wins since they are all teams that the Bears should win. If Monty can get us through the OOC schedule without the traditional loss to the crappy team that kills our post-season hopes, then he will have earned a major portion of his salary and reputation. This is why we got him and got rid of Braun. Losses to DePaul (2 times) and Eastern Michigan, and San Diego and San Diego State kept us out the the tournament three times over the last five years.
IF the Bears go into the season with 11 wins already, they need to win 9 in season for a decent tournament seed (7 or higher) and 8 to get in. But this year, I think the Bears could surprise some folks, and make it a 12 win Pac 10 season. And that would give us a 5 seed or better.
Anyway, lots still left to play with this team. Let's hope we can keep it together.
GO BEARS!!
Granted, we lost the two toughest games that we scheduled - Florida State and Missouri. But both of those guys are in the top of the RPI rankings. And we beat Utah, which is number 32, and 10-2 UNLV, which is highly ranked.
When it comes to the Pac 10 tournament season, it looks more and more likely that the league is not up to what it was last year, and the Bears have a decent shot at getting through it in pretty good shape. We clearly have holes in our game, but when your guys can shoot, it make a big difference. Opponents have to change their defense, and come out of their comfort zones. This is the first year in a while when Cal seems to have shooters and a point guard who can also shoot. If we had a dominating big man or two this would be a great team.
The nicest part of the schedule so far, which has really helped us in the RPI rankings, is that many of our games have been on the road or at least in neutral territory. The Global Sports Classic was a great Tournament for the Bears since 1) it gave a huge PRI boost getting to the finals, and 2) it gave the team the idea that it could play in a tournament scenario and do well. Also, going on the road to play Missouri (a loss - so only count's a little against us) and Utah - a win, so it counts as 1.4 wins) is great. If you are going to play decent teams - do it at their house. That way, if you lose the loss is not that bad, and if you win it is a huge boost. And the tournament committee looks at your OOC record in a HUGE way. These games are going to help the Bears later on.
Anyway, I think that this is the best that the Bears could have hoped for going into the season. Our next few games at home - the Golden Bear Classic and the game against Colgate - need to be wins since they are all teams that the Bears should win. If Monty can get us through the OOC schedule without the traditional loss to the crappy team that kills our post-season hopes, then he will have earned a major portion of his salary and reputation. This is why we got him and got rid of Braun. Losses to DePaul (2 times) and Eastern Michigan, and San Diego and San Diego State kept us out the the tournament three times over the last five years.
IF the Bears go into the season with 11 wins already, they need to win 9 in season for a decent tournament seed (7 or higher) and 8 to get in. But this year, I think the Bears could surprise some folks, and make it a 12 win Pac 10 season. And that would give us a 5 seed or better.
Anyway, lots still left to play with this team. Let's hope we can keep it together.
GO BEARS!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Updates
The Bears got some bad news, I think, when offensive line coach Jim Michalczik decided to go to Washington and be the offensive coordinator for the Huskies. Coach M is a great offensive line coach, and is a tremendous developer of line talent.
On the one hand, he has been with the Bears for 7 years, and sometimes that gets stale. But I think the bigger reason is that he was the offensive coordinator last year, and essentially was demoted this year to co-offensive coordinator, after the implosion last year.
If you remember, last year was the year when Coach Tedford decided to call plays. It did not work out so well. But the Bears did have a pretty good offense last year (certainly better than this year under new offensive coordinator Cignetti).
Now, when I say demoted, I am sure that it was not a real demotion - because in fact, initially, it was not a real promotion. He was not making, for example, the type of coin that Defensive Coordinator Gregory is making - about 30% more than Coach M. He did not have total responsibility for that side of the ball, as that was mostly Tedford's side of things. And, Tedford did spend a good deal of time there, considering that he decided after the season that he was not doing enough of a good job managing the team. And so when he went to get an offensive coordinator, he did not hire the guy already in the job in name - he went out and got someone who could actually be an offensive coordinator - at least in JT's mind. And Michalczik went back to the line coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Prior to last year, Michalczik was also Assistant Head Coach - which means that you get to do a lot of the crappy administrative things that head coaches have to do - and so he probably learned quite a bit about dealing with the administration, the athletic department, etc.
All of this means is that he though he had some upward mobility as a Bear coach, and he found out he did not - they brought in the other guy. But he is so well respected that he deserves a shot at an offensive coordinator spot - you are never going to be a head coach until you are a coordinator. And so, when a slot opened up in Washington (his home state) he grabbed it.
Looking ahead, this is a two step process for Michalczik. First, he is going to learn from Sarkisian the USC method, as well as the BYU method. He already has the Tedford method. And the Tedford method and the USC method are probably not too dissimilar. But the next step for Michalczik is to wait for the coaching opportunity to open up at his alma mater in another year when Paul Wulf gets canned at Washington State.
Unless Sarkisian is a complete idiot (and he did not take the Raider job, so me might not be a complete idiot), then the huskies will do better. And with Locker back, they may do significantly better, and maybe even get to a bowl game. They are not playing Oklahoma and BYU - they will get Idaho, some second tier school, and then maybe even beat a reeling Notre Dame. In any event, the Huskies will win at least 4 games next year. So when Washington State is looking for a alumni connection with some good experience, he will be the guy.
Of course, there is tremendous downside to this move for him as well. He will not be calling the plays, so he still will not get the experience that he needs to be a true offensive coordinator. Also, it is possible that Sarkisian will be a total disaster, and the Huskies go through a second year of crap.
As far as the Bears go, we need to get someone who is really, really good. We have had a huge run of great lines thanks to Michalczik, and we need to have that continue. I am sure there are guys out there. But we need to get someone in who is top-notch in what I consider one of the most critical position coach jobs on a football team. Let's face it - skill guys have it or not. Linemen do not have it - they need to be coached. And a good coach can make all the difference. Maybe that is a little simplistic, but there is a good bit of truth to that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The good news is the exciting world of defensive recruiting. The Bears are lighting it up on that side of the ball recruit wise, with more to come. And that is based solely on our switch to the 3-4 defense, in my opinion. We are getting guys in the mold of Zack Follett, who can come off the edge and get the QB, or are fast enough to drop back and play pass. It is very exciting, and I think the defensive recruiters have done a wonderful job.
This is shaping up to be a tremendous recruiting class for the Bears - filling the spots that we needed on the defense to maintain our momentum, while at the same time watching our offense get a year older and better. We should be much improved next year, and, frankly, I think a top 10 team.
GO BEARS!!
All this
On the one hand, he has been with the Bears for 7 years, and sometimes that gets stale. But I think the bigger reason is that he was the offensive coordinator last year, and essentially was demoted this year to co-offensive coordinator, after the implosion last year.
If you remember, last year was the year when Coach Tedford decided to call plays. It did not work out so well. But the Bears did have a pretty good offense last year (certainly better than this year under new offensive coordinator Cignetti).
Now, when I say demoted, I am sure that it was not a real demotion - because in fact, initially, it was not a real promotion. He was not making, for example, the type of coin that Defensive Coordinator Gregory is making - about 30% more than Coach M. He did not have total responsibility for that side of the ball, as that was mostly Tedford's side of things. And, Tedford did spend a good deal of time there, considering that he decided after the season that he was not doing enough of a good job managing the team. And so when he went to get an offensive coordinator, he did not hire the guy already in the job in name - he went out and got someone who could actually be an offensive coordinator - at least in JT's mind. And Michalczik went back to the line coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Prior to last year, Michalczik was also Assistant Head Coach - which means that you get to do a lot of the crappy administrative things that head coaches have to do - and so he probably learned quite a bit about dealing with the administration, the athletic department, etc.
All of this means is that he though he had some upward mobility as a Bear coach, and he found out he did not - they brought in the other guy. But he is so well respected that he deserves a shot at an offensive coordinator spot - you are never going to be a head coach until you are a coordinator. And so, when a slot opened up in Washington (his home state) he grabbed it.
Looking ahead, this is a two step process for Michalczik. First, he is going to learn from Sarkisian the USC method, as well as the BYU method. He already has the Tedford method. And the Tedford method and the USC method are probably not too dissimilar. But the next step for Michalczik is to wait for the coaching opportunity to open up at his alma mater in another year when Paul Wulf gets canned at Washington State.
Unless Sarkisian is a complete idiot (and he did not take the Raider job, so me might not be a complete idiot), then the huskies will do better. And with Locker back, they may do significantly better, and maybe even get to a bowl game. They are not playing Oklahoma and BYU - they will get Idaho, some second tier school, and then maybe even beat a reeling Notre Dame. In any event, the Huskies will win at least 4 games next year. So when Washington State is looking for a alumni connection with some good experience, he will be the guy.
Of course, there is tremendous downside to this move for him as well. He will not be calling the plays, so he still will not get the experience that he needs to be a true offensive coordinator. Also, it is possible that Sarkisian will be a total disaster, and the Huskies go through a second year of crap.
As far as the Bears go, we need to get someone who is really, really good. We have had a huge run of great lines thanks to Michalczik, and we need to have that continue. I am sure there are guys out there. But we need to get someone in who is top-notch in what I consider one of the most critical position coach jobs on a football team. Let's face it - skill guys have it or not. Linemen do not have it - they need to be coached. And a good coach can make all the difference. Maybe that is a little simplistic, but there is a good bit of truth to that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The good news is the exciting world of defensive recruiting. The Bears are lighting it up on that side of the ball recruit wise, with more to come. And that is based solely on our switch to the 3-4 defense, in my opinion. We are getting guys in the mold of Zack Follett, who can come off the edge and get the QB, or are fast enough to drop back and play pass. It is very exciting, and I think the defensive recruiters have done a wonderful job.
This is shaping up to be a tremendous recruiting class for the Bears - filling the spots that we needed on the defense to maintain our momentum, while at the same time watching our offense get a year older and better. We should be much improved next year, and, frankly, I think a top 10 team.
GO BEARS!!
All this
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Huge win over Utah for Men's Hoops
The Cal men's hoops team beat Utah on the road in a huge win for the program. This is going to be a signature win in the preseason for the Bears. Utah is in the tough Mountain West conference, which currently has an RPI level above the Pac 10.
Cal currently lead the Pac 10 in RP!, at 14, while Stanfurd is number 2 at 34. The Bears at 7-2 (both losses on the road) are strong contenders to come into the Pac 10 leading in the RPI standing. We have some RPI poison to eat with Dartmouth, Colgate and surprisingly Nevada coming to town, all of whom are rated at 200 or higher (Nevada is 200). At the end of the day, however, the Bears will come into the season, assuming they win out the OOC race, below 50 RP!. Which is a very good place to start Pac 10 play.
The only team in the Pac 10 who is truly horrible is Oregon State, where our future president's brother in law is (they are 1-5). I wonder how hard it will be to fire him. Our new assistant, John Jay, must feel at least a little vindicated.
GO BEARS!!
Cal currently lead the Pac 10 in RP!, at 14, while Stanfurd is number 2 at 34. The Bears at 7-2 (both losses on the road) are strong contenders to come into the Pac 10 leading in the RPI standing. We have some RPI poison to eat with Dartmouth, Colgate and surprisingly Nevada coming to town, all of whom are rated at 200 or higher (Nevada is 200). At the end of the day, however, the Bears will come into the season, assuming they win out the OOC race, below 50 RP!. Which is a very good place to start Pac 10 play.
The only team in the Pac 10 who is truly horrible is Oregon State, where our future president's brother in law is (they are 1-5). I wonder how hard it will be to fire him. Our new assistant, John Jay, must feel at least a little vindicated.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, December 8, 2008
Best is the Best
Jahvid Best put the nation on alert for 2009. He is going to have a special year. The difference was, in the last two games he was healthy. And so he rushed for over 500 yards.
At the beginning of the year, he was amazing, but still was getting taken down by less than a full frontal tackle. In other words, he was not breaking tackles, he was simply outrunning folks. The last two games, albeit against lesser opponents, he was breaking tackles, making moves, and dominating the game. Which is nice, since we do not have a passing game at this point.
In other words, we have morphed into Nebraska, era 1993. Great defense, great running game, no passing. I can no remember a season where we have had so many under 150 yard passing efforts.
That being said, we are 8-4, going to play a pretty good Miami team in the Emerald bowl. It should be mostly Bear fans, and the Hurricanes think they are going to sunny California. My, won't they be surprised.
I think the Bears are really doing a good job defensively this year, both from a recruiting standpoint as well as on the field. Our recruiting thus far seems to be targeting the type of linebackers who can really rush - speed guys who hit, a la Zack Follet. It looks like the 3-4 is here to stay, based on the guys we are currently getting in the door. With that being said, and the defensive line and backfield sticking together for another year, we have a great shot at having another great year on that side of the ball.
Offensively, we need to work on our passing game. Our running game will be fine - our line will develop, hopefully with 5 or 6 fewer injuries. But we got a lot of guys time this year. Next year, we should be much better on the line, with Guarrano at center, MSG, Schwartz, maybe Tepper, and Cheadle, Teofilo or someone else slotted in there. All of these guys got some time this year, and will be in the rotation. I am excited about them and I think that it will be a strength of our team over the next two years.
The biggest issue that we may have next year is receivers, although with Calvin back, and more time for the others, I think we will be fine. Langeman will also be back from injury, and I think he will be a revelation. So we have three current starters all back, and two or three others who will go into the rotation. If we can pick up someone else to make an immediate impact, we should be fine. Boateng and Tucker can be all pac 10 if they get it together. Both have the skills, they just need the consistency. And to get the ball on target.
Riley I believe will also be much improved. Next year, he will not be looking over his shoulder, and he will be maturing in other ways. He certainly has the skills to be a great QB. He just needs to get his head together.
I am pretty pumped up about next season. Although we have a tough schedule, I think it will work out. SC is going to be way down next year. This was their year to go. Sarkisian is leaving, so offense is going to be a big deal to them. Someone is going to have to come in and do it Pete Carroll's way, and that is going to leave some bumps in the road. I think as Bear fans, we know how it goes when the offensive coordinator is changed, even with a strong head coach.
Their defense is going to be decimated. And, frankly, their offense is not that good. So we have a great chance next year of taking those guys. Plus, we have them early in the season, so we have the shot at their typical early season screw-up.
Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA will be decent, but we should be able to take them all. And we should never lose to the furd again.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As far as the game on Saturday, it was a little disappointing to see how few actually showed up to give the seniors a send-off. It was nice to see Nate get a big hand. But at the beginning of the game, when they came out, it seemed like there were only about 20K fans there. Pretty sad.
As far as it goes, I think they Bears get a few of the guys playing on Sunday. Mack, Follett are first day picks, and I think Nate actually gets picked in the 6th or 7th round - there are not a lot of great QBs coming out this year. I think Nate is in the top 15 of QBs, and there will be 20 taken. He has the arm strength and size that the NL likes, and he can just say Tedford screwed him over - all the NFL guys will accept that.
The other guys that have a decent shot at getting drafted are Worrell Williams, and Rulon Davis. WIll Ta'ufo'ou, Hicks and maybe Malele and Kane get a shot at a free agent slot.
Nick Sundberg could end up being one of the longest tenured NFL players of the group, going possibly as a long snapper. He is near perfect.
GO BEARS!!
At the beginning of the year, he was amazing, but still was getting taken down by less than a full frontal tackle. In other words, he was not breaking tackles, he was simply outrunning folks. The last two games, albeit against lesser opponents, he was breaking tackles, making moves, and dominating the game. Which is nice, since we do not have a passing game at this point.
In other words, we have morphed into Nebraska, era 1993. Great defense, great running game, no passing. I can no remember a season where we have had so many under 150 yard passing efforts.
That being said, we are 8-4, going to play a pretty good Miami team in the Emerald bowl. It should be mostly Bear fans, and the Hurricanes think they are going to sunny California. My, won't they be surprised.
I think the Bears are really doing a good job defensively this year, both from a recruiting standpoint as well as on the field. Our recruiting thus far seems to be targeting the type of linebackers who can really rush - speed guys who hit, a la Zack Follet. It looks like the 3-4 is here to stay, based on the guys we are currently getting in the door. With that being said, and the defensive line and backfield sticking together for another year, we have a great shot at having another great year on that side of the ball.
Offensively, we need to work on our passing game. Our running game will be fine - our line will develop, hopefully with 5 or 6 fewer injuries. But we got a lot of guys time this year. Next year, we should be much better on the line, with Guarrano at center, MSG, Schwartz, maybe Tepper, and Cheadle, Teofilo or someone else slotted in there. All of these guys got some time this year, and will be in the rotation. I am excited about them and I think that it will be a strength of our team over the next two years.
The biggest issue that we may have next year is receivers, although with Calvin back, and more time for the others, I think we will be fine. Langeman will also be back from injury, and I think he will be a revelation. So we have three current starters all back, and two or three others who will go into the rotation. If we can pick up someone else to make an immediate impact, we should be fine. Boateng and Tucker can be all pac 10 if they get it together. Both have the skills, they just need the consistency. And to get the ball on target.
Riley I believe will also be much improved. Next year, he will not be looking over his shoulder, and he will be maturing in other ways. He certainly has the skills to be a great QB. He just needs to get his head together.
I am pretty pumped up about next season. Although we have a tough schedule, I think it will work out. SC is going to be way down next year. This was their year to go. Sarkisian is leaving, so offense is going to be a big deal to them. Someone is going to have to come in and do it Pete Carroll's way, and that is going to leave some bumps in the road. I think as Bear fans, we know how it goes when the offensive coordinator is changed, even with a strong head coach.
Their defense is going to be decimated. And, frankly, their offense is not that good. So we have a great chance next year of taking those guys. Plus, we have them early in the season, so we have the shot at their typical early season screw-up.
Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA will be decent, but we should be able to take them all. And we should never lose to the furd again.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
As far as the game on Saturday, it was a little disappointing to see how few actually showed up to give the seniors a send-off. It was nice to see Nate get a big hand. But at the beginning of the game, when they came out, it seemed like there were only about 20K fans there. Pretty sad.
As far as it goes, I think they Bears get a few of the guys playing on Sunday. Mack, Follett are first day picks, and I think Nate actually gets picked in the 6th or 7th round - there are not a lot of great QBs coming out this year. I think Nate is in the top 15 of QBs, and there will be 20 taken. He has the arm strength and size that the NL likes, and he can just say Tedford screwed him over - all the NFL guys will accept that.
The other guys that have a decent shot at getting drafted are Worrell Williams, and Rulon Davis. WIll Ta'ufo'ou, Hicks and maybe Malele and Kane get a shot at a free agent slot.
Nick Sundberg could end up being one of the longest tenured NFL players of the group, going possibly as a long snapper. He is near perfect.
GO BEARS!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hoops RPI
I did not want to post too early in the season, for the very reason that I now sadly have to report. Until the game last week against Florida State, Cal was ranked #8 in the RPI, riding a 5-0 record to the finals of the Global Sports Classic championship game. Then, the played Florida State, who was ranked 35 in the RPI, and lost. So the Bears are now down to 33 in the RPI.
Not that this terribly matters this early in the season. However, the next three games for the Bears are critical and will go a long way toward telling us if we have any hope this season, or if it is all a rebuilding year.
The Bears face DePaul (RPI 27) at home, Missouri (RPI 109) and Utah (RPI 4) on the road in the next three games. Then, they come back and play Nevada. It is a tough pre-season schedule - probably one of the toughest since I remember. These are all decent teams who will either make or break our OOC RPI measurement. The good news is losing on the road to Utah or Missouri is not so bad. You only get .6 of a loss on the road. That is why it is critical that the Bears win at home. This game against DePaul is critical, as is the Nevada game and the rest of the home OOC schedule.
If the Bears can come into the season with a top 75 RPI, they should be in good shape to get into the tournament. The Pac 10 is a tough league once again this year, but we should be able to eek out a 500 season, the minimum threshold to get into the tourney. i think Montgomery is showing some coaching skills so far, and it seems like it is translating into winning. If we can shoot like we are, and play tough defense against the speed teams, and hope for the best against the big teams, we may be able to do something.
Anyway, an encouraging beginning of the hoops season. Let's hope it continues on.
GO BEARS!!
Not that this terribly matters this early in the season. However, the next three games for the Bears are critical and will go a long way toward telling us if we have any hope this season, or if it is all a rebuilding year.
The Bears face DePaul (RPI 27) at home, Missouri (RPI 109) and Utah (RPI 4) on the road in the next three games. Then, they come back and play Nevada. It is a tough pre-season schedule - probably one of the toughest since I remember. These are all decent teams who will either make or break our OOC RPI measurement. The good news is losing on the road to Utah or Missouri is not so bad. You only get .6 of a loss on the road. That is why it is critical that the Bears win at home. This game against DePaul is critical, as is the Nevada game and the rest of the home OOC schedule.
If the Bears can come into the season with a top 75 RPI, they should be in good shape to get into the tournament. The Pac 10 is a tough league once again this year, but we should be able to eek out a 500 season, the minimum threshold to get into the tourney. i think Montgomery is showing some coaching skills so far, and it seems like it is translating into winning. If we can shoot like we are, and play tough defense against the speed teams, and hope for the best against the big teams, we may be able to do something.
Anyway, an encouraging beginning of the hoops season. Let's hope it continues on.
GO BEARS!!
Odds and Ends
First - The bears are likely going to the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, to the dismay of the team members and to the excitement of many local fans who can not travel this year due to untold financial hardship. I think it will be good to have a home game - it would be better if the visiting team was someone better than an ACC also-ran. However, Cal already lost to an ACC also-ran this year, so it will be good for redemption in a sense. That is why I am rooting for Boston College, Florida State or Virginia Tech, as opposed to Wake Forest. Maryland lost to all those first teams, and the game would be much higher profile. Beating Wake Forest would be nice but not that much of a boost.
It would also have been nice to go to the Holiday Bowl and play someone like Okie State or Missouri, and see how we measure up.
As far as the team goes, I think it is better that the game is later in the year - more practice time and less need interrupt finals for the practice sessions. At the end of the day, I think the Bears are going to have a good time and kick some butt. All the stuff about staying home is BS - you do not hear USC folks complaining about the Rose Bowl being in their back yard, do you? OK - maybe a bad example.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have some better bowls for the top three or four Pac 10 teams to get sent to. The Emerald is for the 7th place ACC team. We are 4th in the Pac 10. Kinda sucks. The good news is that this year, the entire ACC is tied so it is difficult for them to decide who goes where.
As far as it goes, i was really disappointed that Oregon State lost to Oregon over the weekend. It would have been nice to see one of the 9 dwarfs kick the Toejams out of the Rose. It also would have been nice to split an additional $4.5 million for the conference. The Pac 10 refs should have known this. Oh well. I think this makes the Pac 10 much more likely to win most of the bowl games than if the Beavers went to the Rose. Here is my bowl line up right now for the Pac 10:
Rose - SC vs Penn State (USC wins)
Holiday - Missouri vs Oregon (Missouri)
Sun - West Virginia vs Oregon State (Oregon State)
Vegas - BYU vs Arizona St (BYU)
Emerald - Wake Forest vs Cal (Cal)
Hawaii - Hawaii vs Arizona (Arizona)
I am predicting that AZ state beats Arizona and gets into Bowl contention. If that is the case, both would be 6-6, and eligible for bowls based on the Pac 10 schedule. The Vegas would take whichever one they thought would do better. The Bears would still be sent to the Emerald. Overall, I think the Pac 10 loses two and wins the rest. Although whichever Mountain West team they send to the Vegas Bowl (BYU or TCU) will probably beat whichever Arizona team they send to match up with them. I think the Bears would beat either TCU or BYU, but that will not be the matchup, and the Mountain West will move to 7-1 on the year against the Pac 10. Totally embarrassing - even though they feasted on our weaklings for the most part. Thankfully the Bears kicked the crap out of Colorado State to eliminate the shutout.
As far as it goes, the whole National Championship thing is a debacle. Texas got screwed, which is fine. But the way they did it was stupid. The BCS is an end of the year ranking system, not designed to be used as a tiebreaker in a conference matchup. If a conference wanted to use a computer based system to pick the matchup, they should have developed one, and not been lazy and relied on the BCS. There are lots of tiebreaker formulas floating around out there. The NFL uses a ton of them to get to their playoff picture. So a conference out do the same. but relying on voters who are focused on Ohio State vs Ohio University to vote for who is playing in the Big 12 south championship slot is stupid.
Bottom line - Texas beat both of the teams playing in the championship game (Missouri and Oklahoma). But they were hosed. Tough luck Mack Brown, which is not a bad thing. But this was a terrible process.
As far as it goes, it is also incredible that no one is calling out the SEC this year. They are terrible. Alabama is not a good team. Yet, there they are, playing for the National Championship. i think they beat Florida, who is not that good either. Not that they suck, but they would certainly not be with only one loss playing in the Big 12 south.
I think USC is getting screwed this year, but they could have done something about it. Same with Florida. If Alabama wins, I would think they deserve a shot at the title. But if they lose, I would have Oklahoma and Texas go at it again. That would be a fun game to watch.
Too bad it is not going to happen.
Here are the bowl matchups that I want to see:
Poinsettia - Boise State and TCU - great matchup in a crappy venue. Huge game overshadowing the Oregon / Missouri game a week later in San Diego.
Rose - Good traditional matchup - I think SC gets a decent test but not a real threat. Another slow Big 10 team loses in the Rose.
Sugar - Alabama at Utah - Alabama loses and goes to the Sugar. Florida to the NCG and Utah kicks Alabama's ass. Plus, all the Mormons getting sloshed in New Orleans is fun.
Cotton Bowl - Texas Tech at Mississippi - probably the second best SEC team this year playing a great Texas Tech team. Huston Nutt and Mike Leach can both coach. Great matchup.
Capital One - Michigan State against Georgia. It would be nice to see State beat Georgia since we beat them handily. Georgia is not that good.
Chick-fil-A - Georgia Tech against LSU - nice to see LSU lose another one.
Anyway, some nice matchups coming up in the next month. Should be fun.
GO BEARS!!
It would also have been nice to go to the Holiday Bowl and play someone like Okie State or Missouri, and see how we measure up.
As far as the team goes, I think it is better that the game is later in the year - more practice time and less need interrupt finals for the practice sessions. At the end of the day, I think the Bears are going to have a good time and kick some butt. All the stuff about staying home is BS - you do not hear USC folks complaining about the Rose Bowl being in their back yard, do you? OK - maybe a bad example.
On the other hand, it would be nice to have some better bowls for the top three or four Pac 10 teams to get sent to. The Emerald is for the 7th place ACC team. We are 4th in the Pac 10. Kinda sucks. The good news is that this year, the entire ACC is tied so it is difficult for them to decide who goes where.
As far as it goes, i was really disappointed that Oregon State lost to Oregon over the weekend. It would have been nice to see one of the 9 dwarfs kick the Toejams out of the Rose. It also would have been nice to split an additional $4.5 million for the conference. The Pac 10 refs should have known this. Oh well. I think this makes the Pac 10 much more likely to win most of the bowl games than if the Beavers went to the Rose. Here is my bowl line up right now for the Pac 10:
Rose - SC vs Penn State (USC wins)
Holiday - Missouri vs Oregon (Missouri)
Sun - West Virginia vs Oregon State (Oregon State)
Vegas - BYU vs Arizona St (BYU)
Emerald - Wake Forest vs Cal (Cal)
Hawaii - Hawaii vs Arizona (Arizona)
I am predicting that AZ state beats Arizona and gets into Bowl contention. If that is the case, both would be 6-6, and eligible for bowls based on the Pac 10 schedule. The Vegas would take whichever one they thought would do better. The Bears would still be sent to the Emerald. Overall, I think the Pac 10 loses two and wins the rest. Although whichever Mountain West team they send to the Vegas Bowl (BYU or TCU) will probably beat whichever Arizona team they send to match up with them. I think the Bears would beat either TCU or BYU, but that will not be the matchup, and the Mountain West will move to 7-1 on the year against the Pac 10. Totally embarrassing - even though they feasted on our weaklings for the most part. Thankfully the Bears kicked the crap out of Colorado State to eliminate the shutout.
As far as it goes, the whole National Championship thing is a debacle. Texas got screwed, which is fine. But the way they did it was stupid. The BCS is an end of the year ranking system, not designed to be used as a tiebreaker in a conference matchup. If a conference wanted to use a computer based system to pick the matchup, they should have developed one, and not been lazy and relied on the BCS. There are lots of tiebreaker formulas floating around out there. The NFL uses a ton of them to get to their playoff picture. So a conference out do the same. but relying on voters who are focused on Ohio State vs Ohio University to vote for who is playing in the Big 12 south championship slot is stupid.
Bottom line - Texas beat both of the teams playing in the championship game (Missouri and Oklahoma). But they were hosed. Tough luck Mack Brown, which is not a bad thing. But this was a terrible process.
As far as it goes, it is also incredible that no one is calling out the SEC this year. They are terrible. Alabama is not a good team. Yet, there they are, playing for the National Championship. i think they beat Florida, who is not that good either. Not that they suck, but they would certainly not be with only one loss playing in the Big 12 south.
I think USC is getting screwed this year, but they could have done something about it. Same with Florida. If Alabama wins, I would think they deserve a shot at the title. But if they lose, I would have Oklahoma and Texas go at it again. That would be a fun game to watch.
Too bad it is not going to happen.
Here are the bowl matchups that I want to see:
Poinsettia - Boise State and TCU - great matchup in a crappy venue. Huge game overshadowing the Oregon / Missouri game a week later in San Diego.
Rose - Good traditional matchup - I think SC gets a decent test but not a real threat. Another slow Big 10 team loses in the Rose.
Sugar - Alabama at Utah - Alabama loses and goes to the Sugar. Florida to the NCG and Utah kicks Alabama's ass. Plus, all the Mormons getting sloshed in New Orleans is fun.
Cotton Bowl - Texas Tech at Mississippi - probably the second best SEC team this year playing a great Texas Tech team. Huston Nutt and Mike Leach can both coach. Great matchup.
Capital One - Michigan State against Georgia. It would be nice to see State beat Georgia since we beat them handily. Georgia is not that good.
Chick-fil-A - Georgia Tech against LSU - nice to see LSU lose another one.
Anyway, some nice matchups coming up in the next month. Should be fun.
GO BEARS!!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Bears Dominate the Furd
A big game to end the discussion of who is the better team - the team on the rise, or the stumbling giant. I think that the answer was very clear - the Bears, while not doing all that well this season, are still head and shoulders above most other teams in the Pac 10, the country, and particularly, the Furd.
Stanfurd had to play directionally - they play hard, straight away football. They do not have the skill or speed to adjust to misdirection on either side of the ball, and they were exposed. The Cal team speed was much more than they could deal with. It was only a few plays (thank you, Jahvid Best) that blew the game open, but they were enough.
Even with continued poor QB play (the first INT by KR was terrible - there was a wide open tight end down the middle for a score, and instead thrown into coverage), the Bears were never in risk in this game. The defense is really ending the season on a high note. With Washington coming into town and the Bears re-thinking last years game, it could be a good time to shut out the Huskies and nail shut the Willingham coffin.
The best play of the year was the hitch and pitch (hook and ladder - whatever you want to call it). Awesome. The Bears also had the first reverse for a score since last year's DeSean jackson masterpiece against Colorado State.
And yes, Best was spectacular, with his career best 201 yards rushing, 25 receiving. He is going to be offensive player of the week. More than twice Kevin Riley's offense.
If we can get untracked against Washington, and give Kevin Riley a dose of confidence, then I think we have a chance in the Holiday Bowl against Missouri or Texas Tech, or whoever else the Big 12 sends. The next two weeks is exciting for BCS watchers and bowl prognosticators - it is fun to find out who you will be playing, where, the excitement of making plans for the travel, all that stuff.
Unless you are a Stanfurd fan.
GO BEARS!!
Stanfurd had to play directionally - they play hard, straight away football. They do not have the skill or speed to adjust to misdirection on either side of the ball, and they were exposed. The Cal team speed was much more than they could deal with. It was only a few plays (thank you, Jahvid Best) that blew the game open, but they were enough.
Even with continued poor QB play (the first INT by KR was terrible - there was a wide open tight end down the middle for a score, and instead thrown into coverage), the Bears were never in risk in this game. The defense is really ending the season on a high note. With Washington coming into town and the Bears re-thinking last years game, it could be a good time to shut out the Huskies and nail shut the Willingham coffin.
The best play of the year was the hitch and pitch (hook and ladder - whatever you want to call it). Awesome. The Bears also had the first reverse for a score since last year's DeSean jackson masterpiece against Colorado State.
And yes, Best was spectacular, with his career best 201 yards rushing, 25 receiving. He is going to be offensive player of the week. More than twice Kevin Riley's offense.
If we can get untracked against Washington, and give Kevin Riley a dose of confidence, then I think we have a chance in the Holiday Bowl against Missouri or Texas Tech, or whoever else the Big 12 sends. The next two weeks is exciting for BCS watchers and bowl prognosticators - it is fun to find out who you will be playing, where, the excitement of making plans for the travel, all that stuff.
Unless you are a Stanfurd fan.
GO BEARS!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Big Game
The Big Game is this week, and it really is a big game for many reasons this season. First of all, Stanfurd's bowl hopes are riding on a victory. T So that is a significant reason for the Bears to crush them.
Second, losing two in a row to Stanfurd is a bad thing. Period.
Third, we lost last year to the furd. Need I say more (yes, in fact, that is different from 2).
Fourth - while many on the message boards are actually expressing respect for the 'furd's coach - the man is a buffoon. Just because someone is enthusiastic and gets college football players to play somewhat above their talent level is no reason to give him any credit. The man is an intellectual dwarf.
Fifth - we need to keep those guys down. Far down. We need to never lose to them. It's like playing your little brother in HORSE. You can never lose.
I could go on for hours. The reasons are numerous. The 'furd is against all that is pure and good in the world - they represent the corporatist world view that money solves everything, that life is good in a strip mall, that the market crash is a buying opportunity instead of the end of the world as we know it. They suck, and we need to do something about it. This is the change that is coming, baby, and it is all about the Cal Bears crushing the worthless worms into submission.
You know why you hate SC. They buy success, and they live with the criminals and all that nouveau riche trash comes with. Well, you hate Stanfurd because they were fed success from their mothers bosom - it is old money. They have been raised with one perfectly shined loafer on the escalator to the top floor, while the rest of us had to scrimp and scrape for the table scraps. This is about class. This is about pride. This is about good vs evil. We are a state school, baby, and this is where that matters.
GO BEARS!!
Second, losing two in a row to Stanfurd is a bad thing. Period.
Third, we lost last year to the furd. Need I say more (yes, in fact, that is different from 2).
Fourth - while many on the message boards are actually expressing respect for the 'furd's coach - the man is a buffoon. Just because someone is enthusiastic and gets college football players to play somewhat above their talent level is no reason to give him any credit. The man is an intellectual dwarf.
Fifth - we need to keep those guys down. Far down. We need to never lose to them. It's like playing your little brother in HORSE. You can never lose.
I could go on for hours. The reasons are numerous. The 'furd is against all that is pure and good in the world - they represent the corporatist world view that money solves everything, that life is good in a strip mall, that the market crash is a buying opportunity instead of the end of the world as we know it. They suck, and we need to do something about it. This is the change that is coming, baby, and it is all about the Cal Bears crushing the worthless worms into submission.
You know why you hate SC. They buy success, and they live with the criminals and all that nouveau riche trash comes with. Well, you hate Stanfurd because they were fed success from their mothers bosom - it is old money. They have been raised with one perfectly shined loafer on the escalator to the top floor, while the rest of us had to scrimp and scrape for the table scraps. This is about class. This is about pride. This is about good vs evil. We are a state school, baby, and this is where that matters.
GO BEARS!!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Pac 10 Race
Here are the scenarios for the Pac 10 race:
Controls Destiny: Oregon St
Needs a little help: USC
Needs a lot of help: None
Can get into a tie, but odds are too remote to figure out whether or
not they could win the tiebreaker: Oregon
Eliminated: ASU, UCLA, Wash, WSU, Arizona, Cal, Stanford
Games that matter:
OSU-Arizona
OSU-Oregon
USC-UCLA
Scenarios:
OSU wins both: OSU
OSU loses either (or both), and USC wins: USC
OSU beats Arizona, but loses to Oregon, and USC loses: Three-way
tie between Arizona, Oregon, and USC, which will go to at least the
record against highest position in standings" level, which appears to
be TBD.
OSU beats Oregon, but loses to Arizona, and USC loses: OSU
OSU loses both, and USC loses: USC
The Bowls pick like this this year:
Rose - Champion
Holiday - second pick
Sun - third pick
Emerald - 4th pick
Las Vegas - 5th pick
I do not think that the Pac 10 will even fill the Vegas Bowl.
Here are the scenarios.
Oregon State wins out, SC goes to a BCS as an at large. They possibly could go to the NCG as an at large pick.
Holiday - Bears are third place team, with three conference losses. Arizona and Oregon have 4 losses and the Bears go to Holiday Bowl.
Oregon State loses to Arizona
SC goes to Rose, Oregon State goes to Holiday, Arizona goes to Sun, and Bears go to Emerald.
Oregon State loses to Oregon and beats Arizona
SC goes to Rose, Oregon State goes to Holiday, Arizona still goes to Sun (since they think they will get a better turnout) and the Bears go to Emerald
Oregon State loses to BOTH Arizona and Oregon
SC goes to Rose, Arizona goes to Holiday, Cal goes to Sun and Oregon goes to Emerald, and Oregon State goes to Vegas Bowl.
Guys - here is the big issue. There is only one game left between Stanfurd and a bowl game. I do not want those guys going anywhere. We need to keep them out. That means a big game by the Bears this weekend at home. Domination needs to be the word of the day.
Stanfurd is tough, but the Bears have the players to get it done if they come to play. That is going to be the issue. Coming off a hard road trip, it is time to regroup and win.
I am going on hiatus for a few days, as I am going on a 4 day field trip with my son to pan some gold. I expect to come back rich, and am willing to put all of my newfound wealth into the stadium project if the Bears win out the season. 9-4 is the Oregon State level. There is a big difference between third and 5th in the Pac 10. Coming back with 16 starters next year on the team, ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season, we can to a decent pre-season ranking and a little momentum. But we need to finish strong against the weak part of the schedule.
GO BEARS!!
Controls Destiny: Oregon St
Needs a little help: USC
Needs a lot of help: None
Can get into a tie, but odds are too remote to figure out whether or
not they could win the tiebreaker: Oregon
Eliminated: ASU, UCLA, Wash, WSU, Arizona, Cal, Stanford
Games that matter:
OSU-Arizona
OSU-Oregon
USC-UCLA
Scenarios:
OSU wins both: OSU
OSU loses either (or both), and USC wins: USC
OSU beats Arizona, but loses to Oregon, and USC loses: Three-way
tie between Arizona, Oregon, and USC, which will go to at least the
record against highest position in standings" level, which appears to
be TBD.
OSU beats Oregon, but loses to Arizona, and USC loses: OSU
OSU loses both, and USC loses: USC
The Bowls pick like this this year:
Rose - Champion
Holiday - second pick
Sun - third pick
Emerald - 4th pick
Las Vegas - 5th pick
I do not think that the Pac 10 will even fill the Vegas Bowl.
Here are the scenarios.
Oregon State wins out, SC goes to a BCS as an at large. They possibly could go to the NCG as an at large pick.
Holiday - Bears are third place team, with three conference losses. Arizona and Oregon have 4 losses and the Bears go to Holiday Bowl.
Oregon State loses to Arizona
SC goes to Rose, Oregon State goes to Holiday, Arizona goes to Sun, and Bears go to Emerald.
Oregon State loses to Oregon and beats Arizona
SC goes to Rose, Oregon State goes to Holiday, Arizona still goes to Sun (since they think they will get a better turnout) and the Bears go to Emerald
Oregon State loses to BOTH Arizona and Oregon
SC goes to Rose, Arizona goes to Holiday, Cal goes to Sun and Oregon goes to Emerald, and Oregon State goes to Vegas Bowl.
Guys - here is the big issue. There is only one game left between Stanfurd and a bowl game. I do not want those guys going anywhere. We need to keep them out. That means a big game by the Bears this weekend at home. Domination needs to be the word of the day.
Stanfurd is tough, but the Bears have the players to get it done if they come to play. That is going to be the issue. Coming off a hard road trip, it is time to regroup and win.
I am going on hiatus for a few days, as I am going on a 4 day field trip with my son to pan some gold. I expect to come back rich, and am willing to put all of my newfound wealth into the stadium project if the Bears win out the season. 9-4 is the Oregon State level. There is a big difference between third and 5th in the Pac 10. Coming back with 16 starters next year on the team, ranked in the top 25 at the end of the season, we can to a decent pre-season ranking and a little momentum. But we need to finish strong against the weak part of the schedule.
GO BEARS!!
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