Cal #6 in AP, NC contender

Cal has again leapfrogged a team (Texas, who narrowly escaped UCF of Conference USA) and is now ranked #6 in the Associated Press poll. The Bears remain #8 in the USA Today/Coaches poll but have narrowed the point differential to be only a few points behind #7 Wisconsin and #6 Texas.

Meanwhile, an article in the New York Times has declared an “elite class of teams … that could conceivably win the national title.” This short list of six teams includes Cal:

And behind them, there is apparently a large gap to second-tier teams, which are beating one another to perpetuate the illusion of parity. Four of those six top teams — Southern California, Louisiana State, Oklahoma and Florida — have better chances than the other two — California and West Virginia. But these six teams are so far ahead of the pack that any notion that the championship race is wide open is laughable.

The article lists USC’s “game to watch” is their visit to Cal on November 10, describing it as “the West Coast’s biggest game of the year.” As for Cal:

WHY THEY CAN WIN IT ALL: The Bears have already trounced Tennessee and play top-ranked U.S.C. at home in November. DeSean Jackson is one of the country’s most dynamic players. WHY THEY CAN’T WIN IT ALL: A pass defense ranked No. 78 nationally (241.67 yards a game) and an overall defense ranked No. 69 (371.33) does not bode well for Pacific-10 play. GAME TO WATCH: On Sept. 29 at Oregon. The Ducks have blown out Houston, Michigan and Fresno State.

Oregon game to be televised on ABC

ABC has picked up the broadcast of the Cal-Oregon when Cal travels up to Autzen Stadium to take on the 13th-ranked Ducks. This will be one of the Bears’ most difficult away games of the season, and should be quite an offensive shootout.

Live blogging for LA Tech

Here we go. Let’s hope for no injuries, solid play, and over 50 points on the board for the Bears in a convincing win.

3:34p: That was FAST. A nice fake hand-off between Lavelle Hawkins and Brandon Hampton sets up the Hawk returning over 90 yards for a touchdown on the opening kickoff.

3:39p: The Bears’ defense suffocates the Bulldog’s first offensive drive with a three and out, topped off by a monster sack by DE Cody Jones. Looks like he hit the quarterback so hard that he’s a little dazed himself.

3:45p: Cal’s offense moves the ball but they seem to be struggling to get settled. QB Nate Longshore gets hit and almost loses the ball, with lineman Mike Gibson saving a turnover. A solid punt by P Andrew Larson puts LA Tech in tough field position.

3:50p: Pac-10 refs strike again. A horrible call (confirmed on review somehow) steals a potential turnover when S Tom DeCoud hits an LA Tech receiver and the ball pops out. The announcers: “I don’t know how you can possibly confirm that call.”

3:59p: The offense isn’t clicking.

4:12p: The CLEAR reception by Robert Jordan is taken away by the officials. The announcers agree that the call is totally wrong, and they point out his hands are undeniably under the ball. What is going on here?

4:35p: Cal takes advantage of a nice turnover with Forsett taking the ball in for a touchdown.

4:45p: Nice offensive drive by the Bears. Things are picking up for the offense.

4:54p: CB Brandon Hampton brings in a great interception, setting up a quick drive into the endzone. TE Craig Stevens recovers from dropping a pass and brings in one for a touchdown.

5:40p: The defense allows an LA tech drive for a touchdown, but stops the two-point conversion. As a side note, #11 UCLA just dropped 44-6 to unranked Utah. The day is not shaping up well for the Pac-10.

5:49p: RB Jahvid Best turns on the jets and runs a quick route to pick up a pass for the endzone. He also had a nice looking kickoff return to set up the drive.

6:24p: The pounding continues, and Forsett tacks on another touchdown set up by a nice run by Best.

6:40p: We got a few looks of #2 QB Kevin Riley as the second team offense took the field. It looks like it was a good experience for the backup to get a few game snaps in case he’s needed later in the season.

6:48p: Well, that’s it. Cal looks pretty good with a 42-12 win.

Tomorrow: Louisiana Tech

There’s not much talk about tomorrow’s match up with Louisiana Tech, with Cal favored by more than 33 points over the Bulldogs. If the Bears correct the mistakes of last week’s game, it’s possible that they’ll cover the spread with ease. However, if inconsistencies linger this could be more dangerous than a typical home tune-up game, as LA Tech pushed #20 Hawaii to overtime last Saturday.

The Sports Network: “Bulldogs and Bears battle in Berkeley”

Cal and LaTech have met just one time previously on the gridiron, with the Bulldogs posting a 41-34 victory in Shreveport in 1997. …

Louisiana Tech … gave nationally-ranked Hawaii all that it could handle last weekend, but in the end, the Bulldogs were on the short-end of a 45-44 overtime decision. … In a wild affair, LaTech rolled up 410 yards of total offense against Hawaii last weekend, but … gave up 386 total yards in its opener to UCA, [and] was burnt for 548 yards through the air last weekend. The defense, however, did come up with three big turnovers, giving them nine takeaways this season. Getting to opposing quarterbacks has also been a strength of this unit, which has eight sacks to its credit. …

Cal is clearly the more dangerous team here and it should have no trouble lighting up the scoreboard in front of its home fans and against a much less talented LaTech club. … Predicted Outcome: California 45, Louisiana Tech 16

The News Star (Monroe, LA): “TECH QUICK SLANTS: California”

After facing No. 20 Hawaii last week at home in a Western Athletic Conference season, the Bulldogs open their road slate with a game at No. 8 Cal. And for the second straight week, the Bulldogs will be facing a Heisman Trophy Candidate in Cal wide receiver/return specialist DeSean Jackson.

Jackson has carried the ball three times for 99 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown, caught nine passes for 84 yards with a long of 25 yards and returned three punts for 77 yards, including a 77-yard score.

Tech coach Derek Dooley was an assistant at LSU when he tried to recruit Jackson to go there and said he established a solid relationship with the young standout. “I think the world of DeSean,” … Dooley said he knew immediately that Jackson was a special player. … “Every now and then you get to recruit someone that you just love going to see. DeSean will be a success in whatever he chooses to do after football because he is such a dynamic, likeable guy. … DeSean has a special elusiveness that very few athletes have,” Dooley said.

ESPN: “Cal looks for complete game vs. Louisiana Tech”

After surviving a scare in its most recent victory, California likely won’t take its next nonconference opponent for granted.

The eighth-ranked Golden Bears (2-0) look to win their ninth straight game at Memorial Stadium when they host Louisiana Tech on Saturday. …

“It’s a great lesson for us that the game’s never over,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said. “We put some backup guys in that let some (receivers) get behind them. It’s just a lesson that you have to practice hard every day to be prepared because you never know when your opportunity’s going to come.”

It’s likely Tedford won’t make the same mistake again Saturday if his team opens a big lead against Louisiana Tech (1-1) …

The Daily Cal: “Receivers, Dooley Together Again”

“The first thing I noticed about Cal is what a physical team they are,” Dooley said. “They do a great job running the football.”

The Bears needed all of the yards they could get on the ground, in a 34-28 nail-biter that wideout Lavelle Hawkins said could serve as a wake-up call for the much-hyped Cal team.

“Teams are going to have bad games. I’m glad it happened early instead of late,” Hawkins said. “We don’t want to be on ESPN all week long about a loss like (Michigan’s). That’s all we were thinking about during (Saturday’s) game. Oh my god this is not going to happen to us.”

Louisiana Tech is no stranger to big games. … Indeed, their nonconference slate may be the most difficult in the nation. “You really have to take it one game at a time, otherwise it would be exhausting,” Dooley said. “The challenge this week is about as big a challenge as going anywhere in the country.”

Excuse Me For My Voice (fellow Cal blog): “Louisiana Tech preview”

Overall, I think the LT offense is potent enough to ensure the final score doesn’t look like a huge blowout unless the Cal offense puts up ridiculously big numbers. While I think this game will be an easy one for Cal, it’ll also look closer on the scoreboard than it should, particularly because of Tedford’s conservative play calling in low-risk games. Expect to see a game similar to Colorado State, minus the end of game secondary breakdowns and the slow start. Also expect to see Tedford take his foot off the accelerator in the mid-3rd quarter once the game is locked up. Cal 35, LT 17

The law in the restraining order ruling

(Note: I am a second year law student. By no means am I saying that I am a full expert on the law or that I am completely accurate. It means that I know some about the law, and that I have studied injunctions and restraining orders which are along the lines of what Cal has requested against the tree-sitters. This is just my interpretation of the events.)

On Wednesday, a judge denied Cal’s request to remove the tree protesters. What makes this case interesting is that Cal requested quick action, which makes the standards of winning the immediate injunction a bit more difficult for Cal. From what I can gather from the Chronicle article and from the Scout.com article, Cal wanted an immediate injunction because propane tanks have been spotted up in the trees for cooking purposes, and there have been human excrement spills from the trees. This is based off a broader request for an injunction to remove the protesters.

To get an injunction immediately, Cal has to show that its case is much stronger than the protesters’ case. This is determined by comparing four factors on a sliding scale basis. This means that if one factor is very strong, and the other factors are mediocre, the one strong factor will win out. If all are factors not really in favor of either side, then there will probably not be an injunction granted. The factors are:

1. The applicant is likely to be successful on the merits of the case

2. The applicant will suffer irreparable harm without the injunction

3. The harm to the opposing party (protesters) from the injunction is outweighed by the harm to the applicant without the injunction (balancing of the harms)

4. That public interest favors the injunction.

I will try to give my own analysis and then compare against the court’s ruling.

On factor 1, it seems as if Cal has a good chance of winning an injunction based off of the merits of its case. For one, it is clearly Cal property that the protesters are on. Also, there is a health and safety issue involved with with the propane tanks and the human excrement falling from the trees. From my perspective, Cal should have no problem winning the overall injunction and thus are likely to be successful on the merits of its case.

2. This is a weak one for Cal. Cal’s strongest claim that they will suffer irreparable harm is that there will be a fire caused by the propane tanks and that the trees will burn down. However, the likelihood of this seems pretty slim as the protesters clearly want the trees to remain. Plus, Cal does want to remove the trees, so will it really be harm to them if the trees burn down? Kind of… only if there is damage elsewhere.

3. This is the one that probably wins it for the protesters. They have a much greater chance of being harmed by an immediate injunction than does Cal if an injunction if not granted. The protesters currently are living in the trees. Their lives and their possessions are there, and they fear that if they abandon the trees, Cal will immediately cut them down. While I am not saying that I believe that Cal would do so, the protesters do believe it. If the trees are indeed cut down, then the protesters will have lost all that they have been fighting for, hence causing great harm to them. Cal on the other hand, would have the fear of fire in the trees for an extra month. Seems like the protesters clearly win this one.

4. Public interest in this case is pretty split. There is the City of Berkeley and the protester supporters that want the protest to continue in the trees. On the other hand, there is Cal and its students fighting to take the protesters out of the trees… pretty much a wash.

After considering the four different factors, it seems like a close split. Cal clearly wins factor 1, but the protesters clearly win factor 3. The other 2 factors are pretty much neutral. With a pretty even split, the court probably chooses to side on the conservative side and to let the status quo stand.

Hence, though it seems unfair that Cal cannot have court approval to remove the protesters from the trees, it may not be just a bias against Cal; it is probably well-rooted in law. Chances are at the actual trial coming up in October, Cal will win an injunction against protesters and will be able to remove them with full court support. Even now, Cal has the law on its side as the protesters are on Cal property. However, with Cal seeking every peaceful measure involved, it will simply have to wait another month for the court injunction.

The court itself does say that Cal has a decent chance of winning its case. However, it simply did not show enough of a danger from fire or from the human excrement. As a result, the protesters are not removed immediately. Seems spot on to me.

So why does this neutrality tilt towards the protesters? This tilt is to protect their due process rights to be heard. Basically Cal is asking for an injunction against the protesters without their side being fully prepared to argue their case. This would bypass their due process rights. To justify the bypassing of the protesters’ rights, Cal must show an overwhelming case of harm, which it simply does not have.

Injury report for LA tech

RB Justin Forsett and WR Robert Jordan are back in practice at full capacity after spending some time this week wearing non-contact jerseys. In the CSU game, Forsett sat out the fourth quarter with a back stinger, and Jordan was hurt with bruised ribs (thankfully not a kidney as suggested earlier). They should be good to go when the Bears host Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

DT Mika Kane has recovered from the concussion he suffered in the Tennessee game. He’ll be battling for playing time with last week’s substitute starter Cody Jones and Derrick Hill (who snagged an interception against CSU).

Meanwhile, PK Tom Schneider is still out with a pulled quad but Jordan Kay has been filling in for him very nicely. Seeing the kicking game barely miss a beat with Schneider out is a great sign for next year’s field goal unit.

Arizona game televised on VS

Versus has released that it will be televising Arizona’s visit to Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for this revenge game is slated for 3pm.

Versus (formerly the Outdoor Life Network) is available nationally in many cable and satellite packages and the game will be available in HD with some providers. If you’re wondering what they’re doing with Cal’s games (they picked up the Big Game some time ago as well), the network obtained the Pac-10 contract that TBS dropped when it discontinued its lineup of college football games.

Bears move to #8 in polls

With yesterday’s 34-28 victory over Colorado State, Cal rose in the AP and Coaches polls to the #8 spot from #10 last week.

The Bears moved past Virginia Tech (who dropped to 18/17 in the polls after a blowout loss to #2 LSU) and leapfrogged Louisville (who struggled against Middle Tennessee of the Sun Belt conference). It’s questionable whether Cal’s performance against the Rams justified this jump, but we’ll take it. Cal seems to be favored heavily in the media this season, including the polls. Hopefully, the mistakes of yesterday’s game will be a learning experience for the future and the Bears will live up to the praise.

As a side note, the Pac-10 is looking more and more like a power conference this season, with four squads in the top 25 (#1 USC, #8 Cal, #11 UCLA, #19 Oregon) and two more teams receiving substantial votes (Washington and Arizona State).

Today: Colorado State

#10 Cal at Colorado State

Many in the media are warning of the dangers of Colorado State as a “trap game,” but I feel somewhat confident that the Bears will show up today with a dominant win over the Rams. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing some of Cal’s depth of talented backups if they pull out to a big lead and the reserves get on the field.

Here are the media rounds for today’s match-up.

SF Chronicle: “No. 10 Cal faces bear trap at CSU”

During Saturday’s ABC broadcast of Cal’s 45-31 win over Tennessee, [Brent Musburger] called this week’s date at Colorado State a potential “trap game.”

As clear as it was last week that the Bears sought “redemption” against the Vols, it’s just as unmistakable that the Rams seek “respect” this week. The “trap” portion will enter the scenario if Colorado State proves to have the players and coaching to match its goals against the players and coaching that Cal used last week to make its national statement. …

The Rams have 20 returning starters, more than any other team under Lubick, and they played toe-to-toe with Colorado in a 31-28 overtime loss in Week 1.

ESPN: “Top 25 Overview”

After scoring a revenge win at home against Tennessee last week, Cal hits the road to face Colorado State. The Rams, who won the only other meeting between the schools in 2003, look to rebound after a loss to rival Colorado.

AP: “No. 10 Cal intent on avoiding letdown in trip to Colorado State”

Tedford won’t have to go far back in Bears history to find an example of the perils in this trip. Just last season, their eight-game winning streak ended with a loss to lowly Arizona, preventing Cal from winning the Pac-10 outright and making its first Rose Bowl appearance.

That 24-20 defeat occurred one week before Cal’s trip to USC, and some of the Bears acknowledged they might have been looking ahead. Their trip to Colorado State raises the danger of looking behind, but the Bears say they’ll be more careful this time.

Fort Collins Coloradoan: “Rams face tough test against 10th-ranked Bears”

The Rams went to Berkeley, Calif., [a September day in 2003] and put together one of the more memorable wins of the 15-year Sonny Lubick era, rallying for a 23-21 victory. It was the type of win – tough defense, gritty offense, solid special teams – the Rams became known for during the first 10 season’s of Lubick’s tenure. …

CSU, meanwhile, has gone 20-27 since that day. The Rams have gone three consecutive seasons without a winning record and, thanks to a frustrating 31-28 overtime loss last week to the University of Colorado, enter bearing the ever-increasing weight of an eight-game losing streak.

Greely Tribune: “Colorado State vs. Cal key matchups”

[Last week, Caleb] Hanie passed for 229 yards before an interception ended the Rams’ chances in overtime. Kory Sperry was excellent as well, leading the receivers with eight catches — three for touchdowns — and 103 yards. Co-offensive coordinator Dan Hammerschmidt said the Rams also had several near misses on big gains in the passing game. …

[The] Rams’ rushing game showed big improvement, but they would like to see another positive jump. Kyle Bell shouldered the load, taking the ball 40 times for 135 yards. The running game allowed them to hold the ball for more than 37 minutes, and that ball control could be crucial against explosive Cal. …

The Rams expect to be improved on their coverage teams, which allowed Colorado to seize critical field position at the end of the first and second halves. Those long returns allowed the Buffaloes to score field goals with time running out. … The Rams have said they don’t intend to punt to Jackson, but if he gets his hands on a ball, he could have his seventh return for a touchdown in no time at all.

AP: “Grind-it-out Rams hope to slow down speedy California”

“When you have a national championship on your mind, you have to compete and win every week,” Cal safety Brandon Hampton said. “Saturday was great, and we were happy about that, but now we have to prepare for the Rams …. We have a new task at hand.” …

Tedford really doesn’t have to preach to his players about the dangers of overlooking the Rams, who upset Cal 23-21 in their only previous meeting in 2003 on Jeff Babcock’s 32-yard field goal with 1:57 left. … “We’ve already had that talk about what’s going to be the biggest question. I asked everybody on the team, ‘Guys, what do you think the big question is going to be exactly?’ They all said, ‘Letdown.’

“There’s enough leadership that this team understands last week’s over and this is a whole new week. Colorado State is a football team that came here and beat us a few years ago on our home field. So, they’re a good football team and we’re going to have to play our best to be successful.”

DeSean Pac-10 PotW

Despite touching the ball only once on special teams Saturday, DeSean Jackson has received the Pac-10 Player of the Week honor for his special teams play.

Jackson was a key player in Cal’s victory over Tennessee, tallying 143 all-purpose yards on just six touches. His most spectacular play came on his first punt return of the season as he fielded the ball on the near sideline. After dodging a Volunteer gunner, he maneuvered to his right, picked up a pair of crunching blocks and then accelerated. However, as the next Tennessee would-be tackler approached, Jackson stopped on a dime and back-stepped two steps to avoid any contact at all. From there, he had an open line to the end zone for a 77-yard score – his sixth career punt return touchdown (on just 27 returns).

That play was selected as ESPN’s No. 2 play of an exciting opening weekend of college football.

Tennessee’s remaining punts were directed well-away from Jackson.

RB Justin Forsett and LB Zack Follett were also nominated for the award on offense and defense, respectively.