Tomorrow: the Holiday Bowl

vs.

The Holiday Bowl is tomorrow (Thursday), December 28 at 5pm Pacific time on ESPN. This is a big game against a big-time opponent, and hopefully the Bears are ready. On paper, Cal is a more talented team that should have the tangible advantages on the field. However, the Aggies are not a team to be overlooked and it will be a great challenge to defeat them.

I am excited to see how Coach Jeff Tedford has prepared the #20 Bears to face #21 Texas A&M and their option offense with a 275 pound running back. It should be a great match-up to watch but I see the Bears getting it done with a close win. With three (Oregon, ASU, UCLA) out of six Pac-10 teams losing their respective bowl games, it is also imperative for the conference that Cal wins tomorrow.

The Contra Costa Times‘ Jay Heater has some optimistic words about the match-up:

My guess is that Cal’s offense is about to resurface. I think the players are very excited to be facing a traditional college football power and one that just beat Texas. Put DeSean Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in front of the national spotlight, and I would imagine that good things are about to happen. Quarterback Nate Longshore looks confident and happy, and I think he is going to bounce back with a big game.

In a way, the 2006 season is over. This game really is about 2007, even though Cal has some very talented seniors who will be leaving. But this is the lasting image that national press will get of Cal going into next season. Will it be of a team that couldn’t live up to the hype of national title contender, or will it be of a team that fell a little short against USC and went ahead and buried one of the Big 12’s top teams.

Meanwhile, Scouts, Inc.‘s take on the game is similar to predictions posted earlier:

Texas A&M is entering the Holiday Bowl on a high after its win over rival Texas. The Aggies ground game is good enough to chew up the clock and keep Cal’s playmakers on the sideline. A&M does not play very many one-sided games and will present a tough obstacle for a talented Cal team. If the Golden Bears don’t get big plays from their playmakers this game could be the exclamation point on the Aggies fine season. In our opinion, though, the Golden Bears are too balanced and too explosive for the Aggies to keep up in the end. Prediction: Golden Bears 31, Aggies 24

Surprise: Devin Bishop commits to Cal

Cal Football is really becoming a family affair. First Marshawn and his cousins Jordan and Larkins, then the Mixons, and now the Bishops.

Linebacker Devin Bishop, younger brother of linebacker Desmond Bishop (#10), has submitted his letter of intent to Cal in a surprise move on junior college LOI day. He’s transferring from San Francisco City College like Desmond. He’s rated 4 stars by Scout and 3 stars by Rivals.

Devin was previously set on Minnesota, but opted to sign with Cal instead. The 6’2″/225 lb/4.7 forty linebacker should be a good addition to the class and further loads up the linebacker corps for success. With Desmond graduating and heading to the NFL, the Bears should have another Bishop on the field making tackles.

The media on the Holiday Bowl

Opinions are mixed, but everyone says it should be close.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Picks: Texas rolls past Iowa; Cal wins Holiday shootout”

Cal 38, Texas A&M 35: Lots of dangerous skill talent on display in a bowl that always seems to be entertaining. I’m expecting a big show from the tailbacks on both sides, but in the end look for DeSean Jackson to take over.

Scout/CFN: “Mr Pac-10’s Bowl Picks”

This one is a bit tough to pick. While I definitely believe that Cal won’t lay the egg here that they did two years ago, I’m just not sold on them being all that great, especially after three straight lousy performances. A&M seems to be peaking, and while bowl games are always a crapshoot, I think that they’re the slightly better team here. Texas A&M 31, Cal 28

ESPN’s Pat Forde: “Dashing through the bowl season”

The important information: This is an intriguing game between two teams looking for a springboard to a potentially big season in 2007. A&M coach Dennis Franchione got his credibility boost by upsetting Texas to end the regular season. Cal is still looking for one. …

The pick: Cal 30, Texas A&M 26.

USA Today’s Erick Smith: “Weekend Forecast”

This is one of the better non-BCS matchups of the bowl season. Both teams should produce a lot of offense as the Holiday Bowl continues its tradition of entertaining matchups. California 34, Texas A&M 28.

FOXSports/CFN: “Fearless Prediction: Holiday Bowl”

Texas A&M struggled all year against the nastier passing offenses and doesn’t have enough of a pass rush to throw the Bear passing game off, so expect a big day from Longshore. Cal isn’t physical enough to handle the nasty A&M offensive line and the pounding of the ground game, so expect a big day from Lane. When in doubt, go with the better running game. …

Fearless Prediction: Texas A&M 24 … California 23

Two tight ends, Curran and Eselu, commit

Cal has added two quality tight ends to this year’s recruiting class, Skylar Curran out of Butte College in Woodland (CA) and Savai’i Eselu from Moanalua High School in Honolulu.

Curran committed last week as a relative unknown. At 6’5″/240 lbs, he can still run a 4.67 forty and is listed as a 3-star recruit by Scout. As a junior college transfer, he will have the ability to make an immediate impact next season by enrolling in spring with eligibility to play 3 years in 3. Butte is the JC where Cal found other gems like QB Aaron Rodgers and TE Garrett Cross, and hopefully Curran will live up to this great legacy as well.

Eselu committed to Cal this week, switching from an earlier commitment to Oregon in November. He is also rated 3-stars by both Scout and Rivals, and he is 6’4″/245 lbs and runs a 4.9 forty. Eselu is a solid addition to Cal’s blossoming Hawaii-Cal connection. It also appears that he is a very good student, and Cal’s academics played a big role in attracting him to the Bears over Oregon.

Jackson wins Return Man award

WR/PR DeSean Jackson won the 2006 Randy Moss Return Man award for nation’s top returner, the first of its kind. His 18.2 average yards per punt return and 4 returns for touchdowns this season are among the best in the nation.

4-star RB Jahvid Best commits, turning down USC/ND/more

Salesian High (Richmond, CA) star running back Jahvid Best has committed to the 2007 recruiting class, turning down offers from USC, Notre Dame, UCLA, and Oregon to play for the Bears. He is 5’10″/185 and is rated as the #11 prep running back in the nation by Rivals, also taking a place in their prestigious Rivals 100 list. Best is also described as a young man of excellent character to bring to the program.

The most striking thing about Best is his speed… he’s also a track guy who runs a 10.39 100m. That is just stupid fast and you’ll see some guys in the Olympics clock that kind of number. With Best and Shane Vereen committed to this class (also James Montgomery and Tracy Slocum from the 2006 class, aiming to fill the shoes of the current backs), the running back situation looks very bright for many years.

Hughes wins Lott award

Star cornerback Daymeion Hughes has taken home the Lott Award.

California cornerback Daymeion Hughes received the Lott Trophy on Sunday, edging Quinn Pitcock of Ohio State and Paul Posluszny of Penn State for the award honoring on-field performance and personal character among defensive players.

This a great honor, and Hughes is definitely deserving after he was snubbed for the Thorpe Award (the award for the “best defensive back” in the nation). Who knows what happened with that. As ESPN’s Bruce Feldman said:

I vote for the Thorpe and I would’ve voted for Hughes as the winner, but he wasn’t in the three finalists we were asked to vote on a few days ago.

5-star safety Terry Mixon commits

This recruiting weekend was a busy one, as another of Cal’s 18 visiting recruits has committed to this class. Terry Mixon, a 5-star safety out of JC Grossmont in El Cajon (CA), made his verbal commitment over offers from Arizona State, Mississippi, Tennessee, Washington and more. Terry is the brother of cornerback Tim Mixon, who may return for a 6th year after suffering a season-ending injury during fall camp.

Edit for FAQ’s: Terry (6’2″/210) is bigger than Tim (5’10″/184), making him more suitable for big hits than pass coverage. He has eligibility to take 3 years to play 2. Also, Terry initially committed to Arizona State, but opened recruiting back up after their head coach Dirk Koetter was fired for Dennis Erickson.

4-star linebacker D.J. Holt commits

D.J. Holt, a 4-star prep out of Encino (CA), has committed to Cal. He’s listed as both a defensive end and linebacker but is slated to play middle linebacker; Rivals ranks him the #19 defensive end while Scout rates him the #13 strong-side linebacker in the country. Holt picked Cal over several other offers including Arizona State, Washington, and Fresno State, and he looks to be an excellent addition to the defense for this class.

Preliminary Holiday Bowl projections

Looks like Cal is slightly favored.

USA Today: “California”

The Holiday Bowl is almost always a good show, and this should be no different. Each team averages more than 400 yards of offense (two of 19 teams nationally to do so), and there will be plenty of chances for highlights from Cal RB Marshawn Lynch, Cal WR DeSean Jackson, Texas A&M QB Stephen McGee, Texas A&M RB Jorvorskie Lane … and more.

ESPN: “Bowl Predictions: Can You Beat The Schwab?”

One of the most interesting bowl games and both closed 1-2 in final three games. Slight edge to Jeff Tedford’s team. Schwab’s Pick: 27-20, Cal.

FOX Sports: “Ranking the bowl games”

10. The Pac-10 is overdue for a good Holiday Bowl performance having lost four of the last five, while Cal will try to erase memories of the last time it played in San Diego losing to Texas Tech 45-31 in 2004. The Golden Bears get a ton of hype with not many big wins to back it up, while Texas A&M is gunning for its first 10-win season since 1998 and prove that the Dennis Franchione era is truly headed in the right direction.

Stars of the show:
1. Marshawn Lynch, RB, California
2. DeSean Jackson, WR, California
3. Jorvorskie Lane, RB, Texas A&M

Initial prediction: California 34 … Texas A&M 31