More praise, hopes for Cal from around the nation

Coming off Oregon and heading into Washington State, Cal is a hot topic for pundits around the nation. Many are already looking forward to the showdown on November 18 at USC’s Coliseum. Here are a few tidbits:

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit:

I think Nate Longshore is playing with as much confidence as any QB out there. And you knew it was a matter of time with his ability and with Jeff Tedford’s offensive scheme. And DeSean Jackson is one of my favorite players in the country. Not only does he have freakish skills, but he has a rage and desire to take the ball to the house everytime he touches the ball that I love. For those of you not on the west coast, do yourself a favor and check out No. 1 on the Cal Bears. The guy is as an explosive player as there is in the country. And whatever you do, never talk trash to the guy and try to bully him. See Oregon for an example.
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My top 5 right now [for the Heisman] are Troy Smith, Brady Quinn, DeSean Jackson, Adrian Peterson and Calvin Johnson.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Midseason Hot 100 list”

16. Daymeion Hughes, California, CB: Tall corner has 5 picks and a Pac-10 high 9 PBUs.
22. Marshawn Lynch, California, RB: The Pac-10’s leader in all-purpose yards at 142 per game.
32. Nate Longshore, California, QB: The Bears’ big gun has thrown 17 TDs and just 5 INTs while completing 65 percent.
37. DeSean Jackson, California, WR-KR: Double threat, he is averaging 127 total yards per game.

Sports Network: “Look out America, here comes California”

With USC struggling to win games each week, California has overtaken the Trojans as the most talented team in the Pac 10.

SI‘s “Top 10 Remaining Games” (#3):

The Golden Bears kicked off the year in embarrassing fashion, suffering a 35-18 shellacking at the hands of Tennessee. But since then Cal has looked fabulous in five straight blowout wins. While the Trojans are undefeated, they have looked far from dominant. Can Cal knock off USC and end the Trojans’ four-year streak of Pac-10 titles?

ESPN: “Bears looking to challenge the Trojans”

Well, the Bears still may be a new national power. After five consecutive dominant victories, they’ve re-entered the nation’s top 10 and appear poised to challenge USC for the Pac-10 title.
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What’s next: Perhaps a Rose Bowl? The Bears can win every remaining game on their schedule, including a Nov. 18 visit to USC.

ESPN’s Beano Cook:

The Golden Bears could win the Pac-10…all they have to do is beat USC! They probably regret playing the Tennessee game. That defeat may keep them out of the championship game.

Cal responds to criticism, will offer live broadcast in Memorial

Great news to Cal fans in the Berkeley area: Cal Athletics is working on offering a live video feed of the WSU game from their scoreboard in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Audio from Joe Starkey’s radio broadcast will also be fed through the stadium’s PA system as well.

Seating will be open and free for all Cal fans, so it should be an exciting and new viewing experience different than our living rooms. Unfortunately, our ideas for a barbeque/party probably won’t be permitted:

All seating will be open in the stadium, however, fans are encouraged to bring food and drinks as concession stands will not be open. There will be no alcohol allowed and field access will also be prohibited.

Cal reminds fans that this will be the Washington State scoreboard feed; “Go Bears” cheers are strongly encouraged despite any contradictory scoreboard messages coming from Pullman.

As a reminder, kickoff will be at 2pm. I will update this as more information is available.

DC Gregory wins national award

Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory has been honored by the Master Coaches Survey for his defensive game plan that shut down the high-powered Oregon offense on Saturday.

No-TV outrage for WSU gains steam

The outrage over missing television coverage for the Cal-WSU game this Saturday is beginning to go national. SI’s Stewart Mandel talks about it in his column, blasting the Pac-10’s leadership for its poor administration.

Why is Cal the only top 10 team that won’t be on TV this weekend when it plays Washington State? — Chris, Lincoln, Calif.

When I first saw this, I assumed Chris was complaining that Cal wasn’t on national TV. But no. Believe it or not, in an age of 700 cable channels, many of which are foaming at the mouth to show even the most obscure live sporting event, a college football game between two Pac-10 schools, one of them 5-1 and the other 4-2, will have not a single television camera present. And for that, Bears and Cougars fans can thank their fine conference leaders.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: As a sports entity, the Pac-10 is right up there with the Big Ten, SEC and everyone else. As businesses, however, the Big Ten and SEC are Wal-Mart and Target; the Pac-10 is the mom-and-pop shop down the street. The Pac-10’s bizarre loyalty to Fox Sports Net over ESPN (supposedly because of the better time slots) kills the conference’s exposure. This coming weekend, you’ll be able to watch as many as five Big Ten games from anywhere in the country. You’ll be able to watch three SEC games. You’ll even be able to watch Louisiana Monroe at Troy. Depending on your satellite package, you could theoretically watch 28 college football games. But you will not be able to watch the No. 10 team in the country play an important conference contest.

Props to Chris in Lincoln and Mandel for shining some light on the issue. Hopefully this kind of negative press will apply the pressure to the Pac-10 leadership to do a better job with these matters. Thanks to Ken over at Bear Territory for this tidbit.

WSU game to go untelevised

Unfortunately, the Washington State game will not be televised on Saturday despite Cal’s best efforts to get it on air. Washington State was apparently unwilling to move their game an hour (it is their homecoming) to have Comcast broadcast it. Jon Wilner at the Mercury News has more details on his blog.

Looks like this will be another radio game. I believe this is also the second time this season that Cal is the only top 25 team game without any TV coverage. Thanks, Pac-10, for screwing up another one.

California love

Cal’s rout of Oregon has suddenly thrust the team back into the national spotlight, and the media is finally again giving the Bears some well-deserved recognition. DeSean Jackson covers SI.com’s college football home page with a link to this quick blurb:

Pete Carroll should be looking over his shoulder, because a rejuvenated Cal appears set to end USC’s Pac-10 domination. The Bears looked like top-10 imposters while being ripped by Tennessee in the season opener, but have rebounded by scoring 40-plus in five straight games, including a win over Oregon. This isn’t just Jeff Tedford‘s latest scoring machine; Cal can play D, holding Ducks RB Jonathan Stewart to 25 yards. Watch out Nov. 18, USC.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach (who attended the game in Berkeley) had only great things to say about Cal:

Q: Hey Mark, tell what you think of Cal football. Did you enjoy the atmosphere and the scenery?
A: I did very much. My first trip to [Berkeley] was well worth it. Stadium is old, but like the classic feel. Loved the hills overlooking the stadium. Traffic wasn’t too bad. People were nice. Crowd was louder than expected. Cal really surprised me with how well they’re playing, especially after I saw them play against Tennessee. Longshore playing very well. DeSean Jackson is very good. Defense better than expected.

Q: Mark, did you see DJax’ (Desean Jackson’s) punt return against [Oregon]? Wasn’t that amazing? Is he the fastest and most exciting player in CFB? If not, then who else and what do you think of Cal’s Rose Bowl/Natl title hopes?
A: he’s very, very fast. amazing cut back across the entire field. looked good on td catch, too.

Q: Cal has not won at Wash State since 1979, given how WSU played USC so tough at home two weeks ago, what are the chances for WSU over Cal this Sat?
A: Cal is playing very well right now. Was surprised how much Cougars struggled at Oregon State on Saturday night. Both teams play decent defense. Cal’s very, very good on offense right now. Would have to go with Bears.

Q: Why is DeSean Jackson’s name not being mentioned more when it comes to Heisman contention? He has scored more touchdowns than the other wide receivers that are being mentioned, and might be the most explosive player in the nation right now.
A: I’d say he’ll be a favorite next year if he keeps doing what he’s doing. Receivers have to return kicks to win the Heisman and he does it as well as anyone.

Marshawn Lynch and Nate Longshore also made Schlabach’s Top 5 lists at their respective positions.

Even ESPN’s Bruce Feldman is warming back up to the Bears after ripping them on September 3.

Cal lights up Oregon, rushing for 235 yards despite losing star TB Marshawn Lynch to injury…

Thinking about the Pac-10-SEC friction: I’ll buy that Arkansas clearly is a much better team with a healthy Darren McFadden than the one that got blasted by USC on opening night, but I think in the same spirit Cal is, too, now that QB Nate Longshore has settled into the offense…

Cal back in ESPN Power 16 rankings at #9

Cal has returned to ESPN’s Power 16, storming their rankings at #9. They write: “Remember the Bears? They’re back in the Power 16 after doing to the Ducks what the Vols did to them in Week 1.”

Forsett is Pac-10 offensive player of the week

Running back Justin Forsett, who filled in for injured Marshawn Lynch against Oregon, has been honored with the Pac-10 player of the week award.

Forsett, a junior from Arlington, Texas, took over for injured starter Marshawn Lynch and keyed California’s running game in the Golden Bears’ 45-21 win against No. 11-ranked Oregon. Forsett rushed 27 times for 163 yards (6.0-yard average) with a touchdown run of 23 yards. He added two receptions for 19 yards to account for 182 all-purpose yards. The Cal running game averaged 5.6 yards per carry in amassing 235 yards rushing against the Ducks.

Justin did a great job in Lynch’s place and showed again that he probably is the best second-string RB in the nation. Scouts, Inc.’s Todd McShay agrees:

Week 6 Stock Up
Forsett stepped in for the injured Marshawn Lynch on Saturday night and proved once again why he is considered the best backup running back in the country. The diminutive junior turned in one of his best career performances with 163 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in a decisive victory over Pac-10 foe Oregon. Forsett is a perfect fit for Cal’s scheme, as he takes advantage of spread-out defensive fronts with his good vision, shifty moves and explosive burst. QB Nate Longshore is improving each week and with weapons like Lynch and Forsett, and wide receivers DeSean Jackson, Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan, Cal has to be considered one of the most dangerous teams in college football right now. Mark Nov. 18 on your calendar, as Cal is a formidable threat to knock USC off its Pac-10 throne.

Washington (10/21) game picked up by FSN

Fox Sports Network has picked up the Washington at Cal game a week from Saturday. Kickoff is slated for 12:30pm.

The game at Washington State this Saturday has not yet been selected to be televised. Apparently, the teams are in talks with Comcast to get the game broadcasted and we’ll find out the verdict later today.

Cal re-enters AP Top 10, #11 in Coaches

Cal’s impressive performance yesterday has moved the team to #10 in the Associated Press poll and #11 in the Coaches poll.

Tennessee also had a big win over then-#10 Georgia, and they have moved up to #8/9 in the polls. This is great for the Bears’ strength of schedule (factored into BCS standings) and makes the season-opening loss look better for Cal.