Cal games mentioned on CFB

College Football News has named the two Cal games in “three games no one is thinking about much, but will end up being a really big deal” for different writers. They write:

California at Tennessee, Sept. 2
This is the opening week game I really want to see. Is California really going to be good enough to challenge for the Pac 10 title and a shot at the BCS championship? It should be explosive enough on offense and decent enough on D, but it needs the first really, really big non-conference win in the Jeff Tedford era to make believers out of the Right Coast types. Imagine the fire alarms that will go off in Knoxville if the Vols, coming off last year’s disaster, blow the home opener. These are two top ten-caliber teams that should play a heck of a game.

And also,

Cal at USC � this should be for the Pac-10 championship and if Nate Longshore is even half the man that Aaron Rodgers was, this one could really be exciting.

Take a look at the article here.

Lynch #5 in ESPN preseason RB rankings

Marshawn Lynch has taken the fifth spot in Todd McShay‘s top preseason RB rankings on ESPN. He placed behind Adrian Peterson (Oklahoma), Michael Bush (Louisville), Jamaal Charles (Texas), and Steve Slaton (West Virginia). McShay writes:

5. Marshawn Lynch, Cal, JR, 5-11, 206
Lynch rushed for 1,246 yards as a first-year starter last season despite missing two games due to injury. He will still share some carries with Justin Forsett, who impressed with an average of 7.6 yards per carry as Lynch’s backup and injury replacement. But as long as Lynch stays healthy and continues to progress, he should see twice as many carries this season, which could equate to 2,000-plus rushing yards.

I think he should have ranked higher. He’s definitely a better running back than some of the players that placed ahead of him. We’ll leave it up to the season to determine where they really are. Take a look at the article here.

Season opener against Tennessee on ESPN

ESPN has picked up our season opener at the Tennessee Volunteers. This game is going to be big. The kickoff’s at 2:30 on September 2, and will now be getting national coverage.

In addition to this game, ABC has picked up 3 games (Oregon, UCLA, @USC), TBS 1 (Minnesota), and FSN 1 also (Stanford). More televised games are likely to be scheduled as the season approaches.

ESPN radio: Tedford is “too good for his own good”

Colin Cowherd spoke yesterday on podcast pretty extensively about what he thought about Coach Jeff Tedford. I wouldn’t advise actually listening to it, but here’s a summary of comments:

“A coach too good for his own good”

Tennessee traded Steve McNair to Baltimore – to make Baltimore “less terrible”. This means: the Kyle Boller (former Cal QB) experiment is pretty much over. By taking McNair, Baltimore is saying they don’t think Boller can take them to the next level.

This is Tedford’s 3rd bust in the NFL (Akili Smith, Joey Harrington). Does this mean Tedford is a bad coach? NO! He’s the best QB coach, college or pro. He can take any marginal QB and make him a star. The longer and farther the get away from him, the worse they get. That’s why in last year’s draft, he screamed “do not draft Aaron Rodgers 1st round”. Remember speculation that Rodgers would be #1 pick, and the shock when he dropped to 24th. He ended up in Green Bay, where reports show he has been underwhelming as Favre’s backup. Truth is: Rodgers was a solid college QB who Tedford coached nearly into the #1 pick/Heisman.

Talked to Charlie Weis (head coach at Notre Dame) recently. Asked him, is there one coach that impresses him; without hesitation, Weis said: Tedford at Cal, he’s an NFL coach; so brilliant. Unbelievable offensive mind, unbelievable QB coaching. “Takes strip steak and makes it filet mignon” – even jaded, cynical NFL people buy it. Once you draft his QBs, each year that goes by away from him they get worse. Joey Harrington was smooth, smart, leader, great QB – has eroded every year in NFL. Same with Smith, Rodgers, Boller.

Tedford listens, gives QB max protection (RBs stay in backfield, TEs stick around). Keeps QB comfortable, gives QB two choices, first down. Best offensive coordinator ever seen, anywhere, any level. Kyle Boller – another brilliant college QB coached by Tedford, who can’t get it done in NFL. See Boller’s stats before Tedford. 1 amazing year, the year Tedford coached him. Boller had 6 bad years in the last 7.

If you can win at Cal… it’s basically the West Coast equivalent of Virginia, except worse, worse facilities…

My comments: if Tedford was able to get so much done without much recruiting clout, think about what he can do with the high-end recruits he’s getting now. Also, why is Aaron Rodgers getting blasted before even given a chance at Green Bay? Finally, the facilities won’t be an issue shortly, when the stadium renovation project gets underway.

While I’m glad our head coach is getting praise, I’m a little irritated about the the disrespect our team and alumni are getting.

Coach Tedford on KNBR

Coach Jeff Tedford was interviewed this morning on KNBR radio. Here’s a summary of his comments:

Tennessee:
Very anxious to go to Tennessee, great program
Tennessee recruits well, has good facilities and tremendous athletes

High expectations:
Cal isn’t sneaking up on anyone (preseason rank, etc.)
Competing for Pac-10 championship on a national level
Scheduling tough opponents necessary for national recognition

Nate Longshore:
Fully healed, but not 100%
Knows he will work very hard to get back this summer to be ready for season

Spread offense:
Just another thing that opponents will have to prepare for
Who opponent is determines how much spread will utilized
Another weapon in arsenal

Aaron Rodgers:
Great for Rodgers to have opportunity to sit and watch Favre
His time is coming up this year or next
Tremendous future; very smart, quick release, very tough, great guy

Offensive line:
Lost 3 guys of high quality (NFL draft) and leadership – hard to replace
Current OL talented but haven’t played together
Andrew Cameron returning will provide leadership experience and depth
Mike Tepper will be a main contributor

Pac-10 podcast on ESPN with Cal comments

ESPN has put up a podcast with Bill Doba (WSU head coach), Dan Fouts, Ivan Maisel and David Albright discussing the Pac-10. An excerpt in the preview blurb says, “Can Cal live up to the preseason expectations?”

This is on the front page of ESPN’s college football page, with Marshawn Lynch shown with a “Pac-Men” headline. The caption says, “Cal’s Marshawn Lynch is expected to be in the running for the Heisman.” Very nice.

Summary of comments about Cal (thanks to GMP on CyberBears):

• Last season’s 8-4 record was not “weak”
• Cal is highly rated because last year found success despite it being a “rebuilding” year
• A win in the high-profile opening game against an improved Tennessee will launch Cal into a high ranking
• With Marshawn Lynch and other returnees plus confidence in Coach Tedford‘s program, Cal deserves high preseason rankings
• The media loves Lynch and expect him high in the running for the Heisman this year
• If Longshore hadn’t been injured last season, the season would have turned out better
• Prediction: Longshore, then Levy, then Ayoob on the QB depth chart
• Ayoob is a question mark who has had time, but Cal will have problems if he’s turned to

Cal #8 in SI’s Spring Top 25

Stewart Mandel from Sports Illustrated recently released his post-spring Top 25 rankings. Cal took the number eight spot on this list:

#8 California Golden Bears

Key returnees: RB Marshawn Lynch, RB Justin Forsett, WR DeSean Jackson, CB Daymeion Hughes

Spring star: LB Worrell Williams. The athletic sophomore was a standout in practices and will likely earn a starting spot.

Lowdown: New offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar installed components of the spread offense, a scary thought considering Cal’s plethora of weapons. The only question is which quarterback, Nate Longshore or Joe Ayoob, will run it. The defense, extremely young last year, should be improved.

Take a look at the whole list here.

New article on Scout.com with good analysis

Scout.com has put up an article entitled Has Cal Arrived? The article includes some very indepth statistical analysis and many observations about Cal Football. Take a look.

Cal #7 in Maisel’s (ESPN) preseason rankings

Ivan Maisel of ESPN has named Cal #7 in his post-spring, preseason rankings.

ESPN.com says: Marshawn Lynch should be in the same Heisman breath as Peterson. The defense is experienced. If Nate Longshore stays healthy …

Take a look at his list here.

Cal #8 in Athlon Sports’ preseason rankings

Athlon Sports has named Cal #8 in its preseason college football rankings. Read their preview here. Quote: “If USC has a serious challenger in the Pac-10, it’s these guys.”