Buzz for Saturday’s showdown

vs.

Saturday’s matchup, between the only two real contenders to take down USC for the Pac-10 title, is getting some big recognition around the nation. Cal and Oregon are both 2-0 in the Pac-10 and nationally ranked (#16 and #11, respectively). Memorial Stadium is almost sold out with the tarps coming off both the Gold and Blue Zones. This is going to be a BIG game and you won’t want to miss it. The game is also televised on ABC’s primetime Saturday Night College Football program, giving the showdown a huge audience.

Here is a glimpse of what people are saying. Unfortunately, most of the thoughts are from ESPN analysts, some of whom may seem a bit out of touch (see Beano).

ESPN: “Conference matchups dominate Week 6”

Cal has made a tremendous resurrection since its first game, in which the Bears were pummeled by Tennessee. The offense is living up to its potential; quarterback Nathan Longshore is making good decisions and running back Marshawn Lynch is living up to his preseason Heisman hype.

Oregon also boasts a balanced offense, with quarterback Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart leading the way. The Ducks’ secondary, however, raises many questions. Cal also has problems defensively; the Bears have to make tackles in the open field — that’s what killed them against Tennessee. These teams are capable of challenging USC for Pac-10 supremacy, but it starts with Saturday’s game. I’m high on both of these teams, but I give the edge to Cal because the Bears’ defense is better.

Scouts, Inc:

Expect a high-scoring and close game. Longshore will expose a vulnerable Oregon secondary and continue to find the open man. Once the passing game sets up the running game, Lynch will break some long runs working against a Ducks’ run defense that is giving up an average of 4.7 yards per carry. Oregon will counter with the two-headed monster of Stewart and Johnson. They will help the Ducks sustain long scoring drives and take pressure off Dixon on the road.

However, expect Dixon to make a few critical mistakes that are ultimately the difference in this game. Williams has emerged as Dixon’s go-to-guy, but it is concerning that he has twice as many receptions as any other player on the roster. Though Williams will make some big plays in this game, Hughes has the size and cover skills to prevent him from having a career day. Hughes is also a playmaker, so Dixon will have to find his complementary receivers more this week. The Bears’ conservative defensive approach will force Dixon to throw into tighter spaces and make it more difficult for him to run when nothing is available downfield.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman: “Week’s most intriguing story lines”

2. Battle for No. 2 in the Pac-10
Forget about the Trojans for a week, the Oregon-Cal game is where all the action is out West this weekend. These are, by far, the two most productive offenses in the league: Oregon averages more than 40 points per game and Cal more than 38. Cal and Oregon are first and second, respectively, in the Pac-10 in passing, while Oregon leads the conference in rushing.

Worth watching: If the Bears touted D-line, which got off to such a bad start, can get after Dennis Dixon. (Oregon has only allowed one sack all season.)

SF Chronicle: “Bears’ big date with Ducks”

Cal folks will tell you the Bears’ Nov. 18 game against USC is the one to circle on the calendar, but Saturday’s matchup of No. 11 Oregon and No. 16 Cal in Berkeley has the look of something special.

It is only the second time since 1972 that two teams ranked in the top 16 play a game in the Bay Area. The other was in 1991, when No. 7 Cal lost 24-17 to No. 3 Washington… With USC suddenly looking vulnerable, the Oregon-Cal winner becomes a prime contender for a Rose Bowl berth.

Only four players in the country are averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game and better than 7 yards per carry, and two of them will play at Memorial Stadium on Saturday: the Bears’ Marshawn Lynch and Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart… Only eight teams are averaging more than 38 points, and Cal and Oregon are two of them… Cal quarterback Nate Longshore is tied for the national lead in touchdown passes with 14, and Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who grew up in the East Bay, leads the Pac-10 in total offense…

The past three Oregon-Cal games have been tight: a 27-20 overtime win for the Ducks last year, the Bears’ 28-27 victory in 2004 and Oregon’s 21-17 decision in ’03.

ESPN’s Rod Gilmore: “Conference games have compelling subplots”

Also, this game puts on display the significant recruiting turf battle going on in the East Bay of Northern California between Oregon and Cal. Over the last few years, Oregon has made a nasty little habit of sneaking into Berkeley’s backyard and stealing top players. For example, [Oregon QB] Dixon hails from San Leandro, which is just 20 minutes from Berkeley…

Make no mistake, there will be plenty of Cal and Oregon recruits in Berkeley on Saturday night. If Oregon struts into town wearing one of its 99,000 trendy uniforms and rolls out with a win, you can bet that several recruits will be quacking about the Ducks and likely heading to Eugene next season instead of Cal. That’s how important this game is to the future of both programs.

ESPN’s Ivan Maisel:

Q: Who do you like in the Cal-Oregon matchup this Saturday, and what do you think of the winner’s chances of unseating USC in the Pac-10?

A: I’m leaning Cal, but I haven’t studied it closely yet. Cal is making up the ground it lost when it bombed out at Tennessee. The game being in Berkeley may make the difference.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper:

Q: Cal or Oregon? Do you think Nate Longshore is for real, because he sure is playing like he is…

A: I’m going with Oregon. I understand it is a road game and it’s tough to go on the road, but I like what they are doing. The good matchup is Oregon WR Jayson Williams against corner Daymon Hughes. This is an even game on paper. I just give Oregon the slight edge.

ESPN’s Beano Cook:

Q: Who do you like between Oregon and Cal and will the winner take the pac-10 now that USC has shown signs of vulnerability?

A: The winner of that game does have a shot. I go with the home team in tough games like this one. It is nice to see California doing well at something besides sit-ins. Imagine how tough it was to recruit in the 60s during the sit-ins.

Bears get redemption, crush OSU on the road

Cal crushed Oregon State at home yesterday, finding revenge for their upset in Berkeley last season. The Bears had another impressive performance on both sides of the ball, and were clearly the better team in a convincing 41-13 victory. The video above has glowing words from ESPN College Gameday’s Lee Corso, as well as a few highlights from the game.

Also, I noticed the new white/blue road uniforms, instead of all white. I like it.

Associated Press: “Longshore lights up OSU defense in Bears’ blowout”

Nate Longshore and California have their passing game down pat. The running game? It’s pretty good, too. And Longshore predicts the best is yet to come from that part of the Bears’ offense. Longshore threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, including two to Marshawn Lynch, and No. 20 California defeated Oregon State 41-13 on Saturday. Lynch finished with three touchdowns for the Bears (4-1, 2-0 Pac-10), running 15 yards for another score.

“Offensively we did what we wanted to do in the passing game. I think as the season goes the run will open up a little more,” Longshore said.

Scout.com: “Bears make a point in Corvallis”

Revenge and redemption were two popular words in the California locker room this week as the challenge was to remove all memory of a pair of blots on the Bears recent history: last year’s upset loss at home to Oregon State as well as the Bears last road game – the season opening thrashing at the hands of Tennessee.

Mission accomplished.

In a game much more reminiscent of Cal’s last trip to Corvallis in 2004 where the Bears hammered Oregon State by a score of 49-7, the Bears completely overwhelmed the outmatched Beavers, jumping out to a 31-0 1st half lead while coasting to a convincing 41-13 win.

Daily Cal: “More of the Same as Cal Piles It on Oregon State”

The game may have been at a different venue, but the result—and the way it was achieved—stuck to the recent script for the No. 20 Cal football team. That is, strike early and strike fast.

The Bears reached the end zone four times and kicked a field goal in their five first-half possessions en route to a 41-13 victory over Oregon State. Quarterback Nate Longshore threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Cal had scored 112 combined first-half points in the three games prior to Saturday’s bout with the Beavers (2-2, 0-1 in the Pac-10). The Bears (4-1, 2-0) sucked the energy out of a small, but vocal crowd of 39,309 at Reser Stadium, taking a 31-3 lead into the locker room.

Contra Costa Times: “Longshore hits on all cylinders”

In the first week of the season, Cal quarterback Nate Longshore was like a kid who was presented the keys to his dad’s Corvette. He couldn’t quite get it in gear. During the Bears’ 41-13 victory on Saturday at Reser Stadium, Longshore showed he might be ready for the Indy 500.

Longshore executed both his offense and the Oregon State Beavers with a 341-yard, four-touchdown passing performance that gives him a total of 14 touchdowns and 1,116 passing yards over the last four games.”I have such great athletes around me,” said Longshore, who has completed 77 of 110 passes during Cal’s four-game winning streak. “If I just get them the ball, crazy things will happen. I have the easiest job of anyone out there.”

With plenty of time to choose his targets, Longshore picked apart the Beavers with ridiculous ease. Cal (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-10) scored touchdowns on its first four drives and added a Tom Schneider field goal on the fifth, which was Cal’s final possession of the first half.

ESPN: “Top 25 Overview”

It was over when… Cal lost to Tennessee in the season opener. Since then, QB Nate Longshore has been money. He took the Beavers to the bank twice in the first quarter to give the Bears a 14-0 lead.

Gameball goes to… Longshore, who is putting up Heisman-worthy numbers as a sophomore. His four-TD performance gave Cal the win; his 336 passing yards were a career best.

Stat of the game… 481: Ladies and gentlemen, Cal’s offense has arrived, finishing with 481 total yards. Marshawn Lynch also had a banner day, with 3 TDs and 163 yards.

How to catch the Oregon State game

Since Saturday’s game isn’t televised, you have a few options (besides making the trip up to Corvallis, of course).

Radio:

• KALX Radio (90.7 FM, Berkeley)
• KGO Radio (810 AM, San Francisco)
• KKGO Radio (1260 AM, Los Angeles)
• KKGO Radio (540 AM, San Diego)
• KESP Radio (970 AM, Modesto)
• KNRO Radio (1670AM, Redding)

Online:

• Online KGO stream
• Online KALX stream
• ESPN GameCast

Eric’s prediction: 52-21, Cal.

Steve’s prediction: 41-17 Cal.

Saturday’s matchup: at Oregon State

Saturday’s matchup is away in Corvallis, OR and untelevised, but it is an important conference matchup against a decent team who upset the Bears last season. Here are some articles and thoughts:

Associated Press: “Beavers see a chance to define themselves”

Enter conference play and the Golden Bears… Cal brings the momentum of a 49-21 win over Arizona State. Oregon State’s defense returned to form in a 38-0 win over the Vandals Saturday, but coach Mike Riley cautioned against putting too much stock in that win…

California embarrassed the Beavers in its last appearance at Reser Stadium — a 49-7 win in 2004. Oregon State returned the favor last year, beating then-No. 18 Cal 23-20 in Berkeley.

ESPN‘s “Pac-10 Notebook”:

During the Bears’ three-game winning streak, [Longshore]’s completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 795 yards with 10 touchdowns and has become the Pac-10’s highest-rated quarterback. Each of those games were at home, however, and now he takes the Bears on the road for the first time since the ill-fated trip to Knoxville. Last year, Oregon State ended Cal’s 10-game home winning streak with a 23-20 upset. On the other hand, the last time Cal went to Corvallis, it prevailed 49-7.

Contra Costa Times: “Oregon State has a proven record of running past Cal”

Oregon State coach Mike Riley wouldn’t boast about tailback Yvenson Bernard rushing for 194 yards on 42 carries in his team’s 23-20 victory over Cal last season at Memorial Stadium…

The Bears’ confidence might be high, but they have given up 164.8 rushing yards per game. Cal senior linebacker Mickey Pimentel said the Beavers are sure to test the Bears’ front seven early on Saturday.

“They wanted to pound us last year,” Pimentel said. “And they did. We have pride on defense. We always want to shut down the run, but (Bernard) had ridiculous yards against us. Our focus is going to be stopping the run.” Pimentel said it’s rare that an opponent can dominate the Bears physically. “That’s just not us,” he said. “We don’t get beaten up physically. We are going to answer the challenge.”

Jay Heater‘s (Contra Costa Times) blog:

The theme of today’s media conference was very clear. Jeff Tedford told his players “you got your butt kicked last season, now what are you going to do about it?”

Tedford has been very good about issuing challenges to his players. When Oregon State has been able to run against the Bears, it has handled them. The Beavers also have mugged Cal’s receivers at the line of scrimmage and that has had a significant effect on the game.

Tedford wants his players to understand this is another of those smack down challenges, a physical war along the line of scrimmage. And that just doesn’t mean the front seven. Those defensive backs and wide receivers will be hammering each other the entire game.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman picks:

No. 20 Cal 41, Oregon State 17: The Bears have way too many weapons for Oregon State to handle. On paper, this sounds like a nice challenge for Cal QB Nate Longshore since the Beavers lead the Pac-10 in passing defense by a fairly large margin. (Opposing QBs are only completing 45 percent of their passes and have thrown just one TD against 5 INTs.) But I think Longshore and his speedy collection of receivers are going to light them up.
Thing that has me sold: Cal’s skill level.

Vote for Cal’s Pontiac Game Changing Performance

DeSean Jackson‘s second-quarter, 80-yard punt return for a touchdown is one of four plays nominated for Week 4’s Pontiac Game Changing Performance. The University to win this award will receive a $5,000 contribution to their general scholarship fund and place them in the running for the $100,000 Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year. Voting began Sunday, and will end on Wednesday night. Go here to vote. As extra incentive to vote, Pontiac is also giving away a $5,000 scholarship each week to one lucky visitor to the site, so hurry up, and go support our Bears. While you’re at it, also don’t forget to drop by here once a week to vote for Marshawn Lynch for the Heisman.

Bears rout Arizona State, inch up in polls

Yesterday, Cal obliterated then-ranked Arizona State, sending them home with a painful loss and blasting them out of the top 25.

ESPN: No. 22 Arizona State had some questions entering its Pac-10 opener. The answers weren’t good. No. 21 Cal blasted the Sun Devils 49-21 in Berkeley

Associated Press: California walked all over the Sun Devils in a 49-21 victory Saturday, and [Daymeion] Hughes’ pivotal pick capped a 42-point first half that showed the No. 21 Golden Bears have made significant strides in the last three weeks.

Bear Insider: Speed kills. Absolute speed kills absolutely. With apologies to Nicolo Machiavelli, nothing could sum up Saturday’s 49-21 Cal victory better or more concisely. The #21-ranked Golden Bears allowed ASU to rip off a 12-play, 74 yard touchdown drive to open the football game.

Scout.com: Arizona State had one of the top-ranked defenses heading into last Saturday’s showdown with Cal. The Sun Devils got sun burned by four Nate Longshore touchdown passes in an impressive 49-21 statement win for the Bears. Had smoking-hot Cal scheduled Tennessee in late September, rather than on the opening weekend, we all might be labeling the Bears a dangerous darkhorse contender for a national championship.

Contra Costa Times: The highly regarded Cal team that everyone expected to debut on Sept. 2 at Tennessee showed up Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

The Golden Bears, who were ranked No. 9 in the preseason polls, opened their Pac 10 season with a 49-21 win over No. 22 Arizona State, which simply had no answer for the Bears’ bevy of playmakers. No. 21 Cal (3-1, 1-0) scored in explosive fashion, racing to a 42-14 lead by intermission. Six players scored Cal’s seven touchdowns.

Sports Network: Nate Longshore tossed four first-half touchdown passes to lead 21st-ranked California to a 49-21 thumping of No.22 Arizona State in the Pac 10 opener for both teams at Memorial Stadium. Longshore completed 18-of-26 passes for 270 yards with an interception, and Marshawn Lynch rushed 17 times for 124 yards. Lynch also caught a touchdown and DeSean Jackson hauled in four passes for 67 yards and a score, while also returning a punt 80 yards for a touchdown for the Golden Bears (3-1, 1-0 Pac 10), who have now won their last three games following a season-opening loss to Tennessee.

Coach Jeff Tedford: We had a lot of speed on the field and our playmakers really stepped up well on offense and defense. I thought special teams did a nice job. I thought Andrew Larson did an excellent job of punting with really great hang-time to allow us to cover his punts. I think in all three phases of the game we played fairly solid but we’re still not where we need to be. We need to be able to put four quarters together and we haven’t done that yet this year. I thought our offensive line did a nice job. Coach Gregory did a nice job. He did a nice job of mixing his calls up and making adjustments.

ASU Coach Dirk Koetter: We talked to the team about when you’re on the road against a good team with a loud crowd, whenever that onslaught comes, you’ve got to be able to answer it, and we just couldn’t answer it. What Cal did to us today is exactly what happened to them at Tennessee, it’s exactly the same thing. That’s the difficulty of playing on the road – not just playing on the road, but playing against a good football team.

After the pressure starts to build from their blitzes, even the most routine plays become difficult.

Cal’s very talented. All of those wide receivers, three tailbacks, the corner [Hughes] is outstanding. They’re by far the most athletic team we’ve played – by far.

Despite this huge in-conference throttling of a top 25 team, the polls again showed Cal little respect. In the AP poll, Cal moved up one spot to #20. The Coaches’ poll left Cal at #20, like last week. In both votes, Clemson leapfrogged Cal due to their win over ACC bottom dweller North Carolina. Regardless, pundits are turning their eyes back to Cal with this win and recognizing the big-time potential for the season.

As an aside, in addition to the plethora of highlights from the Bears, there was one brutal lowlight from ASU. Cornerback Justin Tryon laid DeSean Jackson out with a dangerous and vicious cheapshot during a punt return, receiving only a personal foul flag. In my opinion, he should have been ejected or at least benched by his coaches. Fellow bloggers at Sturdy Golden Blog and Bear Territory agree as well, and you can take a look to see what they think.

Today, Arizona State

The last time Cal faced ASU (2004), they blanked the #20 Sun Devils 27-0 (Blaire Baily, Daily Cal)

If you made it through all the articles I gave you to read in the last few days… there’s more. Let’s hope this game lives up to the expectations and Cal comes out on top.

Cal’s defense will be focusing on ASU’s quarterback, Rudy Carpenter. With high-energy Mickey Pimentel now in the starting lineup for linebacker, the pass rush should get a boost.

Andrew Cameron, the starting left tackle on the offensive line who injured his ankle during the Minnesota game, still may not be available for today’s matchup. Coach Jeff Tedford says that it “will be a game-time decision.” Scott Smith is still out with his MCL injury.
The SF Chronicle has an article evaluating the high octane offenses of both teams, and predicting a game dominated by the offense on both sides.

Athlon Sports has a game preview supporting ASU’s chances to win, and favors them by 10 points. To me, they make some pretty weak points.

SI has an amusing “smackdown” article pitting student writers from ASU and Cal and dregging up the usual stereotypes. They also have a Road Trip: Cal feature describing the best spots in Berkeley.

Finally, the Daily Cal describes how the season begins today for both ASU and Cal.

“I don’t know how to explain it. There’s something about Pac-10 play,” Tedford said. “I don’t want to say, ‘Now it’s for real,’ because it was always for real, but there’s just something a little bit different about conference play.”

See you at the game.

Cal Football Fan prediction: 41-27, Cal.

Personnel, prediction, and more on the ASU matchup

Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory said that Mickey Pimentel will be starting Saturday over Justin Moye at linebacker (who will also get snaps). Pimentel looked good against Portland State and recorded a sack with Brandon Mebane.

The Contra Costa Times also has a nice article about linebacker Worrell Williams. The combination of Pimentel, Williams, and Desmond Bishop is a mean one, and they should live up to the preseason hype against ASU.

Also, Marcus O’Keith got a well-deserved feature article in the Daily Cal today. O’Keith has definitely taken advantage of the limited opportunities he’s had on the field. He’s been named the starter at kickoff returns (instead of Marshawn Lynch) for ASU, as well.

Finally, here are some more quotes (in addition to the last post) on the Cal/ASU matchup on Saturday.

Contra Costa Times’ Jay Heater:

Pressure would seem to be a crucial aspect of this game. ASU 18 sacks, Cal 5 sacks. However, Cal faced a running team in Minnesota and the Portland State game was a blowout and can be discounted. Even so, it will be interesting to see if the Bears can put the screws to ASU sophomore QB Rudy Carpenter.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman:

This one figures to be one of those traditional Pac-10 offensive shows. There is a very intriguing matchup here between the improved Sun Devils’ run defense (third in the Pac-10, allowing 2.6 yards per carry) and the great Marshawn Lynch. I’m not very sold on the ASU D and I still expect Lynch to run wild. Plus I like the home field edge.

Thing that has me sold: Marshawn Lynch.

Scouts Inc.’s ASU-Cal Edge:

Expect a close game but Arizona State will come up just short on the road. The Sun Devils will keep the game close thanks to their offensive balance. However, Cal’s run defense is strong enough to put Carpenter in more third-and-long situations than Koetter would like to see. That pressure will cause Carpenter to make some uncharacteristically poor decisions and/or errant throws that end drives.

The Sun Devils will have some success getting to Longshore as well, but their corners will have a hard time matching up with Cal’s deep corps of receivers. Cal will have consistent success moving the ball on the ground and don’t be surprised to see their backs break some long runs. In addition, the Bears have the home run threats in the return game to win the battle of field position.

ESPN’s Craig James:

Q: Does Tedford and the boys have any shot against a high powered Arizona State offense this weekend?
A: I think they do…and that they will beat ASU. The Cal debacle at Tenn earlier was just a snowball they couldn’t stop. This weekend we should see the real Cal team

Also interesting to note:

In the last 28 Pac-10 games, only USC (27-1) has a better record than Cal (21-7) and ASU (20-8). … ASU leads the series against Cal 13-12, but the Bears have won four of the past five.

Cal hosts tough Arizona State in conference opener

Cal’s conference schedule begins on Saturday with #22-ranked Arizona State (3-0) at home, a real test to determine whether the Bears have learned lessons and made adjustments since Tennessee. With this game, we will see if Cal is a contender for the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth.

The game is getting a good look from many analysts and pundits who see this as a statement game for both teams. Arizona State is a tough team with a powerful west-coast offense and a greatly improved defense. Here are some interesting articles and points of view.

ESPN, “California tries to extend winning streak vs. Arizona State”:

The 21st-ranked Golden Bears look to extend their winning streak over the 22nd-ranked Sun Devils to four games when they meet in the Pac-10 Conference opener for both teams.

California, which has won four of the series’ last five games, last met Arizona State two years ago, when it posted a 27-0 victory here. The Sun Devils have not defeated the Bears since a 30-10 triumph in Tempe in 2000.

ESPN, Top 25 Overview:

Since taking over the Arizona State program in 2001, Dirk Koetter is 0-10 in Pac-10 games played in the state of California (USC, UCLA, Cal and Stanford). Too late for the Sun Devils to make this a neutral-site game?

The Sports Network, “(22) Arizona State (3-0) at (21) California (2-1)”:

This game has the feel of a Pac-10 shootout. The top two passing teams in the conference will go toe-to-toe in what should be an entertaining offensive game throughout. The slight edge has to go to the Bears, who get this game at home and could grind things out a bit with Lynch on the ground.

Arizona Republic, “Tedford merits credit for rapid revival”:

Talk all you want about the Golden Bears’ skills players and explosive offense. Arizona State’s biggest hurdle when it visits Berkeley Saturday is coach Jeff Tedford, who spurred one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent college football history.

This is a mano-a-mano worthy of attention, as offensive gurus Tedford and Dirk Koetter aim to make the top of the Pac-10 Conference a USC-free zone.

RealFootball365, “The REAL Top 25 Weekly Review”:

So how prepared is ASU for a conference-opening day road game in Berkeley vs. No. 21 Cal? The Sun Devils have a win over Double-A Northern Arizona, one over the WAC’s Nevada Wolfpack, and now this road win over a hapless Colorado team. Meanwhile, Cal has the experience of a road ambush at Tennessee, a solid win over a fairly good Minnesota team, and last weekend’s pasting of a solid Double-A Portland State. This week’s game with Cal will be one of the most intriguing Pac-10 matchups in the young season.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit:

The game I am most eager to see is the Pac-10 game between Arizona State and Cal. The Sun Devils’ defense has been pretty dominant, but they have yet to get on track offensively after their quarterback controversy between Rudy Carpenter and Sam Keller. Plus, ASU has yet to play a team the caliber of Cal.

Nate Longshore has established himself at quarterback after a rough start at Tennessee, and running back Marshawn Lynch should be back at 100 percent. Neither team can afford a loss if it wants to try to measure up with USC in the Pac-10 race.

ESPN’s Beano Cook:

Q: What’s your take on Cal v. Arizona State?
A: Well, when the season began, I said this, the Bears haven’t been to the Rose Bowl since the 1958 season. They haven’t won a Rose Bowl since the 1938 Rose Bowl. Everyone tells me that California will be good this year, but the Bears have to show it before I believe it. Cal should win this game, they’re playing at home. If they can’t win at home, then it will be a long season.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach:

Q: Do you see a Sun Devil victory over Cal?
A: It’s going to be a very interesting game. Would give the edge to the Sun Devils because of Rudy Carpenter, but Cal has rebounded pretty well from the bad loss at UT. Sun Devils better tackle better, however.

And finally, from Coach Jeff Tedford himself:

“Our guys are excited about getting into Pac 10 play. We like to be at home and are fortunate to play our last two games at home and to open up home against Arizona State because it is a very hard place to play at. We also understand that Arizona State is a great football team, very highly ranked and very explosive on offense and very solid on defense and one of the better teams in our conference.”

Cal defeats Portland State, drops in AP poll

The Bears defeated Portland State 42-16 Saturday. The game was over by the first half, and Coach Jeff Tedford subsequently removed most starters. This allowed almost every backup player to get off the bench in the last two quarters and gain valuable gametime experience.

Despite the solid win, the AP dropped Cal to #22. However, the Coaches poll has Cal up one spot at #20. ESPN’s Lee Corso also mentioned he maintains that Cal could be the team that beats USC on College Gameday.

Next week, we face Arizona State at home (#20 in AP, #18 in Coaches) so a win should finally have us make a significant move upward in the polls.