Pac-10, Bowls, and CFB Live

The Pac-10 has added two games to the butt end of our bowl tie-ins: the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu (#6 Pac-10 vs. WAC) and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego (#7 Pac-10 vs. MWC). The #6 and #7 Pac-10 spot will alternate in the following year.

While this may barely register as a boost to an already putrid program of runner-up bowls, this is good news. It’s two great bowl locations that will be used in the upcoming seasons. Yesterday, Kirk Herbstreit made the following prediction on ESPN’s inaugural College Football Live show:

Every year it’s the SEC [that] is the best conference in football. I think this year you will see the Pac-10 close the gap on the SEC. I think there may be 7 teams in this conference that will hover right around that top 25, some around up in the the 10 obviously. That is a deep conference this year and they’re going to close the gap on the SEC. [/JY]

This should be an exciting season coming up with a bunch of strong teams in the conference and the championship up in the air.

Blue Ribbon Preview on ESPN

DeSean Jackson is on the front page of ESPN‘s College Football site, as ESPN has put up Blue Ribbon’s team preview for Cal. The preview has some decent analysis and insight about the Bears this upcoming season. Take a look, as it’s currently available as a “free preview” without ESPN Insider.

Blue Ribbon gives Cal the following grades:

Offense: A
Special teams: A+
Defense: B
Intangibles: A-

They also sum up their article with the following mixed praise:

That said, this offense is every bit the equal of USC’s, and at least on paper, Cal should score more points than the Trojans. And the special teams units of the Bears might be ranked tops in the nation. So why aren’t the Bears favored over USC, which is expected to be a near-unanimous preseason No. 1?

Defense, defense and yes, more defense.

USC placed six players on Blue Ribbon’s preseason All-Pac-10 first team, while Cal had none.

But much to Tedford’s credit, Cal’s season starts in terms of the national title picture on Sept. 1 when Tennessee visits Berkeley on the back-end of a home-and-home. If the Bears win, watch out — the hype could build for more than two months before the USC game on Nov. 11. If those two teams enter kickoff undefeated, that likely becomes the game of the regular-season, not only in the Pac-10, but in the nation.

However, the Bears are going to find themselves in a few fourth-quarter shootouts, especially early as the secondary gains experience. Trips to Oregon, UCLA and Arizona State won’t be easy, but they should be entertaining. Actually, with Jackson, every Cal game should be entertaining.

We see Cal as a top-10 caliber team capable of defeating just about any opponent in the country. Just not USC. The Bears should cruise to 11 wins and a second-place Pac-10 fin-ish this season, perhaps even find themselves in a BCS game, but they’re not winning the Pac-10. At least not this year.

Thanks Jonah K for the heads-up.

Quick bits: “players to watch” mentions

Sporting News’ Inside Dish:

Player to watch in the season openers: Cal CB Syd’Quan Thompson. The guy who was the definition of torched in the Bears’ season-opening loss to Tennessee last year will be one of the nation’s best cover corners this season. The teams open against each other again this fall. . . .

ESPN‘s “Seniors to watch in 2007”:

5. Justin Forsett, RB, California
Forsett ran for 626 yards and scored five touchdowns playing behind Marshawn Lynch last season. Lynch will be playing in the NFL this fall, and Forsett has the speed and vision to become the Pac-10 Conference’s premier running back.

Rivals: Cal in two of “the best games of 2007”

Rivals has put together a 2007 season “dream travel package for a college football fan”, and two of Cal’s highlight games make the list:

Week 1: Saturday, Sept. 1
Tennessee at Cal: We expected this game to be a toss-up last year, and Tennessee instead scored the game’s first 35 points on its way to a 35-18 triumph. California should put up much more of a fight at home. Both programs could start the season ranked among the top 15 teams in the nation, which makes this the most attractive game in a relatively lackluster opening weekend.
…
Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 10
Southern California at Cal: Southern California’s chances of winning a sixth consecutive Pac-10 title and playing for the national championship could depend on whether the Trojans can pull off this road victory. California will need a big performance from Nate Longshore, who completed less than half his passes and threw two interceptions last season in a 23-9 loss to USC.

Not coincidentally, these are the two games I will be attending from out of town this season. Both should be great showdowns… Go Bears.

Athlon: Cal is preseason #11

In Athlon Sports‘ annual pre-season countdown of their take on the top 25 teams, Cal has taken the #11 spot. Describing the Bears’ offense as “electric”, Athlon raves about DeSean Jackson as a Heisman candidate, QB Nate Longshore, the other wideouts, and most of the other positions as well. Take a look.

SI/Rivals: Jackson the #1 WR in CFB

WR DeSean Jackson is on the cover of SI.com’s NCAA Football homepage, taking the #1 spot in their Wide Receiver Power Rankings. Michigan’s Mario Manningham (pictured left) is in the second place spot.

It’s good to see some national publicity for DeSean and the team overall. I think the yellow jerseys are growing on me too.

Predictions for 2007

With spring drills coming up, the analysts are already starting to come up with predictions for 2007. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach is optimistic about Cal, predicting a Rose Bowl appearance against Wisconsin (but USC in the national championship game).

Meanwhile, Yahoo/Rivals has a Pac-10 preview with Cal #2 in the conference:

2. California (10-3, 7-2): DeSean Jackson gives the Golden Bears arguably the nation’s most exciting player. Justin Forsett shouldn’t have much trouble stepping in for star tailback Marshawn Lynch. The bigger question is how the Bears will replace All-America defensive players Desmond Bishop and Daymeion Hughes. …

It also projects quite a few accolades:

California quarterback Nate Longshore and wide receiver DeSean Jackson could emerge as one of the nation’s most dynamic passing combinations. …

Five players who will emerge this season
1. California RB Justin Forsett: He has rushed for 1,625 yards the last two seasons as Marshawn Lynch’s backup. Imagine the numbers Forsett might put up now that he finally has the starting job all to himself.

Five impact newcomers
5. California DT Derrick Hill: This four-star prospect and redshirt freshman is the favorite to replace Brandon Mebane, a three-year starter who earned Rivals.com third-team All-America honors last season.

And, the Bears earn some spots on their “Best by position” list, including Nate Longshore (#2 QB), Justin Forsett (#3 RB), DeSean Jackson (#1 WR), Craig Stevens (#2 TE), Alex Mack (#3 OL), Tom Schneider (#2 K), and Andrew Larson (#1 P).

Cal makes preliminary 2007 preseason lists

With the end of the 2006 season, Cal is already near the top of some preliminary preseason lists ranking college football teams for 2007.

Cal takes the #10 spot in ESPN’s rankings (Schlabach):

Why: Despite losing Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year Marshawn Lynch, the Bears return a plethora of skill players on offense. DeSean Jackson is a big-play threat at receiver and punt returner. Quarterback Nate Longshore was much-improved in his first season as a starter, and Justin Forsett and freshman James Montgomery are in line to replace Lynch.

Why not: For starters, the Bears open the 2007 season against Tennessee and must fare better than in the ’06 opener. Cal must replace all its key parts on defense — tackle Brandon Mebane, linebacker Desmond Bishop and cornerback Daymeion Hughes. The transition will be easier if the NCAA grants another year of eligibility to cornerback Tim Mixon, who missed all of 2006 with a knee injury.

The Bears also take the #7 spot in the New York Times:

Loaded and experienced at skill positions, and opening its season against Tennessee. Expect DeSean Jackson to become a household name.

Cal ends season ranked 14th

In the final polls of the 2006 season, Cal has been ranked 14th in both the AP and Coaches’ polls, moving up 6 and 5 spots, respectively.

Pac-10 Review and Forecast

Next year looks to be an outstanding year for the Pac-10. While the Pac-10 looked rather mediocre this season and failed to meet the preseason hype of projected national rankings, the outlook for next season seems to point towards one of the most competitive for the Pac-10 in recent history. Some listed points to consider:

• Seven teams welcome back their starting quarterback (not Oregon State, Washington and Stanford). Experience at quarterback is critical for any team, but particularly in the pass-happy Pac-10.

• The top 15 rushers are all scheduled to return (though Cal junior Marshawn Lynch figures to enter the NFL draft).

• Only three of the top 10 receivers are seniors (though USC junior Dwayne Jarrett figures to enter the NFL draft).

• USC, California, Oregon and UCLA should be ranked in the 2007 preseason poll. Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon State will receive votes.

• If Lynch and Jarrett don’t return, USC quarterback John David Booty, Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart, Cal quarterback Nate Longshore and Cal receiver wide receiver DeSean Jackson will be leading Heisman Trophy candidates.

In his analysis of the current season, Ted Miller also gave his MVP award to Marshawn Lynch, and Newcomer of the Year award to DeSean Jackson:

Most Valuable Player

	Lynch

Running back Marshawn Lynch, Cal

Lynch didn’t become the Heisman Trophy candidate he was touted as during the preseason, but he led the conference in rushing (1,245 yards) and all-purpose yards (1,657). He scored 13 touchdowns (nine rushing) and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. He piled up those numbers while battling a pair of sprained ankles, so his toughness deserves a tip of the cap as much as his talent.

And it was hilarious when he drove that golf cart onto the field after the Bears nipped Washington.

Newcomer of the Year

DeSean Jackson, Cal

Jackson, who led the Bears in receiving last season as a true freshman, has spectacular speed and athleticism — comparisons to Reggie Bush don’t evoke sarcastic snickers — making him the conference’s most dangerous player during his sophomore campaign.

He led the nation in punt returns, averaging 18.2 yards per return with four touchdowns. He also caught 54 passes for 979 yards and nine touchdowns.

With two or possibly three Heisman Trophy candidates, a competitive Pac-10, and an opening home game against Tennessee, next season should be quite exciting for the Bears.