WHAT A BETTER TIME TO TELL YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS GAME AFTER I JUST POSTED ALL DAY ABOUT THE RICE OWLS BLOWOUT SUPER SLAM GAME OF THE YEAR. WHAT A MISTAKE THAT WAS.
WITH OUT FURTHER DELAY;
CALIFORNIA
INSIDE SLANT
California's path to the Rose Bowl seems a bit clearer after Saturday's results.
First of all, Texas beat Texas A&M 26-13 to maintain its BCS position and effectively locking out No. 7 Boise State, which could have leapfrogged the Longhorns into a guaranteed top 6 position for a BCS game.
If that had happened, two teams from non-BCS conferences — Utah and Boise State — would have been guaranteed the BCS at-large spots, trumping the rule that says Cal, at No. 4 and a non-league champion, would also be "guaranteed" a spot.
OK...
The other good thing that happened Saturday was that Texas didn't blow away the 22nd-ranked team in the country. It was a good win, to be sure, but was it enough for poll voters to move No. 5 Texas over No. 4 Cal? Nope. Didn't happen.
And the 'Horns have already basically hit a glass ceiling in the BCS computer rankings, so without help from the pollsters, it will be hard for them to make up the .203 they trailed the Bears in the BCS rankings last week.
So, now, here is what Cal needs to do and have happen this week in order to get to the Rose Bowl.
1. The Bears need to win a Hurricane Ivan-delayed game at Southern Miss this Saturday ... and probably do so convincingly to keep Texas at bay in the human polls.
2. USC needs to beat UCLA and go to the national championship Orange Bowl, freeing up the Rose Bowl to take Cal.
Simple enough? For sure, Cal needs to come out ready to play against Southern Miss, which might have gotten back on track last week with a victory over UAB to snap a three-game losing streak and become bowl eligible.
NOTES, QUOTES
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: NFL first-round lock Aaron Rodgers ranks fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, but has been eclipsed by a powerful running game that averages 253.7 yards, seventh best in the country. J.J. Arrington (158.4 yards per game, 6.8 per carry, 14 TDs) is having one of the greatest seasons ever for a Pac-10 back not from USC. It's as Stanford linebacker Jon Alston said about Cal: "When that offense can run the ball, that offense can do whatever it likes."
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Like all great teams, Cal can stop the run, yielding only 89.0 yards per game and surrendering a mere three touchdowns on the ground. DE Ryan Riddle has had one of the most productive seasons in a league full of top-notch defensive lineman. He has 17 tackles for loss, including 12.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's not something that really interests me. I'm very happy to be at Cal. I feel more comfortable with the college game, being around the kids and recruiting, that kind of thing." — Cal coach Jeff Tedford, responding to speculation that he would like to coach in the NFL.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
LOOKING GOOD: Check out some of these stats: Cal finished 5-0 at home, the first unbeaten, untied record at Memorial Stadium since 1949. ... The Bears have won three consecutive games over Stanford (all under Jeff Tedford) for the first time since 1958-60. Tedford is the first coach to do it since Pappy Waldorf was on the Cal sideline 1947-49. ... Cal has held three opponents this season without a touchdown, the first time the school has done that since the 1968 "Bear Minimum" defense had three shutouts. ... Boosted by a crowd of 72,981 for the Stanford game on Nov. 20, Cal set a new season home attendance record with an average of 64,019.
STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The kicking game remains iffy. Struggling kicker Tom Schneider did manage to hit both of his field goal attempts against Stanford — from 42 and 28 yards — but punter David Lonie had a miserable day. He shanked one for 4 yards on an punt from the Stanford 39, had a 22-yard punt, and a 25-yard effort that went out of bounds at the Cardinal 20. For the day, he averaged 23.8 yards on four punts.
ROSTER REPORT: RB J.J. Arrington became Cal's single-season rushing leader, passing the mark of 1,460 set by Chuck Muncie in 1975. Arrington has 1,584 yards with two games (including the bowl) to go. ... Senior WR Burl Toler had missed four games because of knee tendinitis, but returned against Stanford. He caught one pass — from RB Marshawn Lynch — for a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter. ... WR Jonathan Makonnen has been out since Oct. 23 because of a liver contusion. He might be able to return for the Southern Miss game, as could WR Noah Smith, who missed the past two games after undergoing an appendectomy. ... WR Chase Lyman is out for the season due to a knee injury suffered against USC on Oct. 9.
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER, CALIFORNIA HAD A YARDAGE ADVANTAGE VS USC OF ALMOST 220 YARDS, IF IT WASN'T FOR A FEW PICKS INSIDE THEIR OWN 40, CALIFORNIA WOULD OF BEAT USC AT USC EASILY I FEEL.
THEY ONLY GIVE UP 89 YDS RUSHING A GAME, AND ONLY 3 TOUCHDOWNS ALL SEASON. THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR A SOUTHERN MISS TEAM THAT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO RUN THE BALL. ALMOND IS ALSO PRETTY BANNED UP. NOT TO MENTION THE BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL THAT SOUTHERN MISS GAVE SAYING THAT CALIFORNIA DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY THEM THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TROUBLE.
WHATEVER.
I STILL FEEL THIS CALIFORNIA IS THE BEST TEAM IN COUNTRY, AND EVEN THOUGH TEDFORD TALKS ABOUT PLAYING EVERYONE, THIS SOUTHERN MISS TEAM IS WAY OVER MATCHED.
CALIFORNIA BEFORE THE EMERGANCE OF AAARON RODGERS BEAT S MISS LAST YEAR 34-2. CALIFORNIA IS MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEAR, SOUTHERN MISS IS NOT. CALIFORNIA IS STILL PLAYING FOR A BOWL BID IN THE BCS, SOUTHERN MISS IS NOT.
I'M SURE I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU WHICH WAY I'M GOING IN THIS GAME.
JUST ABOUT EVERY TEAM IN THE PAC TEN WOULD BEAT THIS SMISS TEAM BY 10 POINTS, JUST THINK WHAT CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO DO.
WITH OUT FURTHER DELAY;
CALIFORNIA
INSIDE SLANT
California's path to the Rose Bowl seems a bit clearer after Saturday's results.
First of all, Texas beat Texas A&M 26-13 to maintain its BCS position and effectively locking out No. 7 Boise State, which could have leapfrogged the Longhorns into a guaranteed top 6 position for a BCS game.
If that had happened, two teams from non-BCS conferences — Utah and Boise State — would have been guaranteed the BCS at-large spots, trumping the rule that says Cal, at No. 4 and a non-league champion, would also be "guaranteed" a spot.
OK...
The other good thing that happened Saturday was that Texas didn't blow away the 22nd-ranked team in the country. It was a good win, to be sure, but was it enough for poll voters to move No. 5 Texas over No. 4 Cal? Nope. Didn't happen.
And the 'Horns have already basically hit a glass ceiling in the BCS computer rankings, so without help from the pollsters, it will be hard for them to make up the .203 they trailed the Bears in the BCS rankings last week.
So, now, here is what Cal needs to do and have happen this week in order to get to the Rose Bowl.
1. The Bears need to win a Hurricane Ivan-delayed game at Southern Miss this Saturday ... and probably do so convincingly to keep Texas at bay in the human polls.
2. USC needs to beat UCLA and go to the national championship Orange Bowl, freeing up the Rose Bowl to take Cal.
Simple enough? For sure, Cal needs to come out ready to play against Southern Miss, which might have gotten back on track last week with a victory over UAB to snap a three-game losing streak and become bowl eligible.
NOTES, QUOTES
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: NFL first-round lock Aaron Rodgers ranks fifth in the nation in passing efficiency, but has been eclipsed by a powerful running game that averages 253.7 yards, seventh best in the country. J.J. Arrington (158.4 yards per game, 6.8 per carry, 14 TDs) is having one of the greatest seasons ever for a Pac-10 back not from USC. It's as Stanford linebacker Jon Alston said about Cal: "When that offense can run the ball, that offense can do whatever it likes."
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Like all great teams, Cal can stop the run, yielding only 89.0 yards per game and surrendering a mere three touchdowns on the ground. DE Ryan Riddle has had one of the most productive seasons in a league full of top-notch defensive lineman. He has 17 tackles for loss, including 12.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's not something that really interests me. I'm very happy to be at Cal. I feel more comfortable with the college game, being around the kids and recruiting, that kind of thing." — Cal coach Jeff Tedford, responding to speculation that he would like to coach in the NFL.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
LOOKING GOOD: Check out some of these stats: Cal finished 5-0 at home, the first unbeaten, untied record at Memorial Stadium since 1949. ... The Bears have won three consecutive games over Stanford (all under Jeff Tedford) for the first time since 1958-60. Tedford is the first coach to do it since Pappy Waldorf was on the Cal sideline 1947-49. ... Cal has held three opponents this season without a touchdown, the first time the school has done that since the 1968 "Bear Minimum" defense had three shutouts. ... Boosted by a crowd of 72,981 for the Stanford game on Nov. 20, Cal set a new season home attendance record with an average of 64,019.
STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The kicking game remains iffy. Struggling kicker Tom Schneider did manage to hit both of his field goal attempts against Stanford — from 42 and 28 yards — but punter David Lonie had a miserable day. He shanked one for 4 yards on an punt from the Stanford 39, had a 22-yard punt, and a 25-yard effort that went out of bounds at the Cardinal 20. For the day, he averaged 23.8 yards on four punts.
ROSTER REPORT: RB J.J. Arrington became Cal's single-season rushing leader, passing the mark of 1,460 set by Chuck Muncie in 1975. Arrington has 1,584 yards with two games (including the bowl) to go. ... Senior WR Burl Toler had missed four games because of knee tendinitis, but returned against Stanford. He caught one pass — from RB Marshawn Lynch — for a 20-yard score in the fourth quarter. ... WR Jonathan Makonnen has been out since Oct. 23 because of a liver contusion. He might be able to return for the Southern Miss game, as could WR Noah Smith, who missed the past two games after undergoing an appendectomy. ... WR Chase Lyman is out for the season due to a knee injury suffered against USC on Oct. 9.
SOMETHING TO REMEMBER, CALIFORNIA HAD A YARDAGE ADVANTAGE VS USC OF ALMOST 220 YARDS, IF IT WASN'T FOR A FEW PICKS INSIDE THEIR OWN 40, CALIFORNIA WOULD OF BEAT USC AT USC EASILY I FEEL.
THEY ONLY GIVE UP 89 YDS RUSHING A GAME, AND ONLY 3 TOUCHDOWNS ALL SEASON. THIS IS BAD NEWS FOR A SOUTHERN MISS TEAM THAT NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO RUN THE BALL. ALMOND IS ALSO PRETTY BANNED UP. NOT TO MENTION THE BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL THAT SOUTHERN MISS GAVE SAYING THAT CALIFORNIA DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY THEM THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TROUBLE.
WHATEVER.
I STILL FEEL THIS CALIFORNIA IS THE BEST TEAM IN COUNTRY, AND EVEN THOUGH TEDFORD TALKS ABOUT PLAYING EVERYONE, THIS SOUTHERN MISS TEAM IS WAY OVER MATCHED.
CALIFORNIA BEFORE THE EMERGANCE OF AAARON RODGERS BEAT S MISS LAST YEAR 34-2. CALIFORNIA IS MUCH BETTER THAN LAST YEAR, SOUTHERN MISS IS NOT. CALIFORNIA IS STILL PLAYING FOR A BOWL BID IN THE BCS, SOUTHERN MISS IS NOT.
I'M SURE I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU WHICH WAY I'M GOING IN THIS GAME.
JUST ABOUT EVERY TEAM IN THE PAC TEN WOULD BEAT THIS SMISS TEAM BY 10 POINTS, JUST THINK WHAT CALIFORNIA IS GOING TO DO.
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