Seattle Will End The 49ers' Undefeated Season

The 49ers glorious 8-0 season is about to suffer the stain of defeat. On Monday night, on the Niners' home field, the Seattle Seahawks will put an end to this undefeated season.


Heads out of the clouds, all you 49ers fans. Face facts. The Niners, boasting a solid defense and a tough running game, have been playing way over their heads. They are good, way better then they have been since those superb Harbaugh teams early in this decade. But they aren't that good. 8-0 means super team, This is not a super team. This isn't the Patriots with Brady in top form or the Packers with Rodgers at his peak.


Look closely at that 8-0 record and you'll see it's largely based on pummeling patsies, like the woeful Redskins and the bad Bengals. That's partly due an NFL scheduling strategy designed to promote parity and give the basement teams a boost.When a team finishes miserably, the following season their schedule is packed with sub-.500 teams. By avoiding the elite teams, poor teams have a better chance to improve their record. Without this favorable scheduling, the Niners would not be 8-0.

But the Niners are no longer doormats. That comes across loud and clear in two victories.They obliterated the Rams, holding them under 200 yards of total offense and, shockingly, under 100 passing yards. Also, the Niners trashed a fairly decent Carolina team. Only a quality outfit could do that.

Now, however, the Niners face the tough part of their schedule. They couldn't hide from the big boys forever. In their final eight games, they play the Saints, the Ravens, the Rams and the Seahawks twice, with the first game Monday night.

So far their defense hasn't had to contend with much great quarterbacking. But now they get it in heavy doses, beginning with MVP candidate Russell Wilson on Monday night. The rest of the season could be ugly. The Niners may crash and burn.

I'm not greedy. I'd be happy if the Niners finish the final eight games at 4-4. That would mean a 12-4 season, a whopping improvement over the crappy seasons of recent years.

I could live with that.

Cal Football: How a Horrible Offense Is Killing The Bears

The Cal football team, playing Utah on the road, is about to be massacred. They don't have a chance against No.12 Utah, a three-touchdown favorite.


The Utes have a great defense, ranked fourth nationally, giving up a measly 252 yards per game. Alabama and Oklahoma would have trouble gaining yards against these guys. So what can the Bears' offense do against this defense? Not much. Their offense is a joke. It's so bad it can even be stymied by lousy defenses. This offense is truly bottom of the barrel, Out of 120 major college offenses, the Bears rank No.115 in yards gained.

As usual, the Bears have one of the best defenses in the Pac12. This season, the secondary is really something special. According to pro scouts, it's one of the best in the country. Overall, this defense smothers the opposition, bends but rarely breaks. Scoring on this unit isn't easy. The last time anyone scored more than 24 points was 15 games ago.

But this stellar defense is largely wasted. The problem is the offense. It's like an anchor, dragging the team down.

About a month ago, things were looking up. Cal was 4-0 and brimming with hope, The offense was just starting to click under QB Chase Garbers. Unfortunately, though, he got hurt in the fifth game, against Arizona State, which turned into a loss because the Bears couldn't score in the second half.  Since then, the Bears' 4-0 record has tumbled to 4-3. The pummeling by Utah will drop it another notch, to 4-4.

So what's wrong with the offense?

Just about everything.

The problems start with the quarterback. Backup QB Devon Modster is a disaster, He can't make basic sideline passes and constantly overthrows receivers. His receiving corps, however, deserves some of the blame. When they're not dropping passes, they're failing to get open.

The offensive line is another major negative. Their pass-blocking is very weak, allowing defenders to swarm behind the line in a flash, giving the QBs little time to set up and look for receivers.The major consequence of bad pass blocking is to eliminate the deep threat. When defenders aren't concerned about being burned by bombs, they hang around the line of scrimmage.

Without a deep threat and with extra defenders around the line, something else suffers--the run game. Extra defenders lurking around the line of scrimmage clog the rushing lanes, severely limiting the RBs. Cal has a pair of quality runners--burly Chris Brown and speedy little Marcel Dancy. But since QB Garbers is gone, erasing the deep threat, the RBs are always bottled up. These days the Cal offense is a parade of three-and-outs.


But wait, there's more bad news. Modster is hurt, forcing Cal to turn to inexperienced freshman Spencer Brasch. He played the final minutes of the Oregon State loss, looking like what he is---an inexperienced freshman. Unless he has a miraculous transformation, that's how he will look against Utah, the best defense Cal will face this season.


After Utah the Bears have four games left---Washington State, USC, Stanford and UCLA. The Bears goal now is to win two more games and become bowl-eligible. These games are winnable. Assuming the defense continues its quality play, the QBs have to really step up.


Can they, will they....?

Best Pac12 Preview Oct. 17-19

Major Games:



Oregon State (2-4) at Cal (4-2) (11 point favorite)


Disappointed Cal fans are still crying over what might have been, what might have happened if QB Chase Garbers hadn't busted his shoulder in the first half of the Arizona State game, when the Bears were 4-0. Since then the offense, with backup Devon Modster in charge, has been a disaster. The passing game is feeble, making the running game an easy target for defenses. That flimsy offense sunk the Bears when they were playing two Top 20 teams--Arizona State and Oregon. But it won't hurt as much against a bottom-feeder like the Beavers.

Oregon State is awful. Their offense is much stronger than usual, but they are still awful, The Beaver defense so riddled with weaknesses that even Cal's offense, well-rested after a bye and playing at home, should score plenty of TDs. Cal's hard-nosed defense, which cripples every opponents' offense, shouldn't have much trouble muting the OSU attack.

Prediction:Cal wins



Arizona (4-2) at USC (3-3) (9.5 favorite)


SC's fierce second-half comeback last week on the road in the close Notre Dame loss showed once again that the Trojans, even with a raw freshman QB, Kendon Slovis, running things, can hang with good teams. SC, which plays much better at home, should tame the Wildcats, a mid-level Pac 12 team, though it won't be that easy. The Trojans' will have their hands full with QB Khalil Tate, one of the top five players in the conference. He's both a speedy, shifty runner and an accurate passer.  The Trojans' secondary is banged up, forcing them to rely on some untested rookies.  Look for Tate to take advantage of these pups, which will keep the game close. But SC will be bailed out by its potent passing game.

Prediction: USC wins



No 12 Oregon (2.5 favorite) at No 25 Washington


These two teams plus Utah represent the Pac12 elite. One of the trio will emerge as league champion. Washington, which has two losses, is the weakest of the three. Their defense is a few notches below its usual excellence and QB Jacob Eason, though he's thrown only four picks, didn't make the big plays needed to beat Cal and Stanford. Trying to shoot down the Ducks is his toughest assignment yet.Their QB, Justin Herbert, is arguably the best in the conference and the Ducks' D is a steel curtain that's in the national Top 10 in fewest points and yards surrendered. Can Eason crumble that curtain? It would be no surprise if he soars but he probably won't.

Prediction: Oregon wins



Colorado (3-3) at Washington State (3-3) (12.5 point favorite)


Bill this contest as the battle of the losers. Both are mired in three-game losing streaks. Both are a mess, but WSU is a bit less of a mess.The Cougars, led by passing wizard Anthony Gordon, have by far the best passing game in the country, They are also fifth nationally in total offense.  Unfortunately they are also tops at the bottom of the defense stats, ranked a pitiful No. 115. So they score a lot but they get scored on a lot. Colorado QB Steven Montez is skilled enough to pile up points against that WSU defense. But, in this shootout, Gordon and Co., at home, has more ammo.

Prediction: Washington State wins


No 17 Arizona State  (5-1) at No 13 Utah  (5-1)(13.5 favorite)


The Utah defense is as rock-ribbed as Oregon's but most fans don't know that because it's flying under the radar. So is Utah QB Tyler Huntley, who's hitting an impressive 76% of his passes with no INTs. If the Utes hadn't stumbled against USC in the Coliseum that Friday night they might be knocking on the door of the Top Five. The Sun Devils are a solid team with a superb defensive front, a team that doesn't beat itself. But they are no match for Utah, particularly on the road.

Prediction: Utah wins

Best Pac12 Football Preview Oct.10-11

Major games




USC (3-2) at No, 9 Notre Dane (4-1) (11.5 favorite)

SC is having a terrible time on the road this year. Both its losses have been away from the cozy confines of the LA Coliseum. So its their misfortune to be in South Bend, a house of horrors for visiting teams. The wrath of the Irish is about to strike SC, which comes to town with one of its lesser teams, one saddled with a weak rushing offense and a defense that tends to crumble in the second half. SC's strength is its passing game, featuring a fleet of fleet receivers. The Irish, though, counter with a talented secondary capable of muting the power of this passing game.


Trojan QB Kendon Slovis, who missed several games due to a concussion, returns but the inexperienced freshman is likely to be intimidated by the hostile environment and throw some crushing INTs. The Irish also get a key player back, Jafar Armstrong, one of the top five RBs in the country, who has missed four games. A one-man wrecking crew, he can destroy an opponent almost single-handed. SC is over matched at the RB position and just about everywhere else.

Prediction: Notre Dame wins.




Washington (4-2) (6.5 favorite) at Arizona (4-1)

Once considered a strength, Washington QB Jacob Eason, woefully inconsistent, has turned into an  Achilles Heel. Tough losses, to Cal and Stanford, could have been averted if Eason had made the clutch plays a big-time QB is expected to make. Look for Eason to shape up and play skillfully. What the Huskies have to do is keep marvelous Arizona QB Khalil Tate under control. Washington has the defense, which is on par with Oregon's top-notch unit, to tame Tate.

Prediction: Washington wins



Washington State  (3-2) at No. 18 Arizona State (4-1) (1.5 favorite)

Though ranked No. 18, Arizona State could easily be undefeated and in the Top 10. The lone blemish on the Sun Devils' record is a close home loss to an inferior Colorado team. The Sun Devils have a solid defense and a strong offense. WSU, however, is one-dimensional. Their offense is scary good, averaging 45 points a game. Their passing offense is peerless and, in total offense, they rank fourth nationally. But their defense is awful, so bad that Coach Mike Leach dumped the defensive coordinator.  But the new leader doesn't have time to overhaul the defense, which will keep WSU from beating well-balanced teams like Arizona State.

Prediction: Arizona State wins.


No.15 Utah (4-1) (13.5 favorite) at Oregon State (2-3)


Utah is one of the best teams in the Pac12 while Oregon State is one of the worst. The Utes have a killer offensive line which helps them control games with punishing rushing. Their league-leading ground game will wear down the weaker Beavers, who will be waving the white flag in the fourth quarter.

Prediction : Utah wins.

The Best Pac 12 Preview Oct. 5 Weekend

Preview of major games;


Cal (4-1) at No. 14 Oregon (3-1) (19 point favorite)

Oregon is probably the best team in the Pac12. Unquestionably, if it weren't for that Eastern bias, the Ducks would be in the Top 10. Their only blunder this season was a mistake-filled final quarter of their season-opening game against No. 7 Auburn. The Ducks dominated almost all the way and looked like they were going to win easily.. But the Tigers rallied and slipped past the Ducks, 27-21. Even if Oregon wins the rest of its games, that loss should keep the team out of the Final Four.


This is not typical Ducks team. Normally their strength is a zippy, race-horse offense that outscores the opposition. But the calling card of this team is its defense, which has allowed just 15 points and no touchdowns in the last three games  Its monster pass rush should make life miserable for backup Cal QB Devon Modster, who was held to just 23 yards passing last week by an Arizona State defense nowhere near as ferocious as Oregon's. Cal's offense, subpar under injured starting QB Chase Garbers, will be smothered by the Ducks with Modster in charge.

Cal's exceptional defense, featuring a superb secondary, will have its hands full with the Ducks masterful QB Justin Herbert, who is hitting 74% of his passes, with 14 TDs and no INTs. But with no help from the offense, the Cal defense, on the field far too long, will wear down in the second half.

Prediction: Oregon victory 

(No. 15) Washington (4-1) (16.5 favorite) at Stanford (2-3)

Stanford was supposed to be a Top 20 team this year but that plan went out the window quickly when QB KJ Costello was hurt in the first game against Northwestern. Davis Mills has been an adequate replacement but he's no Costello.  Under Costello the Stanford offense is smooth, efficient and powerful.  However, these days it chugs along slowly and breaks down often.

When facing a first rate passer like Washington's Jacob Eason,  the Stanford D really collapses. A transfer from Georgia who gets better each week,  Eason has completed 71% of his passes and has only been picked off twice. He will have a field day against Stanford's over matched secondary.

Prediction: Washington wins



Oregon State (1-3) at UCLA (1-4) (6 point favorite)

Only hard core fans of these teams will be watching this battle of the Pac12 bottom dwellers. Though the Bruins are favored, the Beavers look like the better team. First of all, Bruin QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, banged-up in the Arizona loss last week, won't play  He triggered the offensive explosion two weeks ago against Washington State, which many hoped was the start of an era of offensive prosperity. But the Bruins fell back to earth with a thud last week. Backup QB Austin Burton's passing and running skills are several notches below DTR's.

The key to this game is Oregon State senior QB Jake Luton, who led a late TD surge that nearly upset Stanford last week, Underrated Luton, who has no INTs, heads a potent offense that averages nearly 500 yards a game. The Beavers should pile up points against a soft Bruin D that gives up 500 yards a game.

Prediction: Oregon State wins.

The Best PAC 12 Football Preview

Savor this week, all you Cal football fans out there. Imagine, your Bears are, once again, a national power. They are all of a sudden respectable, the best team west of the Mississippi.These are the same Bears that are usually hanging out in the Pac12 basement.

Rejoice Bear fans. Your heroes are No. 15 in the AP poll. That's right, No. 15.  I'll bet some of you thought you'd never see them in the Top 25 again, let alone the Top 15. But that's not all. Get this. They are the only undefeated team in the Pac12. So outside the conference, particularly back East, they are considered the best team in the Pac12. Amazing! That's why Cloud 9 has been the second home for so many Bear fans lately. It's a rhapsodic return to the glory days of the last decade, when Jeff Tedford was coach and Aaron Rodgers was QB and Cal was a west coach power.

How long will it last? Who knows? My gut says not for long. Let's face it. This not a great team. It won two tough road games by a hair and struggled with two patsies, This is Cinderella waiting for the clock to strike midnight.This is a team pushing itself to the limits, giving maximum effort on every play. So bask in the bliss while you can.


Arizona State (3-1) at Cal (4-0)

This would have been a battle of the unbeatens if the Sun Devils hadn't been nipped 34-31 by Colorado last week. A 4.5 point home favorite, Cal has the edge because it has a faster, tougher defense and is still on the kind of high a team gets from a road win over a perennial powerhouse like Washington. ASU's offense, particularly weak at rushing, will get overwhelmed by the Bear defense. Things are looking up for Cal's subpar offense. In the road win over Mississippi last week, Cal QB Chase Garbers, who didn't look sharp in the first three games, passed for a career-best 357 yards. If he shows that game wasn't a fluke and the offense is blossoming, who knows,  maybe Cal's tenure in the Top 15 may be longer than expected.
Prediction: Cal wins.

UCLA (1-3) at Arizona (2-1)

Everybody will be watching this game with one question on their minds. Was that second half explosion, when the Bruins outscored Washington State 50-14 on the way to a 67-63 comeback road upset, a one-shot thing or a game-changer? Is Bruin QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson really in touch with his inner Tom Brady? Though he has shown flashes of greatness, DTR has basically looked like a giant bust. Though he was sensational against WSU, he was feasting on a miserable pass defense. Arizona's pass defense is even worse, ranked next-to-last nationally. Look for DTR and the Bruins to continue to be an offensive juggernaut. Arizona, a touchdown favorite, is much like WSU, with a high-octane offense and a crappy defense. So this should be another high-scoring affair where offenses stampede over defenses.
Prediction: Most people are picking Arizona but I have a hunch UCLA wins.


Washington State (3-1) at Utah (3-1)

Both are reeling from upsets last week, but the Utes are a stronger, better-balanced team that is more likely to bounce back from a tough loss. They are missing their great RB, Zack Moss, who is nursing a bum shoulder, but they have a rugged defensive line that will push the Cougars around. With QB Anthony Gordon, WSU boasts the best passing offense in the country. But that's it for the positives. The rest of the team is pretty lame. Its defense is especially awful. It was savaged last week by a UCLA offense that previously had been pitiful. WSU will score but, thanks to that rotten defense, Utah, a 4.5 favorite, will score more.
Prediction: Utah wins.


USC{3-1) at Washington (3-1)

This is pretty simple. Led by fledgling QB Matt Fink, USC heads to Seattle where the Huskies hardly ever lose. The inexperience of their QB is the least of their problems. Their rushing game, normally a strength, has vanished. Worse, injuries have weakened the defense. Not only that, Huskies' QB Jacob Eason has been superb. It's David facing Goliath.
Prediction: Washington wins.

Cal Should Beat Ole Miss In Low Scoring Game

How good are the Cal Bears, who jumped into the Top 25 this week at No. 23? As good as the team that knocked off  No. 10 powerhouse Washington in Seattle two weeks ago? Or closer to the flawed team that couldn't polish off a so-so mid major, North Texas, in Berkeley until the fourth quarter last week?


We'll have a better idea of what kind of team thus is after their road battle against Ole Miss this Saturday. Let's face it. Ole Miss isn't much. They are a low level SEC team predicted to finish under .500. But even a bad SEC team can be trouble for most teams outside that tough conference. The Rebels are just 2-1, losing to unimpressive Memphis, then whipping lousy Arkansas before staggering to a 40-29 win over inferior SE Louisiana last week. Ole Miss boasts no stars and gets average quarterbacking from Matt Corral.


Ole Miss is nowhere near as good as the Washington team that Cal beat on the road. The Bears should top this team, but as usual, it won't be easy. Ole Miss doesn't have a potent passing game to challenge Cal's vaunted secondary and the Rebel rush isn't going to put a big dent in the Bears' sturdy defensive front seven. The Rebs won't score much but neither will Cal, which is weighed down by a weak offense that averages a paltry 159 yards passing per game and rarely converts third downs. It's a big deal if the Bears score score more than 24, so it should be a low-scoring game. That kind of game is often decided by a turnover, which\ favors the Bears, who conquered the crippling turnover habit that plagued them last season. Fumbles, though,  have haunted Ole Miss this year.


Look for Cal, bolstered by some effective power running, to come out on top in a close one.



Predictions:

UCLA, off to an embarrassing 0-5 start last season, is well on its way to duplicating that misery this season. They are 0-3 and will be 0-4 after this weekend. They are in Pullman about to get crushed by Washington State, a 19-point favorite. The Bruins, who give up 279 passing yards per game, are about to become the latest victims of red-hot Cougar QB Anthony Gordon who, leading the nation's best passing attack, has passed for at least 420 yards in each of WSU's three wins. The hapless Bruins don't have a chance in this one.


Ranked No. 10, Utah, arguably the best team in the Pac 12, is a 3.5 favorite to beat USC at the Coliseum Friday night. Utah's ace in the hole is a monster offensive line which hasn't given up a sack this season and opens huge holes for RB Zack Moss, the best runner in the league. This is a team that rarely makes mistakes. So far, in three wins, they have only one turnover, while SC, this season, has eleven. They have had one common opponent, BYU. USC  lost to the Cougars in OT last week while Utah had no trouble with them, winning 30-12. Utah has never won at the Coliseum. That eight-game losing streak ends Friday night.

Cal Goes To 3-0

  

Cal, 3-0.  Looks great, doesn't it? But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Bears are 2-0 right now and lounging on Cloud 9 after pulling off the biggest upset of the season, whipping Washington 20-19, in Seattle. But the Bears still have to beat North Texas, though that shouldn't be too difficult.  Cal is a 14 point favorite to beat, in Berkeley, this mid-major team that is 1-1 and reeling from a 49-27 pounding, on the road, by a so-so SMU team. True, North Texas has an explosive offense that averages 39 points and nearly 500 yards a game but their defense is a joke, surrendering, in just two games, 80 points and 959 yards, ranking a pitiful No .123 nationally in scoring defense.

The key to this game is the Cal defense, regarded as one of the nation's best. The jewel of the defense is the secondary, which will smother and punish the North Texas receivers. But these receivers won't be getting many accurate passes from QB Mason Fine, because he'll be too busy trying to escape the lethal Cal pass rush.

The Cal defense will severely restrict the North Texas point total, which is essential to a win since the Cal offense, even against a lousy defense, won't run wild. The Bear offense is very conservative, counting mostly on the rushing of power back Chris Brown and scatback Marcel Dancy. QB Chase Garbers has limited skills so the Bears won't pile up a lot of passing yardage or TD passes, which is the way teams usually engineer routs.

So, unless the Bear defense scores a lot of points or sets up a bunch of easy TDs, this isn't likely to be a runaway. But it should be a win and a boost to 3-0. Even better, depending on how the teams at the bottom of the Top 25 fare, the Bears might even sneak into the Top 25.

Predictions:

Stanford (1-1),  on the road against No. 17 Central Florida (2-0) , gets starting QB KJ Costello back but that doesn't mean victory. UCF has its own QB problems but, as a 7.5 home favorite, should handle Stanford. Last week SC's inexperienced freshman QB Kendon Slovis looked like Tom Brady while destroying the Cardinal. Stanford should take it on the chin again this week...Washington (1-1) will take out its anger against Cal on poor Hawaii (2-0)...Undefeated Oklahoma will push weak UCLA  to 3-0.

 

How Jackass President Trump Crapped on Clemson

I cheered the Clemson Tigers when they trashed the hated Alabama Crimson Tide on Jan 7 to win their second college football championship in three years.

But I've changed my tune. Now it's this--screw Clemson!

To hell with those classless jokers. To me this team will forever be tainted because of a monumental misstep. Yesterday they visited the White House as guests of the Idiot in charge--Donald Trump. Traditionally champions of pro and college sports visit the White House for a pat on the back by the President. But, if the President is a jackass--and that's the nicest thing you can say about this sorry excuse for a human being--the team acknowledges this by declining the invitation.

Clemson should have resoundingly rejected the White House invite. But the 75-man team, headed by coach Dabo Sweeney, showed up, making fools of themselves. Attending the ceremony is, in a sense, supporting this Clown.

What a stupid move! Clemson thereby moves to the top of my list of Boneheaded Teams.

And how does the Clown show his appreciation? He serves them a buffet of fast food. Champions deserve a gourmet meal, not burgers and pizza. But what else do you expect from this jerk?

His excuse for the low-class meal is that, with the government on partial shutdown, the staff members who would have handled this catered event were on furlough. So Trump paid for it himself. A notorious cheapskate, he wasn't going to spring for something expensive, like steak and lobster, for such a large group. So he took the low road and served them the fast-food crap he normally feasts on.

He pats himself on the back, crowing that he's giving them the kind of food they prefer. What a pile of crap! By serving them junk food he's disrespecting them, essentially saying this is what they deserve.

I don't feel sorry for this team. They set themselves up for this smack in the face, this foul gesture, by accepting the invite in the first place. They really are getting what they deserve.

This is how it is. When you're rummaging around in the sewer, you can't complain about getting crapped on.

Fire UCLA Men's Basketball Coach--Now!

Steve Alford should be fired NOW!

He's hired to coach basketball and he's robbing UCLA. What I just saw on the court in Westwood is not a team that has a competent coach. It was ridiculous. It was embarrassing.

UCLA just lost--at home no less--to a team from Liberty University. Yes, that's Liberty University. I have never heard of that school. I had to go to Google to find out where it is. By the way, it turns out the school is in Lynchburg, Va.  UCLA doesn't lose to schools nobody has ever heard of.

The game wasn't even close. The score was 73-58. The Bruins, now 7-6 and on a four-game losing streak, committed 24 turnovers, their highest total of the season. They are getting worse.

They have twice as much talent as Liberty but the Bruins players looked comatose. They weren't playing hard. They looked like they wanted to be anywhere but on that court.

Alford has clearly lost that team. They are not playing for him.

What needs to happen is that the boosters need to pool their cash and buy out this loser coach. The boosters can afford it. To some of those guys the money it would take to rid us of Alford is chump change.

I won't be watching any more UCLA games, not until AD Guerrero rids the program of this cancer

named Steve Alford.