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.

 

How Cal Will Eke Out a Win In the Cheeze-It Bowl

Cal (7-5)  v  TCU (6-6)

Cheez-It Bowl in Arizona


  A buddy of mine joked that this game might end in 0-0 tie. Yes, it's a snarky joke but, there's some truth to it. Both teams owe their success to defense. Cal's is really good, ranked No.16 nationally. TCU's is a notch below, at No. 26.  But both have crappy offenses that will be overwhelmed by these elite defenses. If you've watched these two defenses handcuff top-flight offenses all season you can't help wondering how either of these puny offenses will ever cross the goal line. A 0-0 tie? Not so far-fetched.

Scoring on Cal will be tough. Only one team, pass-happy Washington State, passed for over 300 yards against that super secondary. In five out of the last six games, the Bear D kept opponents under 100 yards rushing. TCU doesn't have the skill players to make a dent in the Cal defense. The TCU defense, while outstanding, has some holes that Cal will be able to exploit.

TCU, which had a bad stretch mainly due to injuries, lost five out of six games and didn't seem like bowl material. But a solid 3-1 record made them bowl eligible. TCU is just happy to be in a bowl game. Cal, which hasn't been in a bowl game since 2015, feels the same way.

The odds-makers have this one as a pick-em, Agreed. This should be a close, low-scoring game. Because Cal has a slight edge on defense, look for the Bears to eke out a victory.

How Stanford Will Win The Big Game

Stanford (7-4) at (Cal (7-4)




The preseason predictions for both Cal and Stanford turned out to be dead wrong,

Back then the consensus was that Stanford, ranked in the No.10-15 range, would be in the battle for Pac12 supremacy, led by Heisman candidate, RB Bryce Love. But because Love has been banged up all season, the running game fizzled, and so did Stanford's championship hopes. So the Cardinal morphed into a passing team, led by KJ Costello, arguably the league's second best QB after Washington State's Gardner Minshew.

Originally dismissed as a bottom feeder, Cal is one of the season's surprises, clawing its way to mid-level Pac12.  Under previous coach, pass-happy Sonny Dykes, Cal was all offense and no defense. But now, with defensive specialist Justin Wilcox at the helm, the Bears have spiraled to the opposite extreme--all defense and no offense. Cal boasts the Pac12's toughest defense, featuring the conference's premiere secondary. Cal's offense, just 109th in the country, isn't just ineffective, it's a liability. In mid season Cal lost a few games because the offense was averaging nearly five turnovers a game. Wilcox solved the turnover problem by elevating Chase Garbers to starting QB, but the offense is still horrible. Last week Cal nearly blew the Colorado game because the offense hardly ever got a first down, forcing the defense to wear down in the fourth quarter because it was on the field way too long.

Cal's offense is the key to the Big Game. For the Bears to win, the offense has to sustain drives and pile up first downs and allow the defense time to take breathers. The defense has to stay fresh to contend with the slick Stanford passing game. Cal's biggest problem on offense is crappy deep passing. That translates into relying too heavily on the run game, featuring Patrick Laird and Brandon McIlwain, That, however, means trouble since Stanford has a potent rushing defense.

Can Cal's offense flourish and not drag down the defense? Cal can win if this turns into a low-scoring game dominated by defense. But if this explodes into a shootout, the Bears don't have the offensive weapons to keep up.

The scrappy, never-say-die Bears might pull this one out but that's a long shot. Everything points to Stanford, a three-point favorite which has scored 97 points in its last two games, winning its ninth straight Big Game.

Who Wins The Apple Cup? WSU Of Course

Washington (8-3) at Washington State (10-1)

This is the game of the year in the Pac12, between the two best teams in the conference. The winner of this game, known as the Apple Cup, is the king of the Pac12 North and, next week, plays Pac12 South leader Utah for the conference championship. The Apple Cup winner is really the conference champ. Next week's game is anti-climactic. Either Washington team should dominate Utah.

State has, by far, the best offense in the Pac12, averaging 40.5 points per game. It's mostly via passing, lead by QB Gardner Minshew, who is on a roll. Last week he passed for 473 yards and seven TDs, while State piled up 69 points against Pac12 patsy Arizona. In his last two  games he has passed for 9TDs and no INTs. In his last four, he's been picked off just once.

Lately the Cougars.led by Minshew's passing, have been steamrolling teams. But they won't walk all over the Huskies, who have the league's best defense. The last time State played a defense of this caliber, Cal's--which is a notch less potent than the Huskies'--the Cougars barely won. Washington will certainly slow down the Cougars' explosive passing offense. Meanwhile, the Huskies won't be scoring a lot of points. The Cougars have the second best defense in the Pac12,  so Washington's very average offense, headed by veteran QB Jake Browning, won't do a whole lot of damage'

Look for an intense, grueling, tight game with both teams scoring in the 20s. State's home field advantage will be crucial. So will Browning's veteran leadership. Like all these rivalry games this one can go either way. But playing in Pullman should tip the scales in State's favor.

Pac 12 Preview: USC, Cal win

Pac12 Pick Of The Week:

USC (5-5) at UCLA (2-8)


Don't listen to USC coach Clay Helton. He insists his job is safe even though his underachieving Trojans need a win over UCLA this weekend or next week over Notre Dame to get to six wins to become bowl eligible. He's delusional.  He's lucky he wasn't canned after Saturday's 15-14 loss to Cal. Yes the Bears' ferocious D was the main factorin that win but SC was a major contributor with stupid mistakes, including penalties, turnovers, dropped passes and a critical bad snap, all indicative of poor coaching.

Another rap against Helton is his QB management. Freshman QB JT Daniels helped blow the Cal game with a horrible second half, highlighted by a miserable passing yardage total-- 33 yards. Some think there's a better QB sitting on the Trojan bench. In his college debut, the Arizona State loss, Jack Sears passed for 235 yards and two TDs, looking considerably sharper than Daniels. But Helton has blundered choosing QBs before, starting Max Browne, who turned out to be a bust, over Sam Darnold a few years ago.

In theory SC, with its superior personnel, should easily dispose of the Bruins, whose most glaring deficiency is a terrible run defense, which allows opponents to control the game via rushing. SC doesn't have a great ground game but it's good enough to roll through the Bruins who, to make matters worse, bolster enemy passing attacks with a feeble pass rush.

SC should win this one, but if they should lose or if its an ugly victory, Helton is a goner.





Stanford (6-4) at Cal (6-4)


The Cal defense, ranked 16th in the country and the school's best in decades, is the key to this game.
In the Bears' last four games, no opponent has scored more than 20 points. In those games the run defense has been superb, not allowing any team to cross the 100-yard mark.

The run defense isn't even the star of the team's defense. Actually, that is the secondary. Stanford's strength, however, is its passing game. In four of its last five games, QB KJ Costello has passed for at least 300 yards. You don't hear as much about Costello since Washington State QB Gardner Minshew, who's having a Heisman year, gets all the attention in discussions about Pac12 QBs. Costello, though, is having a great year, which is a bonus for Stanford because its running game has gone down the drain, since injuries have slowed star RB Bryce Love.

Stanford is a good team with a sturdy defense. Its four losses have been to teams currently in the Top 20. Its defense shouldn't have much trouble with Cal's wimpy offense. Essentially this game comes down to Cal's defense vs. the Stanford passing game. Who will get the upper hand?

It could go either way. You know how these rivalry games are. I'm leaning toward a Cal victory, based on the excellence of its defense, in a low-scoring game, but a Stanford win wouldn't surprise me.

Will Cal Finally Whip USC? YES!!!!!!

Pac12 Pick of The Week

Cal (5-4) at USC (5-4)


For the past 14 years Cal has been a patsy for SC--a guaranteed win. The Trojans are always much better, while Cal has hardly ever had a chance. This year, though, is different. Both have the same record, but Cal is actually superior. Here's one indication. With Utah at half strength due to key injuries, at the moment the two best teams in the Pac12 are Washington State and Washington. Well Cal beat Washington and last week lost to Washington State in the last minute, breaking a fourth-quarter tie. SC, however, has staggered through its conference schedule.

Because of too many shoddy performances by his team, Trojan coach Clay Helton may be out the door at the end of the season. SC, with three games left, needs a win to go to a bowl. They could easily lose to Cal or UCLA and most certainly will be trampled by No. 3 Notre Dame. For Helton to keep his job, the Trojans probably have to run the table--a real long shot.

This is far from the usual Trojan powerhouse. Their biggest problem may be at the QB position, with freshman J.T. Daniels a victim of inexperience and injuries. SC's usual strength, the offense line, has been a primary weakness. The defense has forced only seven turnovers and hasn't had an INT in its last three games. Another glaring negative: the team has been plagued by penalties, a sign of sloppy coaching.

Cal's major strength is a strong defense--bolstered by an exceptional secondary--that doesn't surrender many points. But its offense is weak. Cal generally ekes out victories in low-scoring games. If an opponent jumps out to a big lead Cal lacks the offensive punch to catch up.

Like USC, Cal needs a victory in its last three games--against the Trojans, Stanford and Colorado--to get a bowl bid for the first time in years. But beating USC, a five-point favorite, will be really tough. SC both plays well at home and in November, while Cal is a lousy road team.

Because of Cal strengths and SC's holes, this is Cal's best chance of beating the Trojans since that embarrassing string of losses began 14 years go. Last month Cal lost a string of games due to a rash of turnovers. Though they have cut down on the turnovers, that last-second loss to Washington State last week was set up by a turnover.

Cal usually finds a way to lose at the LA Coliseum but, this time, against a weaker-than-usual SC team, I'm gonna climb out on a limb and predict that the Bears will finally win one.

Pac12 Preview: Washington St Beats Cal, UCLA Loses

Pac12 Pick of the Week:

Cal (5-3) at No. 8 Washington State (7-1)

Though the Cougars deny it, there is a revenge factor in this one. Last year, when State was riding high--undefeated and in the Top Ten--they were shot down, 37-3, in Berkeley by the lowly Bears, who forced seven turnovers and spoiled their season. That won't happen this time. First of all, State is at home and Cal is a miserable road team. When the Bears routed Oregon State two weeks ago, that broke the Bears' conference road losing streak that dated back to 2015. Oregon State is awful. Cal still hasn't whipped a decent Pac12 team on the road in years. They aren't going to start this weekend.

This year State is just too good, with a close road loss to USC the lone blemish on its record. Like the flashy Oklahoma teams, State is propelled by a powerhouse passing game. QB Gardner Minshew,  a serious Heisman candidate, heads a unit that leads the nation in passing yards, 3183, topping 300 yards every game and 400 yards five times.

It'll take a skilled defense to corral the Cougars. Cal, though,  has that kind of defense. It'll be the best the Cougars have faced all season and the lone top-notch one they will confront until going up against Washington in a few weeks. In its last two games the Cal defense has given up only seven points to Oregon State and ten to Washington. The jewel of that defense is the super secondary, which has surrendered more than 200 yards just once, to Oregon QB whiz, Justin Herbert. Having to penetrate that secondary should slow down the State passing game.

Cal's problem is its very ordinary, low-scoring offense. If Minshew is able to get the State passing game to operate efficiently, Cal is cooked. They simply can't win a fast-paced scoring battle. The offense, however, has stopped self-destructing. For a three-game stretch, it was averaging about five turnovers a game.  But in the last two it has just one turnover. Penalties are down too. The total in Cal's last two games is a meager four.

Look for State, a 9 1/2 point favorite, to win this one. If the Cal defense is at the top of its game, the score will be close.



UCLA (2-6) at Oregon (5-3)

What's important about this game isn't the game itself. It's that it marks the return of Bruin coach Chip Kelly to Eugene, where he established himself as a first-rate coach. Kelly would dearly love to beat up his old team, but that's not going to happen. Last week, the Bruins were crushed by Utah. This week, they will most likely be crushed by the Ducks.

Oregon, which seemed like a Top 20 team early in the season. has been exposed as a subpar outfit, burdened with a bad defense. They were trashed last week by Arizona and looked horrible, particularly QB Herbert. But this week the Ducks get to take out their frustrations on a team that's in even worse shape. The Bruins are a mess, with QB problems, defensive woes, etc. You name it and it's going wrong for the Bruins.

An antidote for a reeling team is playing a team with more problems. For the Ducks, a 10-point favorite, the staggering Bruins are just what the doctor ordered.

Pac12 Preview: Washington State, Washington Win

Pac12 Pick of The Week:

No. 14 Washington State (6-1) at No. 24 Stanford (5-2):


This game comes down to State's strength against Stanford's weakness. The Cougars have a powerhouse, machine-gun-like passing attack that has piled up more than 300 yards in seven straight games and several times has even crossed the 400-yard mark. Cougar QB Gardner Minshew is hitting over 70% of his passes, thrown 23 TD passes and, with a month's worth of games left, has an impressive passing yardage total, 2745 yards, second highest in the country.


What kind of pass defense can Stanford present to challenge such a fearsome attack? Put is this way. Last week an obscure QB, Arizona State's Manny Wilkins, passed for 353 yards against Stanford's slow, soft secondary. Imagine the damage Minshew will do.

Even more ominous for Stanford, State has a run defense that's like a brick wall. So Stanford's cream-puff running game will look even flimsier. Their passing attack isn't strong enough to pick up the slack. So where are the Stanford points going to come from? That's their primary problem.

On paper, State should trample Stanford. But things don't always play out the way they're supposed to. State isn't used to leading the Pac12 this late in the season. Could they have a meltdown and crumble? It's possible--but not likely.

Because it's a Stanford home game they are favored by 3. Though winning a conference road game is tough, look for State to win this one fairly easily.



No.15 Washington at Cal:


Don't read too much into Cal's 49-7 rout of Oregon State last week. Remember it was Oregon State, the worst team in the conference. The difference was that the Bears had only one turnover, after averaging nearly five a game in a three-game losing streak. Also, at QB, Chase Garbers, a polished passer, replaced Brandon McIlwain, who had been responsible for most of the turnovers. McIlwain had been the starter, to take advantage of his marvelous running skills but, because of the turnovers, he had become a liability.

Cal's main plus in this one is home field advantage. But that is not enough. Washington is, by far, the superior team and should prevail. The Huskies' speedy, savvy defense should bottle up Cal's offense, which lacks a field-stretching, deep-passing game to ease the pressure on hard-running RB Patrick Laird.  Washington never blows away opponents because their offense, lead by efficient QB Jake Browning, is barely above average and usually does just enough to win.

Cal's excellent pass defense should slow down the Washington offense and keep the game competitive, Favored by 11 1/2 points, the Huskies usually play just well enough to win. They should win this one, but might not cover the spread. So if you're betting, taking Cal is the smart move.

Pac12 Preview:Utah Overruns UCLA

Utah (5-2) at UCLA (2-5)

After an abysmal 0-5 start the Bruins deserve mountains of praise for markedly improving and mounting a two-game winning streak. But upgraded UCLA isn't ready to be competitive with Utah, arguably the best team in the Pac12. The Utah buzz-saw is going to grind up the gutty little Bruins.

Last week the Utes destroyed a decent USC team 41-28 (it wasn't that close), with QB Tyler Huntley passing for 341 yards and four TDs and RB Zack Moss running for 156 yards. If the Utes dominated USC what are they going to do to UCLA, which is quite a few notches below USC? For the Bruins to have a chance against Utah they need freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson to be in tip-top shape. But he banged up his throwing shoulder last week against Arizona and may not play. His backup Wilson Speight is no match for the Utes.

While Utah has a superb offense, its strength is its defense, which is the best in the Pac12, giving up less than 300 yards a game. Its signatures are a murderous pass rush and a rushing defense (74.6 yards per game)) that leads the nation.

Considering the Bruins are weaker at QB, they could easily be blown out by the Utes, who are 10 1/2 point favorites.

Pac12 Preview: Washington State, UCLA and Cal Win

Pac12 Pick of the Week:


No.12 Oregon (5-1) at No. 25 Washington State (5-1)

Parity reigns in the Pac12. There are no dominant teams, just four or five very good ones, including Washington State and Oregon, which are basically equal.

But the Cougars have the edge here, not only playing with two weeks off but also playing at home. Oregon thought they had it tough against Washington last week, but Duck QB Justin Herbert was able to operate back then with little pressure. It will be different in Pullman, where the defense will give him far less time to pass.

The Ducks' defense hasn't faced a passing offense like the Cougars'--one filled with lightening strikes. State QB Gardner Minshew is one of the best in the country--and one of the best kept secrets since playing in Pullman is flying under the radar. Minshew's stats are startling. The Cougars average over 400 yards a game passing, with Minshew hitting 19 TDs with only 4 INTs.

Overall Oregon is the better team, but look for State, a two-point favorite, to win Saturday and for Minshew to out-duel the much heralded Herbert.


Arizona (3-4) at UCLA (1-5)

This one is easy. All you need to know is that Arizona QB Khalil Tate, a monster dual-threat weapon and the heart and soul of the team, is out. If he's healthy, the Wildcats have a chance against anybody in the Pac12, Without him, forget it.

The Bruins are riding high, with back-to-back solid games against Washington and Cal. QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is suddenly one of the best in the conference, hitting 40 out of 53 passes in the last two games, adding a deep-passing game to the offense. The O line has developed into a skilled unit, opening holes for RB Joshua Kelley, who now boasts a string of three 100-plus-yard games.

Arizona's Backup QB Rhett Rodriguez is just average and their run game is wildly inconsistent. The Bruins should stampede through the Wildcats' bad rushing defense. The Bruins, 8-point favorites, should cruise. If you are betting, take UCLA.

Cal (3-3) at Oregon State (1-5)

The worst team in the Pac12? It used to be Oregon State, but Cal, with three straight losses, is challenging for the title of best bottom-feeder.

The Bears, however, just might claw their way out of this losing streak. Their primary
problem has been turnovers, with a staggering total of 14 in the last three games. But the Beavers' defense has caused just five turnovers all season. That's just one of its deficiencies. Its most damaging flaw may be its inability to stop opponents on third-down plays. In that category State's D is last in the country. Also in Cal's favor is that State's weak run defense shouldn't be an obstacle to the Bears' strength--its run game, which stars Patrick Laird.

But the Bears, a seven-point favorite, are no cinch to win this one. A nagging hangup is an inability to win on the road. They haven't done it since 2016. However the Beavers' awful defense shouldn't get in the way and the Bears should easily handle their offense, which features just one big gun--freshman RB Jermar Jefferson, one of the best in the conference. It would help if the Bears were more effective at downfield passing but their ground game should be enough.

Prediction: Cal QB Brandon McIlwain stops throwing INTs and Cal finally conquers The Curse of The Road.

Pac12 Preview: Oregon, USC, Cal, USC Wins

Pac12 Pick of the week: Washington (5-1) at Oregon (4-1)

The consensus is that Washington is the best team in the conference. Wrong. Oregon actually deserves that title.The Ducks were minutes away from being 5-0, but late in the Stanford game a few weeks ago they made some boneheaded plays and blew a game they had in the bag.

Oregon can remove any doubt about who's best by whipping the Huskies this weekend. It's mostly up to Duck QB Justin Herbert, arguably the best college player in the country. He's burning up the Pac12, hitting 76% of his passes in conference contests, while averaging more than ten yards per throw.

Washington has a superb defense which is primarily expert at stopping the run. When it comes to pass rush and sacks, however, the Huskies are just so-so. The Ducks' O line should give Herbert time--though with that quick release he doesn't need much time--to decimate that Washington defense. The Huskies' offense has never been that lethal, though it's been scarier in recent weeks since QB Jake Browning has sharpened both his mid-range and deep-passing games

Here's a sobering thought. UCLA freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson lit up the Huskies defense for 272 yards , hitting 71% of his passes and two TDs. If an unpolished freshman can do that to the Huskies' defense, what kind of damage can Herbert do?

Though favored by 3 1/2 points, Washington will fall to the Ducks.


UCLA (0-5) at Cal (3-2)

The most important aspect of this game is its location. It's in Berkeley. That most likely means a Cal victory. Give the Bears a losing team at home, especially a win-less team like the Bruins that counts heavily on underclassmen and you'll most likely get a Cal win,

But not so fast. The Young Bruins are improving, particularly QB Thompson-Robinson and RB Joshua Kelly, who has piled up 249 yards in the last two games. They don't score much. That 24 points they scored in the 31-24 Washington loss last week was the most they have scored all season. But that was by far their best game of the season. It was all the more impressive considering it came against the best team in the conference.

Cal is the better team but is horribly mistake-prone, with 14 turnovers in the last four games. One of Cal's few assets is nifty running QB Brandon McIlwain. But they have many deficiencies, like no deep passing game and no pass rush. Very easily, the Bears could commit a slew of turnovers and lose this game.

But the young Bruins aren't likely to play their best on the road so, with great caution, I predict Cal wins this one.

Colorado (5-0) at USC (5-2)

Oregon QB Herbert may be the best pro prospect among the conference's QBs but the most effective by far at the position is Colorado's Steven Montez, who has put the Buffalos on his back and carried them to respectability. He faces his toughest task this weekend at the LA Coliseum,

His problem  is two-fold. First he has to beat a conference team on the road, which is hard to do. Second, this is no ordinary conference team. It's one Colorado has never defeated, losing twelve times, dating back to 1927.

By high SC standards, this is a fairly ordinary Trojan team, riddled with flaws, like its penchant for committing penalties, while rarely generating turnovers. The guts of the offense is up-and-down freshman QB, JT Daniels, and a suddenly explosive RB Aca'Cedric White. After a shaky start due to Daniels' inexperience, the offense is finally clicking.

These two teams are fairly equal. The question is can QB Montez play at the top of his game and power the Buffs to a road win, finally shattering that long losing streak. He's unlikely do it on the road.

USC wins this one.