Being the sports fan that I am, especially at the high school and college level, and being a grad of the University of California system (Cal, UCLA, UCSB), and a long time fan of USC…I am partial towards the Pac 10. This year, not a lot of national excitement about the Pac 10 teams, but, being the optimist that I am, I think the Conference will ”hold its own”. However, pre season pundits are not giving much credit, but a reporter for the Orange County Register, Marcia Smith, has done one of the best brief comments on the Pac 10 teams and what we can expect. Next week I will see Cal and can see how her evaluation of the Golden Bears holds up…but here is her well done analysis:
The Pac-10 has entered a new era, adopted a more modern-looking logo reflecting the West’s mountains and ocean and taken a more aggressive national stance thanks to second-year Commissioner Larry Scott’s bold steps to get coast-to-coast exposure and erode the not-so-mythical East Coast Bias.
Scott says 2010 is going to be a special season for the “Conference of Champions.”
USC quarterback Matt Barkley and UCLA defensive back Rahim Moore will help lead their respective teams into the 2010 college football season. Click on the PHOTO to see the predicted Pac-10 finish.
•The state of Oregon boasts both league programs with the best chances of making national runs. The loaded Oregon Ducks (No. 11 in both the AP and the USA Today Coaches’ Poll) and the Oregon State Beavers (No. 24 AP), powered by brothers Jacquizz and James Rodgers, look to turn heads to the Pacific Northwest.•The Pac-10′s spectacle team, USC, enters without the charismatic, win-forever coach Pete Carroll, without a top six in the preseason ranking for the first time in six seasons and without being the favorite to win the conference title. Instead, the Trojans have a generous No. 14 AP ranking, a new coach in Lane Kiffin, NCAA sanctions to work within and all the turmoil that comes with being in the NCAA doghouse. They have the talent but might lack the numbers to get through a season that could go either way if key players don’t stay healthy.
•Potential 2010 No. 1 NFL overall draft selection Jake Locker returns for a senior season at Washington for unfinished business. The talented quarterback has yet to guide the Huskies to a bowl game or a winning record.
•Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson and Washington State’s Paul Wulff open the season on the coaching hotseat while Cal’s Jeff Tedford needs to figure out how to guide the Golden Bears closer to meet their expectations.
•Talented quarterbacks Nick Foles at Arizona and Andrew Luck at Stanford hope to lead their teams back into the national conversation with creative offense.
•And UCLA, despite coming off a victory in a minor bowl, will continue Rick Neuheisel’s rebuilding project, with Westwood eager to see the Bruins finally get over the hump.
So, it all starts next week. In the meantime I have to live with my good friends from Oregon…..and see the Green and Gold from Oregon one day and the black and orange from Oregon State the next. But, I stay true…Go Bears!
Showing posts with label PAC 10 Report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PAC 10 Report. Show all posts
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Football Season "a-comin' "
In the local paper today, a nice article on the just played Lions All-Star Football game; the outstanding players and outstanding plays; and a good game synopsis. I am looking forward to the high school football season. It is always good. Then, last night I went to the Youth Peewee Football practice where my grandson plays for the Foothill team. These kids are 13 and 14 years of age, and they really work at learning the fundamentals of football to equip them for high school. A good program for a lot of kids, and very well coached.
Personally, I really “get into” college football. Having been part of USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cal…one way or the other, every weekend I watch some college football. With season tickets to Cal games, I get to see most of the Pac 10 teams in action, and having lived in the football crazed states of Ohio and Texas…it is good to see the Pac 10 teams hold their own nationally. However, very little college football coverage locally, so I decided to give folks an update in my blogs on what is going on in the Pac 10…from my point of view. Stay tuned for my thoughts on your particular Pac 10 team. Suffice it to say in this writing that both Oregon and Oregon State are in the Top 25 pre-season picks nationally. The Trojans of USC, even with the damaging NCAA penalties, are still figured to be a “team to beat”, and Stanford returns a star studded field with a great QB. So, where is Cal? All bets are off on Cal, but the football “guru’s” see them as a spoiler in many games. As last season, which Cal team will show up, is the question.
Should be an interesting and exciting year for College football…and I am ready. More to come.
ronlargent@kw.com www.ronlargent.com
Personally, I really “get into” college football. Having been part of USC, UCLA, Stanford, and Cal…one way or the other, every weekend I watch some college football. With season tickets to Cal games, I get to see most of the Pac 10 teams in action, and having lived in the football crazed states of Ohio and Texas…it is good to see the Pac 10 teams hold their own nationally. However, very little college football coverage locally, so I decided to give folks an update in my blogs on what is going on in the Pac 10…from my point of view. Stay tuned for my thoughts on your particular Pac 10 team. Suffice it to say in this writing that both Oregon and Oregon State are in the Top 25 pre-season picks nationally. The Trojans of USC, even with the damaging NCAA penalties, are still figured to be a “team to beat”, and Stanford returns a star studded field with a great QB. So, where is Cal? All bets are off on Cal, but the football “guru’s” see them as a spoiler in many games. As last season, which Cal team will show up, is the question.
Should be an interesting and exciting year for College football…and I am ready. More to come.
ronlargent@kw.com www.ronlargent.com
Thursday, September 3, 2009
PAC 10 Report...Cal vs. Maryland Sept 5th
PAC 10 Report
Cal Bears Plays Maryland for the Season Opener
Ron Largent Sept 1, 2009
California will kick off its 114th season of football at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Maryland at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Golden Bears begin a promising 2009 campaign looking to extend current streaks of seven straight winning seasons, six consecutive post-season appearances and four bowl victories in a row - the latter two school records.
In the first seven seasons under head coach Jeff Tedford, the Bears' 59-30 record is their best seven-year stretch in nearly a century since a seven-year run under legendary head coach Andy Smith when the Wonder Teams posted a 57-4-5 mark from 1918-24. The team's 59 wins over the past seven seasons are also the second most in the Pac-10 behind USC.
Enthusiasm for the 2009 season is high in Berkeley with the Golden Bears featuring one of the nation's top Heisman Trophy candidates in junior tailback Jahvid Best and an experienced starting quarterback in junior Kevin Riley. A total of four players have earned preseason All-American honors and been named to national watch lists: Best, senior defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, sophomore punter Bryan Anger and senior defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson.
The team's defense returns eight of 11 starters, including its entire defensive line and defensive backfield, from a year ago. All told, Cal has 17 starters back with seven on offense and two specialists accompanying the eight on defense.
Cal Ranked No. 12 Nationally
Cal heads into the 2009 campaign ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls. Since Jeff Tedford took over as head coach in 2002, the only time the Bears were rated higher in the preseason by AP came in 2006 when Cal was listed at No. 9. The Bears were also ranked 12th by AP in 2007, while they were voted 12th by the coaches twice previously, before the 2003 and 2006 campaigns.
For Openers
Cal has an all-time record of 70-39-4 in season-openers and has won its first contest of the season in four of the last five years. Jeff Tedford is 5-2 in season-openers as the Bears' head coach and has never lost a season-opener at home, sporting a 4-0 mark in those contests - 2002 (70-22 vs. Baylor), 2005 (41-3 vs. Sacramento State), 2007 (45-31 vs. Tennessee) and 2008 (38-31 vs. Michigan State).
Cal-Maryland Series Notes
Cal and Maryland met for the first time last year when the Terps came up with a 35-27 victory on Sept. 13, 2008, in College Park, Maryland. The loss was the first of the campaign for Cal after it had opened the season with two victories. Kevin Riley's 423 yards in the air were the fourth-most ever by a Cal player, while his 58 attempts (33 completions) set a school record.
2009 Training Camp A Success
California conducted 24 practice sessions over 23 days during a successful 2009 training camp that culminated with approximately 5,000 fans attending Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 29. The line to get an autograph from junior tailback Jahvid Best extended nearly 140 yards at its peak.
Blueout
Fans are encouraged to "Be True, Wear Blue" for the Blue Out of the season-opener against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more information, visit CalBears.com/blueout.
Cal Picked Second In Pac-10 Preseason Media Poll
California has been picked to finish second in the 2009 Pac-10 preseason poll of media members who regularly cover the league for the fifth time in the last six years. USC was the media's preseason choice to win the conference title for an eighth consecutive season (Cal shared the conference crown in 2006). The Trojans were listed in the top spot by 28 of the 32 voters participating in the poll, while Cal claimed three of the four other first-place votes. Oregon (one first-place vote) was picked third and followed by Oregon State, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Washington State.
Preseason Honors
Cal players have received multiple honors prior to the 2009 season. The first-team preseason All-American selections of Bryan Anger, Jahvid Best and Syd'Quan Thompson highlight the list, while Tyson Alualu was an honorable mention preseason All-American choice. All four are also on preseason watch lists for various awards. A list of compiled 2009 honors is in the box on this page.
All of the above is from various internet sources, with no guarantee of its correctness, validity, or accurateness.
Cal Bears Plays Maryland for the Season Opener
Ron Largent Sept 1, 2009
California will kick off its 114th season of football at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, against Maryland at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The contest will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Golden Bears begin a promising 2009 campaign looking to extend current streaks of seven straight winning seasons, six consecutive post-season appearances and four bowl victories in a row - the latter two school records.
In the first seven seasons under head coach Jeff Tedford, the Bears' 59-30 record is their best seven-year stretch in nearly a century since a seven-year run under legendary head coach Andy Smith when the Wonder Teams posted a 57-4-5 mark from 1918-24. The team's 59 wins over the past seven seasons are also the second most in the Pac-10 behind USC.
Enthusiasm for the 2009 season is high in Berkeley with the Golden Bears featuring one of the nation's top Heisman Trophy candidates in junior tailback Jahvid Best and an experienced starting quarterback in junior Kevin Riley. A total of four players have earned preseason All-American honors and been named to national watch lists: Best, senior defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, sophomore punter Bryan Anger and senior defensive back Syd'Quan Thompson.
The team's defense returns eight of 11 starters, including its entire defensive line and defensive backfield, from a year ago. All told, Cal has 17 starters back with seven on offense and two specialists accompanying the eight on defense.
Cal Ranked No. 12 Nationally
Cal heads into the 2009 campaign ranked No. 12 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls. Since Jeff Tedford took over as head coach in 2002, the only time the Bears were rated higher in the preseason by AP came in 2006 when Cal was listed at No. 9. The Bears were also ranked 12th by AP in 2007, while they were voted 12th by the coaches twice previously, before the 2003 and 2006 campaigns.
For Openers
Cal has an all-time record of 70-39-4 in season-openers and has won its first contest of the season in four of the last five years. Jeff Tedford is 5-2 in season-openers as the Bears' head coach and has never lost a season-opener at home, sporting a 4-0 mark in those contests - 2002 (70-22 vs. Baylor), 2005 (41-3 vs. Sacramento State), 2007 (45-31 vs. Tennessee) and 2008 (38-31 vs. Michigan State).
Cal-Maryland Series Notes
Cal and Maryland met for the first time last year when the Terps came up with a 35-27 victory on Sept. 13, 2008, in College Park, Maryland. The loss was the first of the campaign for Cal after it had opened the season with two victories. Kevin Riley's 423 yards in the air were the fourth-most ever by a Cal player, while his 58 attempts (33 completions) set a school record.
2009 Training Camp A Success
California conducted 24 practice sessions over 23 days during a successful 2009 training camp that culminated with approximately 5,000 fans attending Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, Aug. 29. The line to get an autograph from junior tailback Jahvid Best extended nearly 140 yards at its peak.
Blueout
Fans are encouraged to "Be True, Wear Blue" for the Blue Out of the season-opener against Maryland at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more information, visit CalBears.com/blueout.
Cal Picked Second In Pac-10 Preseason Media Poll
California has been picked to finish second in the 2009 Pac-10 preseason poll of media members who regularly cover the league for the fifth time in the last six years. USC was the media's preseason choice to win the conference title for an eighth consecutive season (Cal shared the conference crown in 2006). The Trojans were listed in the top spot by 28 of the 32 voters participating in the poll, while Cal claimed three of the four other first-place votes. Oregon (one first-place vote) was picked third and followed by Oregon State, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Washington State.
Preseason Honors
Cal players have received multiple honors prior to the 2009 season. The first-team preseason All-American selections of Bryan Anger, Jahvid Best and Syd'Quan Thompson highlight the list, while Tyson Alualu was an honorable mention preseason All-American choice. All four are also on preseason watch lists for various awards. A list of compiled 2009 honors is in the box on this page.
All of the above is from various internet sources, with no guarantee of its correctness, validity, or accurateness.
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