Dec 30 2008
Can Cal become the behemoth it needs to be?
It’s getting a little old. The Bears have been very good about being good. In the two seasons that they could’ve been considered ‘great’, they blew it. The first time, was in 2004 when they let the politics of the BCS system affect their play in the Holiday Bowl.
The second time, the Bears were within seven yards of being #1 in the country and didn’t come through - their immaturity that followed dropped them from national consideration and out of any talk of being one of the elite universities of college football. Those have to be stories left in the past if they are to ever to wear the label of ‘elite’.
This lack of respect towards the Cal program starts with Cal, bleeds into the BCS rankings, affects players’ NFL ratings, and even puts opposing team’s coaches on the hot seat. After the Bears’ Emerald Bowl victory, Miami head coach Randy Shannon let go of his offensive coordinator of two years. While it may not have anything to do with the bowl loss, big-game losses normally determine a coach’s future.
With teams like USC and Oregon in the conference and upstarts such as Oregon State and Arizona ready to move up, the Bears’ status of being second-best is tenuous. This season, the Bears finished fourth in the Pac-10 and lost to USC, Oregon State and Arizona in the process. If they want to be considered elite, that’s two losses two many within their conference.
The Bears biggest losses from their senior class will be on defense. They’ve already recruited eight players for 2009 to help replenish those losses, but they still have plenty of experience stepping into starter’s roles. They are losing their middle linebackers which they will have the hardest time filling. Other than that, they are set at every other position.
On offense, they’ll have Kevin Riley, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, and three of the five offensive linemen coming back. They’ll also have tight end Cameron Morrah and plenty of players with experience at receiver. This should be a much better unit overall.
Both their punter and kicker were freshmen this year, but they performed admirably all season long. As long as they improve as expected, they’ll only be better next year.
Can Cal become a behemoth of college football? Sure! If they are to do that, they are going to have to start beating USC and the rest of the Pac-10 more regularly.
