Who is going up to Corvallis for the game? I may have chance to go. Is there a tailgate I can crash?
Oregon State favored by 2.5 over Cal
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Last: 26 days ago by KoreAmBear
Many of you have visited Corvallis and Reser Stadium. The entire town shuts down for home games and it is loud. The Beavers are good fans. That alone should be worth 2.5 points. Like the Bears, the Beavers have a chip on their shoulder and first games are always emotional. If nothing else it will be a great game. My son's family now lives in Grants Pass and I'll be flying up to Medford from Long Beach to make it a family Bear affair. Can't wait!
Bring back bottled beer and cigars at CMS. Should get us back in the Rose Bowl!
sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
72CalBear said:
Many of you have visited Corvallis and Reser Stadium. The entire town shuts down for home games and it is loud. The Beavers are good fans. That alone should be worth 2.5 points. Like the Bears, the Beavers have a chip on their shoulder and first games are always emotional. If nothing else it will be a great game. My son's family now lives in Grants Pass and I'll be flying up to Medford from Long Beach to make it a family Bear affair. Can't wait!
I have a niece that goes to OSU and just learned classes don't start until September 24. So the students will mostly not be there. Could be a positive for us.
calumnus said:72CalBear said:
Many of you have visited Corvallis and Reser Stadium. The entire town shuts down for home games and it is loud. The Beavers are good fans. That alone should be worth 2.5 points. Like the Bears, the Beavers have a chip on their shoulder and first games are always emotional. If nothing else it will be a great game. My son's family now lives in Grants Pass and I'll be flying up to Medford from Long Beach to make it a family Bear affair. Can't wait!
I have a niece that goes to OSU and just learned classes don't start until September 24. So the students will mostly not be there. Could be a positive for us.
Oh man, that's a lot of Californians left at home.
72CalBear said:
Many of you have visited Corvallis and Reser Stadium. The entire town shuts down for home games and it is loud. The Beavers are good fans. That alone should be worth 2.5 points. Like the Bears, the Beavers have a chip on their shoulder and first games are always emotional. If nothing else it will be a great game. My son's family now lives in Grants Pass and I'll be flying up to Medford from Long Beach to make it a family Bear affair. Can't wait!
Gotta shut down that friggin' chain saw
MinotStateBeav said:calumnus said:72CalBear said:
Many of you have visited Corvallis and Reser Stadium. The entire town shuts down for home games and it is loud. The Beavers are good fans. That alone should be worth 2.5 points. Like the Bears, the Beavers have a chip on their shoulder and first games are always emotional. If nothing else it will be a great game. My son's family now lives in Grants Pass and I'll be flying up to Medford from Long Beach to make it a family Bear affair. Can't wait!
I have a niece that goes to OSU and just learned classes don't start until September 24. So the students will mostly not be there. Could be a positive for us.
Oh man, that's a lot of Californians left at home.
28% of their students are from out of state and probably a higher percentage of the students who would be psyched to beat Cal.
BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
Funnily enough LSJU just named OSU's QB from last year (Gulbranson) as their starter for this season. He had some moments but was very inconsistent and thoroughly unremarkable. That should be a solid indicator that they're looking at another bottom-dweller season
Anyone know where the Cal section is going to be at Reser Stadium?
HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
bluehenbear said:
Wow. Underdogs to OSU. Have we really overestimated the talent we have in this team?
You mean the talent that left via the portal?
Hopefully someone who ordered through Cal can confirm, but Rate Your Seats lists visitor seating as Sec 211 and 212 (upper level end zone corner)
YamhillBear said:
Hopefully someone who ordered through Cal can confirm, but Rate Your Seats lists visitor seating as Sec 211 and 212 (upper level end zone corner)
Thank you!
If Cal loses to Ore St, I guess I'll have plenty of time for family, chores and hobbies this football season.
Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the time for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Sunshine pumpers will find a reason for optimism, even if we start 0-4
Big C said:Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the tome for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Think back to past reasons for that preseason optimism:
- Local guy Marshawn Lynch comes to Cal after a storied career at Oakland Tech . . .
- SoCal WR DeSean Jackson turns down USC to come to Cal . . .
- Jared Goff, after "OK" and "pretty good" seasons, is poised for a great junior year . . .
- Jaydn Ott spurns the NFL to return for his third season . . .
So, the best I can do is to be intrigued, given all the unknowns. That being said, "turd wrapped in a diaper" really is a bleak assessment. If I believed that, I wouldn't make the 2 hr drive down to see a game.
But regardless of the OSU result, for the Texas Southern game, Cal should have free seats for all Cal students, and free tickets for Bay Area HS football players who wear their jerseys to the game.
sycasey said:BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
The odds makers are probably thinking OSU's QB Maaliik Murphy only has to be as good as expected or as good as he was last year leading Duke to a 9-4, 5-3 record in the ACC when we went 2-6 and then lost our best rated players. They are probably thinking we are the team that needs our QB (likely Brown?) to exceed expectations to win.
bluehenbear said:
Wow. Underdogs to OSU. Have we really overestimated the talent we have in this team?
We have talent?
calumnus said:sycasey said:BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
The odds makers are probably thinking OSU's QB Maaliik Murphy only has to be as good as expected or as good as he was last year leading Duke to a 9-4, 5-3 record in the ACC when we went 2-6 and then lost our best rated players. They are probably thinking we are the team that needs our QB (likely Brown?) to exceed expectations to win.
They probably are taking a pretty superficial look at skill positions and that's it, yeah.
Early season point spreads in college football tend to be pretty wacky. They just don't have time to look closely at every game.
sycasey said:calumnus said:sycasey said:BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
The odds makers are probably thinking OSU's QB Maaliik Murphy only has to be as good as expected or as good as he was last year leading Duke to a 9-4, 5-3 record in the ACC when we went 2-6 and then lost our best rated players. They are probably thinking we are the team that needs our QB (likely Brown?) to exceed expectations to win.
They probably are taking a pretty superficial look at skill positions and that's it, yeah.
Early season point spreads in college football tend to be pretty wacky. They just don't have time to look closely at every game.
But there is no reason on paper to think our non-skill position players are better either other than hope or "We are Cal, we must be better." We both got an influx of 3 star linemen from G5. How does anyone do a "deep analysis" on this Cal team? Our practices are not even open to the public. So the oddsmakers call it even and give OSU the 2.5 to 3 for home field advantage and then will move the line depending on the action.
We who try to be rational about the Cal team we love will just have to wait until the game to find out what we have. The people whose Cal fandom consists of perennial irrational optimism followed by disappointment are just doing what they do too. Go Bears!
calumnus said:sycasey said:calumnus said:sycasey said:BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
The odds makers are probably thinking OSU's QB Maaliik Murphy only has to be as good as expected or as good as he was last year leading Duke to a 9-4, 5-3 record in the ACC when we went 2-6 and then lost our best rated players. They are probably thinking we are the team that needs our QB (likely Brown?) to exceed expectations to win.
They probably are taking a pretty superficial look at skill positions and that's it, yeah.
Early season point spreads in college football tend to be pretty wacky. They just don't have time to look closely at every game.
But there is no reason on paper to think our non-skill position players are better either other than hope or "We are Cal, we must be better." We both got an influx of 3 star linemen from G5. How does anyone do a "deep analysis" on this Cal team? Our practices are not even open to the public. So the oddsmakers call it even and give OSU the 2.5 to 3 for home field advantage and then will move the line depending on the action.
We who try to be rational about the Cal team we love will just have to wait until the game to find out what we have. The people whose Cal fandom consists of perennial irrational optimism followed by disappointment are just doing what they do too. Go Bears!
Hopefully we dont turn the game off at half time.
Bring back It’s It’s to Haas Pavillion!
HearstMining said:Big C said:Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the tome for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Think back to past reasons for that preseason optimism:Does Cal have a story this year that's even close to any of those?
- Local guy Marshawn Lynch comes to Cal after a storied career at Oakland Tech . . .
- SoCal WR DeSean Jackson turns down USC to come to Cal . . .
- Jared Goff, after "OK" and "pretty good" seasons, is poised for a great junior year . . .
- Jaydn Ott spurns the NFL to return for his third season . . .
So, the best I can do is to be intrigued, given all the unknowns. That being said, "turd wrapped in a diaper" really is a bleak assessment. If I believed that, I wouldn't make the 2 hr drive down to see a game.
But regardless of the OSU result, for the Texas Southern game, Cal should have free seats for all Cal students, and free tickets for Bay Area HS football players who wear their jerseys to the game.
how to get a "take" on this year's team? practices and scrimmage (so far) are closed. the coaches and players are mum. what do we look at that might give us an inkling of how it's coming together (or not)? watch the players leaving after a practice? spring in the coaches' step? if there were any rumors, could you trust them, anyway? injuries are not announced. it seems like guesswork to me.
all I can say is that the coaches must have chosen these transfers for a reason and they're beating out some of our returnees (such as they are) on the depth chart. granted, coaches are notorious for using the depth chart for reasons other than naming starters and back-ups. and, the interviews are all formulaic.
If we were going with last year's coaches, I'd say we're screwed, but the choice of transfers tells me that it will be a different approach (on O) and that these players are better suited to whatever that is, at least.
calumnus said:sycasey said:calumnus said:sycasey said:BearlyCareAnymore said:sycasey said:BearSD said:
The only thing puzzling about the spread is that Oregon State was hideously bad last season and would have to be vastly improved to warrant being favored against anyone, even a Cal team that is full of question marks.
That's my thinking. How much better is Oregon State going to be than the 5-7 team that crashed out with a 1-6 finish last season, including a 44-7 loss in Berkeley? They have a new QB but is that the only improvement?
I'm not saying Cal is going to be great, but even a mediocre P4 team can beat a bad Mountain West team pretty handily.
I tend to agree sycasey, but what I think people are missing is this is about us, not OSU. They probably look at OSU and figure there was turmoil last year from basically being kicked out of P4 football and that has probably stabilized. They got a solid QB. Those two factors probably add up to some improvement.
But I think the issue is that they don't think we are a mediocre P4 team. They think we are a bad P4 team. They think we are much worse than last year. Everything I've read about Cal pretty much boils down to "Cal is bad, but they might be okay because they have one of the easiest schedules in America".
What this is telling you is the national read on us is that we suck with a capital S. We are on par with OSU and they get 2.5 points for home field. I don't think we are as bad as they say (though, I have to say that I don't have a really good argument for that, just kind of a vibe thing that we aren't normally THAT bad, so I don't expect to be THAT bad). But the view of neutral parties should be somewhat sobering when there seems to be such a huge gulf between what they think and what the more optimistic among us think.
Are we going to be bad enough to lose to OSU? I don't think so. Is it very much in the realm of possibility? Yes. If I have to put the chips down on either lose to OSU or win 10, I have to put them down on lose to OSU. (I'd be much happier to put them down on 6-6, though with OSU being a victory).
Generally agree. I suspect that even with the issues we had in the offseason the talent gap is still going to favor Cal significantly. But it's possible that it's worse than expected on our end and OSU's new QB is better than expected and we lose.
The odds makers are probably thinking OSU's QB Maaliik Murphy only has to be as good as expected or as good as he was last year leading Duke to a 9-4, 5-3 record in the ACC when we went 2-6 and then lost our best rated players. They are probably thinking we are the team that needs our QB (likely Brown?) to exceed expectations to win.
They probably are taking a pretty superficial look at skill positions and that's it, yeah.
Early season point spreads in college football tend to be pretty wacky. They just don't have time to look closely at every game.
But there is no reason on paper to think our non-skill position players are better either other than hope or "We are Cal, we must be better." We both got an influx of 3 star linemen from G5. How does anyone do a "deep analysis" on this Cal team? Our practices are not even open to the public. So the oddsmakers call it even and give OSU the 2.5 to 3 for home field advantage and then will move the line depending on the action.
We who try to be rational about the Cal team we love will just have to wait until the game to find out what we have. The people whose Cal fandom consists of perennial irrational optimism followed by disappointment are just doing what they do too. Go Bears!
My logic is more "we are a Power 4 school, so baseline expectation is that we can get better players." Oregon State isn't like a Boise State who can get the benefit of the doubt. Of course we can't know until the games are played.
I'm happy now that I took a wait-and-see attitude regarding the team. I don't have season tickets, so I can decide after the first game whether to go to Texas Southern, and then decide further from there. If the season nosedives early, I can cut my losses and spend my Saturdays more productively. I hope that doesn't happen, but I felt so burned after last year, and because of what is happening in general with college sports, that I just decided to care less, and act appropriately.
We beat them 44-7 last year and they bled virtually all of what remaining P4 talent they had in the offseason.
HearstMining said:Big C said:Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the tome for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Think back to past reasons for that preseason optimism:Does Cal have a story this year that's even close to any of those?
- Local guy Marshawn Lynch comes to Cal after a storied career at Oakland Tech . . .
- SoCal WR DeSean Jackson turns down USC to come to Cal . . .
- Jared Goff, after "OK" and "pretty good" seasons, is poised for a great junior year . . .
- Jaydn Ott spurns the NFL to return for his third season . . .
So, the best I can do is to be intrigued, given all the unknowns. That being said, "turd wrapped in a diaper" really is a bleak assessment. If I believed that, I wouldn't make the 2 hr drive down to see a game.
But regardless of the OSU result, for the Texas Southern game, Cal should have free seats for all Cal students, and free tickets for Bay Area HS football players who wear their jerseys to the game.
The best pre-season "story" we have is Ron Rivera as GM, new offensive coaches, new S&C guy. Okay, that's not compelling enough to get casual fans to come to CMS, so we'll have to rack up some wins.
We lost a lot of our top guys, then got some other guys to fill in the spots. The new guys seem pretty good, but we'll see.
I guess my point is, for all of my sports teams, I try and find reasons to be optimistic until I'm shown otherwise. If I couldn't do that, I think I would give up being a fan.
Eh, I'm pretty ****ing jaded about the state of college football right now but it's just led to me not watching B10/SEC or the CFP except lightly as background filler and not every game.Jeff82 said:
I'm happy now that I took a wait-and-see attitude regarding the team. I don't have season tickets, so I can decide after the first game whether to go to Texas Southern, and then decide further from there. If the season nosedives early, I can cut my losses and spend my Saturdays more productively. I hope that doesn't happen, but I felt so burned after last year, and because of what is happening in general with college sports, that I just decided to care less, and act appropriately.
But the home schedule is fine (Minnesota is a dark horse for the CFP, Duke is really solid, UNC has Bellicheck now, Texas Southern & UVA are as close to guaranteed wins as we're gonna get at this point in time, and SMU is tbd but we'll know by then since it's the last game). Plus there's only one instance of btb home games so I'm willing to let my heart broken every other weekend through the fall, it's not a major commitment.
And this may well end up being one of our final years in Power X football so if it all goes south there's only a few more years they can really hurt me. I'm all in on enjoying it for what it is until it's over and my expectations aren't very high but maybe this is the year they finally surprise me in a good way. At the very least I'm with them to the end of the ride
DoubtfulBear said:
Sunshine pumpers will find a reason for optimism, even if we start 0-4
Maybe a few people would, but the vast, vast majority of people here would not. And you know that.
At least now, you've explained (in other posts) the reason why you're so negative... some sort of PTSD regarding your student housing back in the day. I wish that had been better for you, really I do.
Sure, the team has been anywhere from somewhat to very disappointing the past several years, there's no denying it. At the same time, we're making inroads to get this turned around and we're currently undefeated!
Go Bears!
Big C said:HearstMining said:Big C said:Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the tome for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Think back to past reasons for that preseason optimism:Does Cal have a story this year that's even close to any of those?
- Local guy Marshawn Lynch comes to Cal after a storied career at Oakland Tech . . .
- SoCal WR DeSean Jackson turns down USC to come to Cal . . .
- Jared Goff, after "OK" and "pretty good" seasons, is poised for a great junior year . . .
- Jaydn Ott spurns the NFL to return for his third season . . .
So, the best I can do is to be intrigued, given all the unknowns. That being said, "turd wrapped in a diaper" really is a bleak assessment. If I believed that, I wouldn't make the 2 hr drive down to see a game.
But regardless of the OSU result, for the Texas Southern game, Cal should have free seats for all Cal students, and free tickets for Bay Area HS football players who wear their jerseys to the game.
The best pre-season "story" we have is Ron Rivera as GM, new offensive coaches, new S&C guy. Okay, that's not compelling enough to get casual fans to come to CMS, so we'll have to rack up some wins.
The improvements are more behind the scenes than on the field (yet), so I can't blame anyone for being unexcited. Heck, I'm not even that excited for this specific season, though I have more hope for the future.
sycasey said:Big C said:HearstMining said:Big C said:Trumpanzee said:HearstMining said:
Cal football 2025: A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
More like a big turd wrapped up in a diaper.
I don't get it: I'm sure you are a Cal fan, but how can you think like that as we are about to start the season?
This is the tome for optimism, while we are still undefeated!
Think back to past reasons for that preseason optimism:Does Cal have a story this year that's even close to any of those?
- Local guy Marshawn Lynch comes to Cal after a storied career at Oakland Tech . . .
- SoCal WR DeSean Jackson turns down USC to come to Cal . . .
- Jared Goff, after "OK" and "pretty good" seasons, is poised for a great junior year . . .
- Jaydn Ott spurns the NFL to return for his third season . . .
So, the best I can do is to be intrigued, given all the unknowns. That being said, "turd wrapped in a diaper" really is a bleak assessment. If I believed that, I wouldn't make the 2 hr drive down to see a game.
But regardless of the OSU result, for the Texas Southern game, Cal should have free seats for all Cal students, and free tickets for Bay Area HS football players who wear their jerseys to the game.
The best pre-season "story" we have is Ron Rivera as GM, new offensive coaches, new S&C guy. Okay, that's not compelling enough to get casual fans to come to CMS, so we'll have to rack up some wins.
The improvements are more behind the scenes than on the field (yet), so I can't blame anyone for being unexcited. Heck, I'm not even that excited for this specific season, though I have more hope for the future.
Every year the claim is that we have "behind the scenes" improvements. People always rave about how great Baldwin, Musgrave, Spavital, Bloesch and now Harsin will be. Or why they were not great last year or at their last stop but will be great now. The same goes with every new OL coach. The only way that will be known to be true is if it shows up on the field.
Exactly. Show me the improvements, Show me the 10 win season I've been p[romised for years. Yes, I will be watching.
GO BEARS!!
GO BEARS!!
calumnus said:bluehenbear said:
Wow. Underdogs to OSU. Have we really overestimated the talent we have in this team?
How much talent do you think we have on this team? Mostly new guys from lower levels or from higher levels that didn't play much. Rating services have them ranked far lower than the guys that left, Practices have been closed. How can you even estimate our talent much less overestimate it?
One factor in the spread might be the fact it is both team's first game but OSU will be starting an experienced 4 star transfer QB, Maalik Murphy, originally a 4 star Elite 11 signed by Texas out of Inglewood, CA (Serra High in Gardena where he won the CIF 1-A Championship). Murphy was the starting QB for Duke last year where he threw for 2,933 yards and a Duke record 26 TDs. He is a big guy (6'5" 230) and doesn't run, but was rarely sacked last year. Whether Cal can get a pass rush going and put pressure on him will be a big factor.
If he cant run he's going to have problems with this defense because they are really good!
sonofabear51 said:
Exactly. Show me the improvements, Show me the 10 win season I've been p[romised for years. Yes, I will be watching.
GO BEARS!!
Just curious, who promised you a 10 win season?
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