71Bear said:
Uthaithani said:
Strykur said:
If this was a deep team gearing for a championship run I would like to have some good matchups to start the year off since those will be factors for determining rankings, Playoff, etc. but as far as this season, I don't mind a soft start since we are only in year 2 and 3-0 plus a bye to set up for Oregon, going to Tucson then UCLA will be good. As far as the first half of the season, Arizona will be a first major challenge, probably not Oregon.
I don't know how you see Oregon not being a challenge. They will likely beat Cal by 2+ TDs. They beat Cal handily last year with key injuries including QB -at full-strength, forget it. Unless you mean not a good test because the teams are not on par, in which case I'd agree UofA is more at Cal's level, though they still have a clear advantage.
Cal went 3-0 last season against a tougher schedule and ended up with 5 wins. A repeat of last season is a likely outcome, though 6 wins is possible if WSU takes a big enough step back and CU doesn't improve from last season.
People who think 6 or 7 wins will somehow supercharge the recruiting should look at 7-win teams around the nation. There's no measurable recruiting advantage between 5, 6 or 7 wins, unless there's an established track record of winning seasons. CU couldn't do anything with their one good season. WSU got some traction, but only after stringing together winning seasons (plus Leach has a coaching legacy to fall back on).
Whether the team ends up with 5 wins or 6 means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now, if the Bears could manage a winning Pac 12 record, THAT would matter a lot, because those are the schools Cal competes against for recruits year in and year out. A 5-4 Pac 12 season with 7 wins or 8, that means something (doesn't matter if it's 7 or 8 wins, the 5 conference wins are what matters). But a 3-6 Pac 12 season with 6 wins vs 5, doesn't mean anything.
If Cal is going to have any relevance in CFB and the Pac 12, they need to stop settling for being the second-worst team in the Pac 12 North and actually compete in their division. Period. Bending over for the top teams and praying schools like WSU have off years doesn't build anything.
A 6 win season is predicted on a 3-0 start (like last year) and...
Big favorite - OSU
Toss-up - WSU, UCLA, CU
Underdog - AZ, LSJU, UO
Big underdog - UW, USC
Win the big favorite game plus two out of three toss-ups and you have six wins. Add an upset in one of the underdog games and you have a winning season.
6 wins - yes; 7 wins is possible if Bowers can produce consistent results.
I think you are overrating UCLA and CU. WSU has major losses, both on the field and coaching.
AZ and UO have big question marks as well, thugh they have good qbs.
