Thank you,
Dave and Sam

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL
San Diego, California
#23 Utah Utes (9-3) VS. Cal Bears (8-4)
Wednesday, December 23, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Cal -3.0

Sam’s Take (54 – 22):

Prior to the start of the 2009 season many Cal fans believed the Bears would play in a bowl game involving a flower, but the Poinsettia Bowl? It has certainly been an up and down year in Berkeley, and Jeff Tedford would love for his team to end a tumultuous season with a quality win over Utah.

The Utes have been nothing short of remarkable in the postseason, as they will be looking to win their ninth bowl game in a row. Cal hasn’t been too shabby either, as the Bears are looking for their fifth straight bowl victory.

I haven’t been able to properly read Cal all season, so who am I to predict how they will fare in a seemingly even non-conference game? If the Bears come out like they did in the Big Game, Utah will be in for a long night. However, if Tedford’s squad plays like it did in Seattle, its safe to say the Pac-10 will be off to an 0-2 start in bowls for 2009.

I’m not convinced Cal will play with the kind of intensity necessary to beat a team like Utah. Expectations were so high for the Bears and playing on December 23 in San Diego isn’t good enough. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the Utes jump out to an early lead behind the legs of 1,000-yard rusher RB Eddie Wide and the arm of talented (and improving) freshman QB Jordan Wynn.

Cal has more talent across the board, but that has been the case in many games this season. The Bears will need QB Kevin Riley to make good decisions and RB Shane Vereen to play like he did shortly after the Jahvid Best injury. But most importantly, the defense must show up and play with passion (unlike it did against U-Dub).

Something tells me the Bears will be sluggish in this one and by the time they wake up it will be a little bit too late.

Prediction: Utah 27 – Cal 24

Utah Player to Keep an Eye On: WR David Reed – Reed is a big time player who had over 1,000 yards receiving this season. The Bears secondary was suspect for most of the year (Cal finished 108th in pass defense) so he could make quite a splash in the box score.

Cal Player to Keep an Eye On: DE Tyson Alualu – Alualu is a dominant pass rusher (7.5 sacks) and he could make life miserable for a freshman QB like Wynn.

Dave’s Take (56 – 20):

Trying to figure Cal out this season (like many seasons before it) has been an act of complete futility. When they are on, they are capable of beating just about anyone, as we saw when they upset the red-hot Stanford Cardinal (in Stanford) in the Big Game. When they aren’t, they are a very mediocre and underacheiving football team.

At least with Utah we have an idea of what we are going to get. The Utes followed up their undefeated 2008 campaign with a very respectable 9-3 record in 2009, with the three losses coming to extremely tough teams on the road in Oregon, TCU, and BYU.

Then again, those were really the only tough games on Utah’s schedule, it isn’t like they aren’t beatable. But which Cal team shows up? Might as well flip a coin.

Short of flipping that coin, my guess is that Cal comes out on the losing end here. Oregon, USC, and Oregon State all proved to be examples of games that Cal SHOULD have been extremely pumped up for that they ended up falling terribly short in. Utah on the other hand I’m much more certain will bring their best, which wouldn’t be enough against Cal’s A game, but will be if the Bears continue to underacheive.

Prediction: Utah 28 – Cal 21

MAACO BOWL LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas, Nevada
#18 Oregon State Beavers (8-4) VS. #14 BYU Cougars (10-2)
Tuesday, December 22, 5:00 PM PST

SAN DIEGO COUNTY CREDIT UNION POINSETTIA BOWL
San Diego, California
#23 Utah Utes (9-3) VS. Cal Bears (8-4)
Wednesday, December 23, 5:00 PM PST

EMERALD BOWL
San Francisco, California
Boston College Eagles (8-4) VS. #24 USC Trojans (8-4)
Saturday, December 26, 5:00 PM PST

PACIFIC LIFE HOLIDAY BOWL
San Diego, California
#20 Arizona Wildcats (8-4) VS. #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-4)
Wednesday, December 30, 5:00 PM PST

BRUT SUN BOWL
El Paso, Texas
Oklahoma Sooners (7-5) VS. #21 Stanford Cardinal (8-4)
Thursday, December 31, 11:00 AM PST

ROSE BOWL GAME PRESENTED BY CITI
Pasadena, California
#8 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) VS. #7 Oregon Ducks (10-2)
Friday, January 1, 1:30 PM PST

UCLA – *UCLA will receive invite to the EagleBank Bowl if Navy defeats Army

Cal Bears (8-3) vs. Washington Huskies (4-7)
Saturday, December 5, 3:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Cal -7.0

Sam’s Take (53 – 19):

Although expectations were sky high for the 2009 Cal Bears, the season can still be a mild success. Cal’s losses have come to three ranked opponents (Oregon, OSU, USC) and a 10-win season is still very achievable.

But I’m sure Jeff Tedford doesn’t need to be reminded about how tough Husky Stadium can be for visiting teams. A four win Washington squad defeated USC and Arizona in Seattle, and the Dawgs are looking to end the year with another high quality win. Steve Sarkisian would love to finish his first season at U-Dub with positive momentum and a win over Cal could pay dividends on the recruiting trail.

Cal will be without Jahvid Best in the season finale, but the offense hasn’t missed a beat because of the brilliant running of Shane Vereen. Vereen has accumulated 352 rushing yards and four TDs in his last two games, and that could be especially bad news for a Husky defense that ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in run defense (76th nationally). I expect Vereen to have a big day, which should also open up the offense for QB Kevin Riley and the passing game.

Will this be QB Jake Locker’s last game in Seattle? There has been plenty of speculation about his future, and I’m sure he will want to put together a memorable performance Saturday just in case. I think Locker could be in for a huge day through the air, as the Bears rank 108th nationally in pass defense. There is plenty of talent in the UW receiving corps and the unit seems to elevate its play at Husky Stadium. I also expect the Pac-10’s most underrated player (RB Chris Polk) to have another productive game. Polk has quietly rushed for over 1,000 yards on the season, and he is good enough to challenge the Bears 23rd ranked (nationally) run defense.

The Huskies are extremely difficult to beat at home, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them pull the upset. Nevertheless, I believe the Bears have found a brand new identity since the injury to Best. Vereen is playing inspired football, and I think he will set the tone again on Saturday.

Cal edges Washington in an entertaining finale.

Prediction: Cal 34 – Washington 28

Cal Player to Keep an Eye On: OL Mike Tepper – Tepper is the anchor of the Cal rushing attack and I expect the senior to play big in his final Pac-10 game.

Washington Player to Keep an Eye On: DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim – Te’o-Nesheim is also a senior, and this will be the last game of his career. The ultra-productive defensive end will be looking to exit U-Dub with a bang.

Dave’s Take (54 – 18):

Emotions will be running high this Saturday in Washington. Cal will be looking to end an overall disappointing regular season on a high note, and Washington will be looking to add one more huge win to their resume.

It’s hard to pick against Washington at home where they are 4-2 with losses only to LSU and Oregon. They clearly play at another level on both sides of the ball at home, and if indeed this is Jake Locker’s last game in a Husky uniform as many have speculated, he’ll be even more revved up to make a statement.

Even taking all that into consideration, though, I can’t pick against Cal here. They’ve been playing excellent football and coming up with some huge plays on both sides of the ball since losing Jahvid Best. Shane Vereen has been electric, and Cal has knocked off two straight ranked opponents in Arizona and Stanford.

Assuming both teams bring their best, which I expect them to, Cal has the edge in talent at this point and should pick up the win.

Prediction: Cal 35 – Washington 27

#1 Star: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/26): 28 for 39 348 Yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 124.7 QB Rating

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers continued their push for one of the NFC Wild Card spots in a huge Thanksgiving Day beat down against the Detroit Lions 34 – 12. Rodgers matched a career high in touchdowns this week and once again showed what he can do with time in the pocket.

Down 7 – 0, Rodgers connected with Donald Lee on a seven yard touchdown reception to the right to tie the game at seven. With the Packers up 13 – 7 at halftime, Rodgers kicked it up another notch in the second half completing another seven yard touchdown score, this time to Donald Driver, and a 21 yard shot down the middle to James Jones to give the Packers a 27 – 7 lead late in the third quarter. The Packers would coast to victory and Rodgers would also finish the game with his second highest QB Rating of the season.

Rodgers had his fourth 340+ yard game of the season and the Packers are 3-1 this season when he has hit that mark. If he can continue to get time in the pocket and spread the ball around like he has (completed passes to eight different receivers), the Packers should continue to roll right along and get into a playoff spot.

# 2 Star: Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/29): 22 Rushes for 130 Yards, 2 TDs

With Julius Jones still out due to injury, Justin Forsett once again put up huge numbers to lead the Seattle Seahawks to victory this week over the St. Louis Rams 27 – 17. Forsett also led the Seahawks to their first road victory of the year, coming in at 0-5.

Forsett started off the scoring in the game with a three yard rush to the right to give the Seahawks a 7 – 0 lead. Up 17 – 10 early in the fourth quarter, Forsett pounded in a two yard rush to the left this time to put the game out of reach at 24 – 10. Forsett averaged 5.9 yards per carry and posted his second 120+ yard game in his three starts.

I know the old saying goes “you cant lose your starting position to injury”, but Mora is going to have a tough decision when Jones comes back next week. Forsett has 385 yards with a 6.8 yard average while Jones has 392 yards on a 3.7 yard average. You make the call.

# 3 Star: Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia 76ers
Alma Mater: Arizona
Stats (11/24 – 11/30): 18.6 Pts, 7.4 Rebs, 6.6 Asts, 2.6 Stls, 37% FG Pct

The Philadelphia 76ers are not off to the best start in the world (5-13) and have lost seven straight, but they definitely cannot point the finger at their star shooting guard/small forward Andre Iguodala. Iguodala has found a way to put up his usual points as well as spread the ball around leading the 76ers in assists in all five games during the week.

On November 25th, against the Boston Celtics, Iguodala posted his best game of the week. He had 25 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and one steal in the three point loss. Against the Hawks on November 27th, Iguodala again flirted with a triple double, posting 16 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Against the Spurs two nights later, Iguodala once again filled the stat sheet with 21 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a season high five steals.

If Iguodala can continue to put up these types of numbers, and anyone else on the team can step up and help him out a little, the 76ers could potentially turn things around. Iguodala is a superstar in the league and it is a shame that he plays on such a bad team where a lot of people don’t get to see him to often.

Honorable Mentions:

Cal’s Tony Gonzalez (9 Receptions for 83 Yards)
USC’s Brian Cushing (11 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD)
UCLA’s Baron Davis (21.3 Pts, 3.7 Rebs, 6.0 Asts, 1.0 Stls 52% FG Pct)
Stanford’s Brook Lopez (21.8 Pts, 10.0 Rebs, 1.8 Asts 1.3 Blks 49% FG Pct)

#1 Star: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/22): 32/45 for 344 Yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 108.0 QB Rating

With the Green Bay Packers going into a critical game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, they got exactly what they needed from their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Rodgers threw a season high 45 times in the game and also completed a season high 32 of those passes to lead the Packers to a 30 – 24 victory.

Rodgers did most of his damage in the first half of the game, throwing for 274 yards and both of his touchdowns. The biggest play of the game came in the second quarter when the Packers were up 6 – 3 and Rodgers found Greg Jennings down the middle of the field for a 64-yard touchdown reception off of a nice play action fake to give the Packers a 13 – 3 lead. Later in the quarter, Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for a seven-yard score to give the Packers a 20 – 3 lead that they would never lose.

Rodgers completed passes to seven different receivers, with all of them catching at least two balls. If Rodgers can continue to get good protection in the pocket like he did in this one, I think the Packers still have a shot at squeezing into one of the NFC Wild Card spots.

#2 Star: Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets
Alma Mater: Stanford
Stats (11/17 – 11/21): 18.5 Pts, 10.7 Rebs, 2.0 Asts, 4.0 Blks, 41% FG Pct

For the New Jersey Nets, things can’t get much worse. They are 0-13 to start the season and have been plagued with injuries. One person they cant blame for their early season struggles is last year’s first round pick Brook Lopez.

In Lopez’s three games this week he recorded two double doubles with monster games against both the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Against the Knicks, Lopez scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with four blocks in only 31 minutes of play in the seven point loss. Lopez was even more dominant against the Pacers, and in his 46 minutes of play he recorded 26 points, a season high 16 rebounds, and a season high five blocks as well.

Brook Lopez has continued his early career success with five double-doubles this season. I’m starting to get the feeling that Lopez will get overlooked in the eyes of most people like the St Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson for the sole purpose that he is on a bad team, but I can almost guarantee you that this won’t be the last time you see him on this list.

#3 Star: DeSean Jackson, Philidelphia Eagles
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/22): 8 Receptions for 107 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Rush for 10 Yards

What a shocker here, when the Philadelphia Eagles are struggling and need a win, they always seem to get a huge night from their star wide receiver DeSean Jackson. This time with a 5-4 record going into Sunday, Jackson showcased his top notch speed on Sunday Night Football in the Eagles 24 – 20 win over the Chicago Bears.

Jackson matched a season high eight receptions in the game, proving to be more reliable then just a big play receiver who makes two to three catches a game. Jackson did however show his big play abilities as well in this one, when he burned the entire Bears secondary on a play action fake, scoring a 48-yard touchdown reception to give the Eagles a 17 – 12 lead late in the third quarter. Down 20 to 17 in the fourth, on the Eagles eventual game winning drive, Jackson made three catches for 24 yards, all for first downs.

DeSean Jackson now has touchdowns in five different games on the year and in those games the Eagles are 4-1. I don’t know if Jackson has a problem with his consistency, but when he is on, the Eagles seem to win, and they will definitely need more big games like this to stay in playoff contention.

Honorable Mentions:

Oregon State’s Steven Jackson (24 Carries for 116 Yards, 1 TD)
Cal’s Tony Gonzalez (8 Receptions for 82 Yards, 1 TD)
Cal’s Jason Kidd (8.5 Pts, 7.5 Rebs, 9.5 Asts, 3.5 Stls, 32% FG Pct)
UCLA’s Russell Westbrook (18.5 Pts, 3.5 Rebs, 6.0 Asts, 1.5 Stls, 44% FG Pct)
Washington’s Dashon Goldson (8 Tackles)

Cal Bears 8-3 Overall (5-3 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Cal 34 – Stanford 28

Next Week’s Opponent: BYE

After disappointing showings against Oregon and USC earlier this season and than another big loss to Oregon State, it was looking like Cal’s once promising season was going to tailspin into a disastrous one.

Ironically enough, it took losing their emotional leader on and the off the field in Jahvid Best to wake this team up and finally get them playing at the level we all expected them to play at at the beginning of the year. The win over Arizona at Strawberry Canyon was impressive, but it paled in comparison to the huge win in the Big Game last Saturday in Stanford.

Not only were the Cardinal arguably the hottest team in football coming into the Big Game off of back-to-back huge wins over Oregon and USC, but they were also unbeaten at home on the season. Not only did Cal come in and beat them, but they beat them at their own game, playing a smash-mouth brand of football and controlling the physicality and the tempo of the game while winning the battles at the lines all afternoon.

While Kevin Riley had an effective day (17/31, 235 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and the defense deserves a ton of credit for flustering Andrew Luck into one of the most ineffective games of his young career, it is hard to place the game ball in any other hands than those of Shane Vereen.

What’s the best way to keep Stanford’s dynamic offense off of the scoreboard? It starts with keeping them off the field. Once again, the defense deserves it’s share of credit for the time of possession being tilted in Cal’s favor (39:06 to 20:54), but Shane Vereen was a man possessed behind his big men up front. Vereen carried the ball 42 times, racking up just under 200 yards (193) and three touchdowns.

Clearly inspired by his friend and teammate Jahvid Best, Vereen set new career bests in carries and yards (topping career bests he had just set last week against Arizona) and has made it very clear that when Jahvid Best moves on to the next level, Cal’s backfield will be just fine.

A win over Washington would leave Cal with a 9-3 season and in a multi-team tie for either second or third place in the Pac-10. While it may not be the dream season Bears fans were hoping for, knocking a hated rival out of the Top 25 and winning the Big Game still has to feel pretty good.

Cal Bears (7-3) vs. Stanford Cardinal (7-3)
Saturday, November 21, 4:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Stanford -7.5

Sam’s Take (46- 18):

The 112th edition of the Big Game will kickoff at 4:30 pm on Saturday, and Stanford is pulling out all the stops in order to win back the Axe (Tiger Woods will be the Cardinal’s honorary captain). I’m sure Stanford fans will have one eye on the Oregon-Arizona game, as it will be going on concurrently, and imagine the scene on the Farm if the Cardinal and Wildcats win their respective games at around the same time!

As well as Jim Harbaugh’s team has played in recent weeks, it is important to remember that Cal has won six of the last seven in this series. It is also worth mentioning that the Bears have a lot to play for, as a win in the Big Game would keep Jeff Tedford’s club in the hunt for a third place finish in the Pac-10.

The Big Game will also have an impact on the Heisman Trophy race. Who would have thought before the season started that #7 in red would be on the verge of an invite to New York while #4 in white watches from the sideline? In a year where none of the usual suspects seem to want the trophy, Toby Gerhart’s stock is soaring. A big day rushing in the Big Game may impress voters enough to give him a realistic shot (although it would really help if Stanford can sneak into the Rose Bowl).

While I was impressed by Cal last week against ‘Zona, I don’t think Bob Gregory’s defense has the size to stop the powerful Cardinal rushing game. Right now I believe Stanford can run its power plays on any D in America, and even when you know its coming there is now way to contain it. Throw in a red hot Andrew Luck, and its easy to see why Stanford has scored 106 combined points in its last two high-profile games (UO, USC).

It wouldn’t surprise me if Cal scores in the high 20’s or low 30’s against Stanford, as QB Kevin Riley has played pretty well in his last few games and RB Shane Vereen is more than capable of carrying the running load. But I just don’t think 24-30 points is going to be enough to keep up with the powerful Cardinal.

I expect a competitive game in the first half, but then Stanford’s well-oiled offensive machine will take over.

Prediction: Stanford 40 – Cal 27

Cal Player to Keep an Eye On: DB Bryant Nnabuife - Nnabuife was excellent in his first career start last week, and he will have to be even better this week in order to prevent Andrew Luck and the Stanford passing attack from establishing a rhythm.

Stanford Player to Keep an Eye On: CB Richard Sherman - I am assuming the Stanford offense will do its thing, but the defense will need to make a few plays too. Sherman is a true playmaking corner who loves to bait quarterbacks (as he did last week vs. ‘SC).

Dave’s Take (49 – 15):

I knew the win over Oregon was no fluke. That said, after the massive workload that Gerhart had in that game, and the emotional overload of becoming bowl eligible, I thought the Cardinal would come out flat against USC.

Instead, they built on the effort, putting up 50+ for the second straight week in destroying the Trojans on their home turf.

Now, with the Big Game and a potential Rose Bowl bid on the line, why should we expect anything less than another fantastic effort?

I expect Cal to be at their very best this Saturday, too. While it has been a disappointing season in Berkeley, what better way to salvage it than to crush your hated rival’s shot at a Rose Bowl berth and Toby Gerhart’s shot at the Heisman in one fell swoop?

Should be a fun game to watch with plenty on the line for both sides, but if both teams are at their best, I just can’t see Stanford losing this one. They are playing at another level on offense right now, and the defense is feeding off of the energy as well. Cal won’t go down easy, but look for Stanford to take care of business in their last game of conference play.

Prediction: Stanford 41 – Cal 28