Eastern Washington Eagles (1-0) vs. Cal Bears (1-0)
Saturday, September 12, 2:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Cal -32.5

Sam’s Take (8 – 1):

After dominating what should be a decent Maryland team, Cal will now play the easiest game on its schedule. The Bears may have trouble getting motivated for the Eagles, especially with the Minnesota road trip looming, but I expect a blowout even if Jeff Tedford’s team plays uninspired football.

Here is the real question: How many carries will Jahvid Best get in this one? Phrased another way: How important is it to the coaching staff to keep Best at the center of the Heisman discussions, and is it worth the risk of injury? Best is a legitimate threat to win the award, so it will be interesting to see how much of a chance he gets to pad his stats this Saturday.

I actually look for QB Kevin Riley to have the biggest day, as it will be important for his confidence to keep growing as the big games draw closer. This may also be the best opportunity on the schedule to get backups like QB Brock Mansion and Beau Sweeney some reps, so hopefully we will get a glimpse of the future for Cal.

I am feeling a familiar score this week in Berkeley.

Prediction: Cal 52 – Eastern Washington 13

Maryland Player to Keep an Eye On: QB Matt Nichols - He has experience against BCS teams (Texas Tech) so nerves shouldn’t be an issue, but the Bears D will be tough.

Cal Player to Keep an Eye On: DE Ernest Owusu – He had a fantastic day against Maryland, and now the surprising sophomore will have a chance to continue developing.

Dave’s Take (8 – 1):

These types of pick-your-own-score games pose an interesting challenge. You want to take the game seriously enough and play it like you would a normal game so as not to head into Minnesota next week out-of-sync. You also want to make sure that everyone stays healthy. Hindsight is always 20/20 in these situations, but if Cal beats Minnesota on the road next week, nobody is going to care whether this one was 59-0 or 28-10.

It should be a first half of stat-boosting for Kevin Riley, Jahvid Best, and the rest of the starters, and a second half of getting the depth guys some playing time. It really doesn’t matter what the final score is as long as the team is feeling good and healthy for the rest of the season.

Reports are that Cal is treating this one like a real game, and I think that’s a wise move; the Bears have played down to their opponents level far too often over the last few years, and it is a habit they need to make sure they are out of, as the road only gets tougher from here.

Prediction: Cal 56 – Eastern Washington 6