Are Cal Bears the Pac-10's Underachievers or Are They Just Overrated?

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Over the course of two weeks, several things have been made quite clear about the California Golden Bears football team.

Against Oregon, Cal's national title hopes were shot down, and with them the team's No. 6 ranking.

This past Saturday, the team's chances at a coveted Rose Bowl this January (barring a couple of unforeseen collapses) went the way of USC's Damian Williams on his second quarter punt return touchdown—out of the Bears' grasp, never to return.

But while Jeff Tedford's crew may well be one the year's bigger disappointments in 2009, how exactly to describe and what to conclude about this team remains an open question.

Are the Bears vastly underachieving this year? Or, was Cal simply not very good to begin with?

Let's start with the former possibility.

There's no question that Cal came into 2009 a bunch of talent. Considering the  the Bears returned 17 starters from last season's nine-win squad, Cal contending for a BCS bowl shouldn't be as crazy an expectation as some people think it to be now.

Those returning players include the entire secondary, which in 2008 ranked sixth nationally in pass efficiency defense, and third in interceptions (24). 

This year, however, underachievement is an understatement for that unit, which currently has just four takeaways.

More disconcerting is that they have not only gotten torched the last three games, but specifically in the same way: by the team's top receiving option (Minnesota's Eric Decker, Oregon's Ed Dickson, and USC's Williams) as if these players weren't scouted for at all. 

On the incessant short passes and bubble screens, opposing receivers have not being tackled; in the open field, receivers simply aren't being accounted for.

Syd'Quan Thompson, normally a lockdown corner and sure tackler, has looked off at times.

Darian Hagan has had more than his share of struggles, leading to his benching earlier after game three (he may very well still have nightmares about Decker). 

On the other side of the ball, a healthy and relatively experienced offensive line figured to be solid coming into 2009 despite losing Alex Mack.

However, the group has had some trouble protecting the quarterback, against Oregon and USC, as well as opening holes for Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen.

Quarterback Kevin Riley (38 percent completion percentage) and the receiving corps (no wideout has more than three passes in a game) have been inconsistent, to say the least, despite having another offseason to work together.

The result? An offense that put up over 50 points in each of its first two games has gone two full games without a touchdown.

Heck, even Bryan Anger, the team's All-American candidate punter, is averaging under 40 yards per punt!

However, what if it's not just a couple of off games and the other option is true? What if the two blowout losses showed the country the true Bears?

After all, even though Riley and his receivers are veterans, the passing game as a whole was the main question mark coming into the season.

It had to be successful for Best to have an impact, and that hasn't happened when things have counted. Riley hasn't made the throws. The receivers haven't gotten open and have dropped balls.

Another original area of some concern was the linebacker position, where Cal had to replace accomplished three starters. While Mychal Kendricks, Eddie Young, Devin Bishop, and D.J. Holt provide good depth and athleticism, and have shown flashes at times, they are still having some growing pains.

This has most apparent the Bears' weakened pass rush, despite having the same defensive line.

In hindsight, it may have been a bit premature to assume they would seamlessly transition into the roles vacated by Anthony Felder, Worrell Williams, and Zach Follett. 

On special teams, a wildly inconsistent field goal unit (which has been a liability for three years now) and short kick-off coverage that were apparent at the beginning of the year have yet to be solved.

So what's the final verdict on the squad?

Was it the first three games that showed Cal's ultimate potential that is not being fulfilled, or did the succeeding two contests reveal a more realistic picture: a Bears squad that's just not very good?

Personally, I lean more towards the former argument. Granted, the hype and the ranking was too high, too soon, but I do think this team has too much talent to be playing the way it has.

For me, it has not been the fact of losses against the Ducks and Trojans that have been so befuddling, but rather the sheer lack of competitiveness Cal has displayed in them.

That being said, I will need some more games to decide for myself—next Saturday's showdown at UCLA will certainly go a long way in helping me reach a more definite conclusion.

In the mean time, I'll pose the same questions for readers to comment on.

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