Five Reason For Cal To Stay Positive this Bowl Season

Cal down but not, out.

Last weeks loss to Washington in the season finale, has left many Cal fans scratching their heads. Just think, it was only a couple of months ago when we thought Cal was poised to take the Pac10 by storm. With USC looking increasing vulnerable, and Oregon seeming to be on the verge of self-destruction after its loss to Boise State, the Rose Bowl was looking ripe for the picking as far as Cal fans were concerned.

But here we are two months later. Cal finished six in the conference following a 42-10 shellacking by the Huskies, a game that would have even had Keith Jackson Yelling “Wowwww Nelly!”. There is no doubt this was the last way Cal fans were expecting to wrap their regular season. With that being said, now is not the time for Cal fans to lose all faith. I know at first glance most people were shocked that the Huskies were able to beat the Bears so easily last Saturday, but this was a game that Coach Tedford knew was going to be an uphill battle right from the start.

As a Stanford fan myself, there is nothing I dread more than a late season trip to any of the Washington, or Oregon schools. The bad weather, sometimes with snow often being a factor only makes it more difficult to take down a stubborn home team. As if the bad weather wasn’t enough to contend with, the fact that the opposing team is often full of seniors who will be suiting up for the last time in their home stadium, only increases the difficulty of playing on the road. So I ask you now to set last weeks game aside, chalk it up as experience, and start focusing on a beatable Utah squad.

To help you keep a positive attitude, here are five things to keep in mind if you’re a concerned Cal fan, one that might need help in soothing the angry Bear inside of you.

#5) The QB for Washington, Jake Locker is one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-10, if not one of the best in the country. Don’t be surprised when you see him playing on Sundays in a couple of years.

#4) Although Washington Head Coach Sarkisian and Defensive Coordinator Nick Holt wear purple and gold gear now on Saturdays, make not mistake about it, these guys are USC pure-bread coaches. They were the guys that helped Pete Carroll take USC to the top, and their absences at USC is a good indicator on why the Trojans didn’t make a BSC bowl, at least for this year…

#3) Jahvid Best, you’re main offensive weapon was out, and his back up Shane Vereen (who just happens to be you’re future) looks pretty sharp to me.

#2) Coach Tedford is a winner, always has been, always will be. When it comes to bowls appearances he has 5 wins and only 1 loss as head coach.

#1) And last, but not least, Utah plays in the Mountain West! Cal plays in the Pac-10! Need I say more?

And if those reason don’t satisfy you keep in mind they had a solid 8-4 season, a win against rival Stanford, and they have a top 30 recruiting class coming in according to Rivals.com.

Although the Poinsettia Bowl is a bit disappointing, it should serve as a spring board for the Bears into next year. This match up against Utah is an excellent opportunity for Cal to gain some momentum heading into the off season.

Bottom Line

-Cal has something to prove in this bowl, Utah is just happy to be there… Cal wins this by two scores at least, putting them back in the top 25 to end the year.