San Jose Mercury: Stanford, Cal test well, but field results vary

By Jon Wilner

Mercury News

Last week, the Wall Street Journal ranked the average Wonderlic scores for football players at 39 Division I-A college programs. Not surprisingly, Stanford was No. 1 with a seven-year average score of 28.8 -- roughly equal to the scores of chemists and engineers -- and Cal was tied for third at 25.2. (San Jose State was not included.) The results look great for the locals, but what do they mean? The Wonderlic Personnel Test, which has been given to millions of job applicants for decades, is considered somewhat more practical than an IQ test in that it focuses on problem-solving ability. NFL draft prospects take the 50-question test every year, and the league does its best to keep the results private. Is there any correlation between Wonderlic score and on-field performance? Apparently not, given that Stanford has 35 victories in the seven-year span and the last-place team on the Journal's list, Miami (Fla.) -- which had an average Wonderlic score of 16.3 (comparable to the average nurse's aide) -- has 67 wins. ``Wonderlic scores are just one indicator,'' former Stanford and 49ers coach Bill Walsh said. ``The dull-witted athlete is at a disadvantage, but there are other characteristics you look for. I always wanted to see functional intelligence on the athletic field.''

Walsh and Cal Coach Jeff Tedford agreed that Wonderlic scores sometimes correlate to performance at certain positions, such as quarterback and offensive line. ``I think all of our quarterbacks have scored very high on the test,'' Tedford said.

``It has been reflected by what we can do on offense, what they can handle. But there have been times when there's a low score and it hasn't been reflective of what the quarterback can do.'' This much is sure: Wonderlic scores are far less relevant than victories or graduation rates. In those categories, results for Stanford and Cal differ greatly. The Bears have 31 wins in the past five years; the Cardinal has 20. Stanford has graduated 85 percent of its players; Cal 48 percent.

(Note: The figures are based on the most recent NCAA graduation rates report, which covers freshmen who entered school between 1994 and 1997. So those aren't Tedford's recruits.)

Return of the kings

College football is going retro this season. Nebraska, Notre Dame, Alabama and Penn State, who have combined for 20 Associated Press national titles, are 18-1, and only Nebraska is not ranked. What gives?

• Notre Dame's schedule hasn't been as daunting as it looked in August, but Coach Charlie Weis has done a masterful job installing his pro-style offense and turning Brady Quinn into an elite passer. The wins should keep coming for the Irish (4-1), who play five of their final six at home.

• Nebraska is 4-0 for the first time since . . . 2003. The Cornhuskers fired Coach Frank Solich after he went 9-3, then hired ex-Raiders boss Bill Callahan to install a West Coast passing game. The experiment finally showed a pulse last week when quarterback Zac Taylor threw for a school-record 431 yards against Iowa State.

• Alabama Coach Mike Shula went 10-15 in his first two seasons, prompting speculation about his job security. But the steady play of quarterback Brodie Croyle and Saturday's 31-3 thrashing of Florida have launched the Crimson Tide (5-0) into contention for the SEC West title and a possible Bowl Championship Series berth.

• A soft non-conference schedule and granite defense have Penn State tied for first in the Big Ten. If the Nittany Lions beat Ohio State on Saturday, JoePa will take aim at the Big Ten title.

First test for Bears

Huge week for Cal. After facing five cream puffs, the 10th-ranked Golden Bears get their first test of the season Saturday against No. 20 UCLA in the Rose Bowl. A victory, combined with upcoming home games against Washington State and Oregon State, means Cal should be 8-0 entering the stretch run -- and in contention for a BCS berth. But a loss Saturday probably would force the Bears to run the table to reach the BCS. Here's a prediction: special teams will determine the outcome.