Seattle Times: Capsule preview: Washington State at California

When: 7:15 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.

TV: FSN.

Radio: KPTK (1090 AM); KRKO (1380 AM); KHHO (850 AM).

The line: California by 12.

At stake: Both teams want to stop Pac-10 losing streaks: The Cougars have lost three straight, and the No. 25 Golden Bears have lost two in a row. Cal qualifies for a bowl if it wins tonight. The Cougars need three wins to make it to a bowl, and they face a near-certain loss next week at USC.

What to expect: Cal will try to isolate the Cougars' cornerbacks and work on them. The Bears also are sure to run at MLB Greg Trent, a true freshman filling in for injured Will Derting. The Cougars will rely on running by Jerome Harrison and the Alex Brink-to-Jason Hill passing link-up.

Notes: Cal is No. 8 in NCAA rushing stats and No. 2 in the Pac-10 behind USC, averaging 243.1 yards. ... Cal leads the series 36-25-5, but the Cougars have won the past four games, six of the past seven and nine of the past 11. In their last meeting, in 2002, the Cougars spoiled the Pac-10 debut of Bears coach Jeff Tedford with a 48-38 win. ... Anthony Felder, a true freshman linebacker from O'Dea High School, is starting for Cal. ... The Cougars lead the Pac-10 in fewest sacks allowed, with five.

Injuries: WSU: MLB Will Derting (knee), KR Lorenzo Bursey (shoulder), TB Kevin McCall (ankle) out; RB Jerome Harrison (shoulder), WR Chris Jordan (hip) and LB Brian Hall (collarbone) probable.

Cal: QB Nate Longshore (leg), WR Noah Smith (ankle), OT Andrew Cameron (knee), WR Robert Jordan (shoulder) out; DT Brandon Mebane (ankle) and T Ryan O'Callaghan (concussion) questionable; WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder) probable.

Prediction: The Bears are grumpy after back-to-back losses and have plenty of big-play capability. The Cougars gave great effort against UCLA last week and may not be able to get up as high again this soon. The Cougars' slide continues. California 31, WSU 21.