Cal has an opportunity to show that last season's bowl letdown was a one-time deal. The Bears will play BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22, the team announced Sunday. The Cougars (6-5) finished third in the Mountain West Conference and feature a spread offense, much like the system Cal had so much trouble with in a 45-31 loss to Texas Tech in last year's Holiday Bowl. "The biggest thing for this bowl game is to not have a repeat of last year," Cal linebacker Ryan Foltz said. "We don't want to have a letdown again." The Bears (7-4), playing in their third straight bowl for the first time since 1950, were squeezed out of a BCS bowl in the final week last season. Without what coach Jeff Tedford described as "so much negativity" surrounding their bowl selection this season, the Las Vegas Bowl gives the Bears a shot at grooming their young roster and playing against a highly recognizable opponent. "Not everyone is still playing, and we feel very fortunate to be able to play and practice right now," Tedford said. "Cal is a well-coached football team," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "They play in a tough conference and have a great football tradition. This will serve as an appropriate way to measure our program in relation to the goals that have been established." Another Pac-10 team, Oregon, finds itself in a similar situation this year as the Bears were in last year. Despite being fifth in the BCS standings, the Ducks are headed to the Holiday Bowl to play Oklahoma. "I think 'disappointed' is more the word than 'surprised,' " Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said on a conference call after the BCS selections were announced. "I didn't quite understand the Notre Dame deal. But obviously I have not been a student of the BCS."
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