BY Stephen Chen
Coach Jeff Tedford normally uses the typical "we prepare the same way every week" response when asked about how the Cal football team is gearing up for its next opponent. Tedford, however, opened up just a little bit more as he addressed his team's matchup against No. 22 Arizona State on Saturday. "I don't know how to explain it. There's something about Pac-10 play," Tedford said. "I don't want to say, 'Now it's for real,' because it was always for real, but there's just something a little bit different about conference play." The difference is that these games-unlike the previous three the Bears played-have a direct impact on the rest of the campaign. I admit the hype generated from nonconference matchups isn't completely unfounded. I won't say I wasn't anticipating the Bears opener in Tennessee or the No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash between Ohio State and Texas.
But my excitement surrounding the first three weeks of college football stemmed mostly from the monotony of watching weeks of spring and fall practice. In the grand scheme of things, Cal's loss against the Volunteers and its wins against Minnesota and Portland State mean very little. The Bears could have gone 0-3 and still made a New Year's appearance at the Rose Bowl. Conversely, whoever loses Saturday's game in Berkeley is setting themselves up for an extreme uphill battle in such a loaded conference. This is why Saturday's tilt will be the biggest matchup at Memorial Stadium since the Bears played Arizona State in October of 2004. The Oregon game later that season turned out to be a thriller, but the Ducks were in no position to challenge for a conference title.
Last year's battle with USC could have been an intriguing battle, but by the time the teams met, Cal had lost three of its last four games and Joe Ayoob had lost all of his confidence. Saturday against the Sun Devils will be the first time the Bears will open the conference slate against a ranked opponent since 2003, when they upset then-No. 3 USC. Although Cal was 2-3 heading into that game against the Trojans, the Bears' upset instantly propelled the program to respectability. Adding to the excitement this season is that Pac-10 teams will play nine conference games for the first time ever. The Pac-10 and the Big East are the only two major conferences to have every team play one another, just as it should be. It doesn't get any fairer than that. With Nate Longshore looking increasingly more comfortable in the pocket and the Cal defense shutting down opposing offenses in the past two games, this is shaping up to be a solid battle between two talented teams. It's good that the Gold Zone tarps are coming off for Saturday's game because when Pac-10 play begins, it's a whole new season.
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