AP: Will the real Cal step forward?

ANNE M. PETERSON

Could it be that California's loss to Tennessee was a fluke? Dirk Koetter thinks so. The Arizona State coach said put any team on the road in front of 100,000 people and there's going to be trouble. But more than that, Cal seemed to get a few bad breaks. "They had a seven-minute stretch where everything went right for Tennessee and everything went wrong for Cal," Koetter said.  The Golden Bears were ranked No. 9 in the preseason but dropped to 22nd after their 35-18 loss to then-No. 23 Tennessee. Thus began the debate about whether Cal even deserved such a high ranking. It also spurred talk about the strength of the Pac-10. Koetter's Sun Devils were routed 49-21 by Cal, the week before the Bears beat Oregon State 41-13. This week, Cal (4-1, 2-0) is ranked No. 16 with a game at home Saturday against No. 11 Oregon (4-0, 2-0).  Cal coach Jeff Tedford said none of the Bears played well against the Volunteers. Quarterback Nate Longshore, who now has 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions in his last four games, did not have a great game and was replaced by Joe Ayoob in the third quarter.  "He didn't really play poorly in that game," Tedford said about Longshore. "It was just everything around him didn't click. Now everything is clicking better."

Frankly, Tedford is tired of the loss framing all the questions he faces about his team. "We're in the sixth game of the year and people are still talking about that first game," Tedford said. Even a victory over Oregon won't silence Tennessee talk.

“I still think people are still going to talk about that Tennessee game, for whatever reason." he said. "Our motivation isn't to put that thing behind us, it is to move forward." Predicted Ducks coach Mike Bellotti: "Something's got to give, obviously - because it's going to be a major collision."