Column by Dave Newhouse
IT'S GREAT TO know the football rivalry is alive and kicking. Passing and running, too. Looking forward to the game this weekend, aren't you? The Bay Area should really come alive. The two teams are so closely matched, it's hard to know who will win, Cal or Oregon. Even though the Golden Bears are favored by 5 points. What, you thought this was about another rivalry? The Raiders and 49ers? You call that a rivalry? Listen, Cal and Oregon first played in 1899, 21 years before the NFL arrived, and 30 years before Al Davis was born. The Raiders and 49ers didn't meet until 1967, Art Shell's senior year at Maryland State. Right now, Oregon (4-0) is ranked 11th in the country and Cal (4-1) 16th. NFL teams aren't ranked, but if they were, the Raiders (0-3) and 49ers (1-3) would be slotted south of Tijuana. Oregon is gearing toward its 11th bowl game in 13 years, while Cal is positioned for its fourth consecutive bowl. Six Division I victories will qualify a school for even the most insignificant bowl. Meanwhile, the Raiders and 49ers are in line for...Christmas shopping. It'll be another postseason drought for these two fallen franchises, who've begun to resemble the Warriors. So, again, what rivalry? The Raiders and 49ers haven't played a truly meaningful game since 1988, when the Los Angeles Raiders flew up to San Francisco and whipped the Super-Bowl bound 49ers 9-3. It's true that pro football is king hereabouts, but Cal and De La Salle have the best teams. Where have you gone, Bill Walsh and John Madden? Cal's more exciting than either local NFL stiff. Marshawn Lynch, Nate Longshore, DeSean Jackson, Robert Jordan, Lavelle Hawkins, Brandon Mebane, Desmond Bishop, Zack Follett and Daymeion Hughes ... the Bears rock (and sock)!
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