BY Steffi Chan
It took more than half a century, but the Cal football program is finally back to the glory of the Pappy days. At least rankings-wise. With the Bears’ 31-24 thrilling win over then-No. 11 Oregon, coach Jeff Tedford has catapulted Cal to No. 3 in the national polls, its highest ranking since 1952, when the Bears were led by legendary coach Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf. It was during Waldorf’s tenure that Cal played in three Rose Bowls and was ranked No. 1 in the nation (1951). At No. 3, below just No. 1 LSU and No. 2 USC, the Bears can no longer be denied the attention of the country. You can sing it from the mountains—Cal is finally and truly back in the national spotlight. In the words of legendary Bay Area sports announcer Bill King, Holy Toledo! There’s no doubt the Bears have been on the receiving end of some good luck for once.
The stars practically aligned for Cal this past weekend. Then-No. 3 Oklahoma got knocked off by a jubilant Colorado team. Then No. 4-Florida fell victim—again—to Auburn. Then-No. 5 West Virginia was shocked by South Florida. With the Trojans and the Tigers the only teams in the top-five not to fall, the No. 6 Bears leapt to their highest ranking in 55 years by default. Whether Cal deserves to be this high is irrelevant—its path to end-of-season success is now glowing with possibilities. Dare to dream—it is conceivable that the Bears’ Nov. 10 showdown will be between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. In fact, Cal could be No. 2 the next time it suits up if Florida knocks off LSU this Saturday.
Talk can actually go from a possible Rose Bowl bid to a BCS national championship game. Saturday’s win opened up the doors for Cal, whose future is in its hands. Anything can happen now.
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