Daily Cal: For Bears, It Should Be New Orleans or Bust

BY Gerald Nicdao

For about an hour Saturday, it looked like the Cal football team was going to ascend to the No. 1 spot for the first time since 1951.  Miraculously, Stanford upset No. 2 USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum and Florida was leading No. 1 LSU heading into the fourth quarter in Baton Rouge, La.  And just when I thought that the Tigers were going to fall—and the Bears were going to reach the top—Les Miles orchestrated a gutsy rally and LSU solidified its spot as the nation’s best football team.  But in the end, it’s really not about the rankings—as long as you’re No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3.  To paraphrase Bears coach Jeff Tedford, the rankings don’t matter until December.  It’s always been about going to a place where Cal hasn’t been in almost 50 years.  It’s always been about getting to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.  But after what transpired in the last two weeks, the Bears and their fans should be thinking about more than just the Rose Bowl. They should be thinking about the new “Granddaddy of Them All.”  USC’s loss to Stanford may mean that Cal has no room for error against the Trojans. Lose to USC, and there may not be a BCS bowl in Cal’s future.  However, the Trojans’ loss doesn't change the position that the Bears were in heading into their bye week.

Last week, Cal had an inside track to the BCS national championship game. It was simple—win out, beat USC and off the Bears go to New Orleans to play for their first national championship since 1937.  That fact remains. Being No. 1 would not have changed that.  And it isn’t like the Bears don’t have the credentials to be in New Orleans on Jan. 8.

Cal is one of only two schools to have defeated two top-15 programs.  The other? LSU.  The loss the Trojans were handed does have its ramifications, however.  A loss to USC doesn’t automatically mean a trip to the Rose Bowl, unlike Michigan’s bid after losing to then-No. 1 Ohio State last year in their “game of the century” matchup.  Who knows, the Bears may even get screwed out of a trip to the BCS again—if the nightmare of 2004 repeats itself.  But none of that should matter if Cal handles itself 33 days from now.

Quite possibly for the first time in Pete Carroll’s tenure with the Trojans, USC looks like it actually does have weaknesses.  Trojans quarterback John David Booty may have had a broken middle finger, but four interceptions don’t make him look like a Heisman Trophy quarterback.  Also, whatever happened to that vaunted running attack that ran for 313 yards against Nebraska?  The Cardinal held the Trojans to 95 yards on the ground.  Many feel that last year was Cal’s best shot at dethroning USC—especially with guys like Marshawn Lynch and Daymeion Hughes.  But this year looks even better—especially if the Bears are undefeated by the time Nov. 10 rolls around.  And if Cal keeps winning, then maybe it’ll be able to show Les Miles firsthand how much of a “juggernaut” it is.  Roses may smell sweet, but owning a crystal football is going to feel sweeter.