2008 California Golden Bears
Written June 6, 2008 by Jason Lowry
Its time for Jason Lowry to make his 2008 California Golden Bears Predictions, and take a look at what the Golden Bears will be bringing back on both offense and defense this upcoming year. The Golden Bears finished with a respectable overall record at 7-6, but was just 3-6 in the Pac 10 to finish the season tied for 7th. With 13 returning starters there is hope out West that this team can make some big improvements in 2008. Coach Jeff Tedford and his coaching staff lost 6 players to the draft last season and will have some big playmaking holes to fill on the offense and defensive side of things. The offense was hit the worst as it lost starting wide receivers, their tight end, and their running back.
Offense:
The Golden Bears have two options at QB with senior Nate Longshore and sophomore Kevin Riley. There is no clear-cut winner, as Riley’s play in the Armed Forces Bowl has the coaches thinking he might be the right guy. We think Longshore will get first shot, but will have to play well to keep his job. The running game doesn’t look to bright right now, as they lost Justin Forsett to the draft and James Montgomery transferred, leaving Jahvid Best to do the bulk of the running and he is coming off a serious hip injury. The receiving game might struggle, as the team doesn’t have a proven player who has really seen the field. The one bright spot for the offense should be the line, as it returns 3 starters, and with the job Cal does at recruiting lineman the remaining two spots shouldn’t be of worry.
Defense:
The defense returns 7 starters from last year’s team, and the only big loss was FS DeCoud Thomas. Cal is loaded with talent at linebacker and it looks like they are going to attempt a 3-4 at times next season. Look for defensive end Rulon Davis to make a big name for himself next season, as he had 3 sacks in just 6 games last season. Look for the trio of seniors at linebacker to cause chaos next season, and when they play the 3-4 look for Junior Eddie Young to join in on the fun. Safety Bernard Hicks and corner Syd’Quan Thompson anchor the secondary. Look for sophomores Chris Conte to step in at corner while Marcus Ezeff plays the other safety spot. If the team improves its open field tackling from last year this defense could be one of the best in the conference.
Prediction: 5th in the Pac 10
Even though the defense looks like it will be good, we really think that the offense is going to struggle putting points on the board. The team doesn’t know whom their starting quarterback is going to be, leaving little time for the offensive unit to form a good groove with whoever wins the job. Plus the special teams unit doesn’t look great as returning place kicker Jordan Kay only made 65% of his field goals, and the team lost punter Andrew Larson as well.
If you are looking to get a head start on the NCAA Football season, be sure to head over to Bodoglife.com and get an account up and going. Also be sure to check back as professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to roll through his team-by-team 2008 NCAA football predictions. As always feel free to leave any comments in our comment box.
If you want to bet on Cal and win this year, then you have to know what is going on with the team. The blogs we check for the latest news and notes are the Cal Football Fan Blog and Bears Necessity.