NCAAF Betting Preview - California Golden Bears
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The California
Golden Bears’ best chance
to usurp the USC Trojans in the Pac-10 came and
went last season. Head coach Jeff Tedford had
been rebuilding the once-abysmal program since
he arrived in 2002, but this team peaked last
season. Graduation ripped this starting roster
to shreds (stupid, smart kids!) and Tedford and
his coaching staff are scrambling to patch the
defense and run game together. The Bears might
have seen their one chance to slip past USC pass
last season.
The Bears are a highly favored team in the Pac-10,
but this team must have gotten a sore crotch
from straddling the spread so tightly last year.
Though they went 10-3 SU, they were an absurd
6-6 ATS and went 6-5 as favorites. Even worse,
the one time they were underdogs they frustrated
betters by going 0-1 ATS as the dog.
BetUS.com sportsbook is giving them +2000 odds
to win the national title game in our famous
sportsbook, but those seem like shallow odds
considering how deep this team is in the hole.
With star tackler Desmond Bishop gone, and Marshawn
Lynch running for the Buffalo Bills now, this
team lacks the star power to compete with USC
in the Pac-10, let alone pray for a BCS appearance.
The Associated Press ranked California twelfth
overall.
This is not to say that all hope is lost in
California. Coach Tedford has instilled a winning
attitude in to this program, and that can be
infectious. The Golden Bears are still capable
of a ten win season, but the odds are stacked
against them. USC is absurdly strong and Cal
has to make too many important personnel switches
on the defensive side of the ball.
Losing Desmond Bishop is a huge deal. The defense
will center around defensive tackle Matt Malelele,
who has apparently slimmed down to a more athletic
300 pounds and is unstoppable in camp. The rest
of the front four will be made of patchwork players,
putting so much stress on linebackers Jack Follett
and Worrell Williams that their heads might explode.
The running game will be lead by capable senior
Justin Forsett, but the 5-foot-8 speedster is
simply too small to take the unrelenting punishment
of a full load. The best offensive weapon they
have is DeSean Jackson, the wide receiver and
kick return sensation. Getting the ball in to
his hands will priority one on offense. Finding
receivers to take the defensive pressure off
of Jackson will be priority number two.
The schedule opens
with a home-opener against Tennessee, the team
that practically ruined Cal’s
season last year. You can bet that the Golden
Bears have had this date circled since last season,
but vengeance never ensures victory (neither
does revenge, for that matter). If they can’t
get past the Volunteers, then there national
title dreams will vanish as fast as they emerged.
Tedford has done a
remarkable job of rebuilding this program,
and his commitment to this program is honorable.
As oddsmakers try to decipher where these Bears
belong, they will once again straddle the spread
making them another betting nightmare. With
so many important personnel changes at key
positions, it’s nearly impossible to
find a silver lining for these Golden Bears.
With NCAA football just around the corner, the
BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college
football Futures betting available for those
of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner,
Conference and Divisional winners and, of course,
the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet
NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today
in the Future / props section!
Posted on 8/27/2007 7:35:00 PM
NCAAF Betting Preview - California Golden Bears
By Tim Furious
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