2013-14 Football Previews — (Pac-12) — Golden Bears
The California Golden Bears went just 3-9 during the 2012 college football season, and as a result, head coach Jeff Tedford was relieved of his duties just a few days after the year came to an end. Now roaming the sidelines will be former Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes.
2013 Preview: California Golden Bears (Team Link)
Coach: Sonny Dykes
2012 Record: 3-9 (2-7)
UW Gambling Odds from Bovada.lv: 200/1
Dykes is coming off of a 9-3 season and is primarily known for his offensive approach to the game. He learned the air raid offense while being as assistant at Texas Tech, and while it’s unclear what influence that will have on his mindset in Berkeley, an exciting attack could be what the team needs to finally show motivation.
Following the reveal of the new stadium last year, the team didn’t show the drive that was expected by the fanbase. Tedford was on the hot seat, and yet the team won just two games at home playing uninspired football along the way. The question now is whether or not a fresh start at head coach creates a fresh start on the field.
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ESPN recently named Cal as its No. 1 team when it comes to underachieving college football programs. In case you’re wondering, that’s not a compliment. Starting with offense, this team was awful at times last year throwing the ball. They were 89th in the nation in passing yards, and as a result, they scored just 23 points per contest (93rd in the country).
Losing a starting quarterback is rarely a good thing, but for the Bears, it gives them a chance to start clean. Zack Maynard is gone (graduation), and there will be a competition in fall camp to see who earns the nod. Whoever gets the spot will have a learning curve, but that’s why junior tailback Brendan Bigelow could be the catalyst to a successful offense. Unfortunately, health at the running back position is going to be a theme, and not one most people are optimistic about.
Defensively, the Bears were just 98th in 2012 when it came to points allowed. The team is switching to a 4-3 scheme, and while there will once again be a learning curve to account for, changing up the system can only help this group improve. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
A few players to keep an eye on for the Bears are Dan Camporeale (LB), Brennan Scarlett (DE) and Chris McCain (LB). If the offense can put more points on the board this year, it’s going to take a ton of pressure off of these guys.
When it comes to the 2013 schedule, Cal isn’t going to catch many breaks. There’s a legitimate chance it will take down both Northwestern and Portland State in its first two games, but then back-to-back showdowns with the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks will in all likelihood bring any established momentum crashing down to Earth.
Along with Oregon and Ohio State, this team has eventual matchups with USC and Stanford to look forward to toward the end of the year. The middle stretch is doable, but a nice mix of UCLA, Oregon St., Washington and even Arizona will make life difficult.
Going .500 appears to be a reasonable goal at this point, but losses to any of the aforementioned teams in the middle stretch—or gimmes at the beginning—will quickly put a halt to that thought. Improving upon last season’s three wins should happen, but doubling that number and getting to six would require taking down at least one opponent that will be favored at the time of their matchup.
2013 Golden Bears Schedule:
Sat, Aug. 31 vs. Northwestern
Sat, Sept. 7 vs. Portland St.
Sat, Sept. 14 vs. Ohio St.
Sat, Sept. 28 @ Oregon
Sat, Oct. 5 vs. Washington St.
Sat, Oct. 12 @ UCLA
Sat, Oct. 19 vs. Oregon St.
Sat, Oct. 26 @ Washington
Sat, Nov. 2 vs. Arizona
Sat, Nov. 9 vs. USC
Sat, Nov. 16 @ Colorado
Sat, Nov. 23 @ Stanford
