Quite a day of mixed emotions. . .
The University of Spoiled Children finally got what it had coming to them ever since they started putting the nation's top recruits on the payroll of Orange County executives and LA car dealerships. USC was delivered a harsh sentence, including a 2 year post-season ban and the loss of several scholarships, which is gratifying enough in itself. USC, which produces the most entitled fans on Earth, was caught with their wallet out. What's really sad for the fans though, is that they continue to revere a coach who dined and dashed. After running the best program that money could buy, Pete Carroll took off for a multi-million dollar per year contract with the Seattle Seahawks (who apparently forgot what an awful coach he was at New England), leaving USC to deal with the aftermath of his legacy. But don't feel sorry for USC. . . as their new coach Lane Kiffen said today, "USC is an extremely powerful University". That's code for, "Attention new recruits, don't drop your letters of intent just yet. . . there's more money in the USC alumni network than you can dream of and we'll find a way to give it to you if you come play for us."
And yet, as USC deals with the aftermath of their bought Rose Bowl titles, I couldn't help but think that this should be a call to action for all Cal fans: Get ready, our one and only chance to make it to the Rose Bowl begins today and ends on January 1, 2012. The California Golden Bears are now on the clock to get to a bowl game that they haven't ATTENDED since 1959 and haven't won since before my Grandfather patrolled the shores of North African with the US Navy during WWII. If there was anytime for Cal Football to get our act together, it's this season or next.
And to make the situation all the more urgent, Cal needs to get moving before the Pac-10 expansion takes effect and schools like Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State join the expanded Pac-16 conference. I have to admit, I briefly reveled in the thought that the Pac-16 will soon kick the crap out of the SEC every season, no matter what sport we're talking about. It's like when I was in the 5th grade and our class played the 7th graders in kickball. The 7th graders kicked our ass every lunch break. There was no contest. They were two years older at a time in your life when two years means six inches in height and the ability to kick the ball far and hard. It was that way almost the entire school year. . . until . . . the 8th graders joined our team and kicked every ball over the fence while we ran the bases for them. Same thing. The 8th graders are now joining the Pac-10 conference and we don't have to take the insults any longer from the SEC. (And as an aside, yes, I am still bitter about Labor Day weekend a few years ago in Knoxville when Number 9 Cal got the shit kicked out of us by Number 23 Tennessee and we had to endure 110,000 orange-shirted rednecks remind us that the Pac-10 sucks ass). No longer. The 8th graders are on our team and it's game over for every other conference in the Country.
However, after that revelation, I came back to the reality that if Cal can't get to the Rose Bowl with USC in our conference, we certainly won't get there with Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State added to the season schedule. But until the conference is officially expanded in 2012 and until USC is done taking their timeout at the dining room table, Cal has a moment to shine. But the pressure is going to be on for Jeff Tedford, because once the window closes, it'll be back to normal for Cal fans ("normal" by the way entails Cal getting really excited about going undefeated in non-conference play in September and then blowing a few crucial games, before bleeding out the rest of the season and ending up in either the Holiday Bowl or the Emerald Nut Bowl, or some pre-Christmas Bowl that nobody watches).
Here's to hoping we make the best of these next 19 months.
- Go Bears.
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