Holiday Bowl: Tedford Knows How to Win

What a difference a day makes.

Wednesday night we witnessed a Pac-10 coach who doesn’t know how to win … last night we saw a coach that does.

Sure, Cal’s Jeff Tedford represented the conference well, notching the Pac-10’s first win after three bowl-season losses, with an emphatic 45-10 beat down of those weirdos … I mean, Aggies … of Texas A&M. Tedford proved once again that he is indeed the Pac-10’s second best coach.

But perhaps more importantly Tedford showed an ESPN audience how to win with class. When the Bears scored their last touchdown with 28 seconds left in the game, Tedford could be seen on the sideline visibly upset because his back-up quarterback Steve Levy called a running play for back-up running back Bryan Shutte, instead of taking a knee as he was instructed.

Tedford was yelling, “What are you doing? What are you doing?,” while the rest of the Cal sideline celebrated, and as Levy came off the field, Tedford grabbed Levy’s facemask and let him have it. Afterward he presumably apologized to Aggie coach Dennis Franchione, then explained his animated conversation with Levy to Erin Andrews.* Excellent.

Of course, no one can say Karl Dorrell doesn’t have enough class to pull off a move like Tedford’s … but we’ll never really know, because he lacks the coaching prowess to build a 35-point bowl game lead in the first place.

Fight On! Beat the Wolverines!

* A gratuitous mention of Erin Andrews as a bonus, since we missed our typical Thursday fare yesterday …

.

Bowl Season: Rooting Only for USC

A friend of mine who happens to be a fellow Pac-10 alum told me recently that he roots for all Pac-10 teams during bowl games. My reaction: Why the hell would you do that?

Why would any fan of any college football team root for other teams in their conference during bowl season?

I can understand pulling for conference mates against non-conference opponents during the regular season, when the perception of conference strength plays into the human polls and computer rankings. But there really isn’t any reason to do so in bowl games. Seriously.

Do you think Oregon’s crude and vulgar fans will be throwing up the “V” for USC on New Year’s Day? No. Is anyone from ugla planning to hand over their parking pass for us Trojans in Pasadena? Not a chance. Can you honestly tell me that any one of Cal’s fans want USC to win any game, let alone the Rose Bowl? No way.

Even if the feelings weren’t mutual, I would still root against every Pac-10 school during bowl season. It isn’t enough to simply win five consecutive Pac-10 championships. If USC wants to continue its conference dominance and enjoy its position as the national power of this new millennium, the Trojans must win the recruiting war in California. The bowl game results play an important part in doing so.

What do you think sounds worse to an ugla recruit: Karl Dorrell after a win versus perennial power FSU, or Karl Dorrell after a loss in a crappy bowl game in a half-filled baseball stadium? Of course, we’re talking about Karl Dorrell, and only a few ugla recruits are on Pete Carroll’s list, so perhaps that’s a bad example … but you know what I mean.

I’m glad that BYU embarrassed the Oregon Ducks in Las Vegas, even though Mike Bellotti should have already been ashamed for letting his kids wear those garish uniforms.

I’m happy Hawaii’s Colt Brennan spanked ASU in Dirk Koetter’s last game.

I hate ugla, and ugla hates us. So what if it’s just the Emerald Bowl. Go, Florida State!

Cal in the Holiday Bowl versus Texas A&M? Forget it. I don’t hear DeSean Jackson talking this week, but I’d love to see him get shut up and shut down again.

Oregon State against Missouri in the lowly Sun Bowl is exactly right. The Beavers should get something for beating USC, but they don’t deserve another reason to celebrate on national TV.

It’s pretty simple really. USC Football is a nationally recognized program. Every team in the Pac-10 wants what we have, and a bowl game victory could get them that much closer to the Trojans. Why in the world would any USC fan root for that?

We Are SC!

Fight On! Beat the Wolverines!
.