Who are we rooting for in the title game?
(Written by kencraw)
Let’s see, if Stanford wins, our arch-rival gets another trip to the Rose Bowl and with luck a trip to the playoff. That’s bad.
But at the same time, if Stanford gets into the playoff (somewhat of a long shot) and the Rose Bowl takes Oregon (I would expect it), we likely get to go to a better bowl, perhaps even the Foster Farms at Levi Stadium. That’s good.
As for USC, when do we ever want them dominant in the league? They get enough of the best recruits as it is.
So are we rooting for the Spoiled Children/Evil Empire or are we rooting for the Trees?
December 3rd, 2015 at 1:31 pm
SC over Stanford. It doesn’t sit well with me to see Stanford go to 3 Rose Bowls in the past 4 years while Cal hasn’t gone in over half a century.
Then again, it’s a bit easier for me to pick the Evil Empire since I went to grad school there after Cal. Long-time reader of your blog btw (since the late 2000s), and I enjoy reading your recaps (and those at CGB). Great job keeping up the blog over the years, since I’ve seen a few awesome Cal blogs succumb to the years of football heartbreak.
December 3rd, 2015 at 1:44 pm
You’re testing my resolve to treat the argument fairly even if it comes from a biased source, Trojan Bear. 🙂
December 3rd, 2015 at 3:42 pm
I haven’t managed to figure this out. Will we know by game time if Stanford has a chance at a playoff spot? If they do, I guess I’ll root for them. If not, then USC can clobber them.
December 3rd, 2015 at 7:06 pm
On a different note, what bowl game are you rooting for Cal to play in?
Bears have been linked to Cactus, Las Vegas, and some unaffiliated bowl games (New Mexico, Armed Forces, Heart of Dallas, Poinsettia, Independence, Cure).
I think Las Vegas has already selected BYU, and is aiming to grab Utah if they drop so they can have a Holy War matchup. Early date of the Las Vegas Bowl means that the players wouldn’t benefit as much from the extra practice time.
Hopefully Bears can land in the Cactus bowl (Jan. 2) against a decent Big 12 team. If not, a Poinsettia Bowl matchup against Boise St. (Dec. 23) would be interesting and within drivable distance.
December 4th, 2015 at 9:16 am
I’d vote for the highest possibility, which at this point unfortunately is Las Vegas bowl. If Utah had lost to Colorado, Cal would have had a shot at the Foster Farms, as it, if Stanford went to the playoffs and the Rose took Oregon all the bowl above them had taken the 6-3 teams (USC & WSU), could have dipped below 5-4 UCLA and Utah to take the Bears and probably would have.
But unfortunately there is one too many 6-3 teams and by the time you get to the next bowl, the Sun, they’re not allowed to skip down one game from 5-4 to 4-5. Which means Las Vegas is the highest the Bears can get at this point.
But that’s unlikely for two reasons:
1. Stanford has to make the playoff
2. Las Vegas probably picks ASU over Cal due to proximity while still filling hotel rooms.
So it’s looking like it’s the Cactus for the Bears (who probably pick Cal over ASU so as to fill hotel rooms that they don’t get with local to the area ASU).