Stewart Mandel Knows College Football…

…like I know European Tapestry.

Yes, I stole the line from my new friend Jonathan Tu of 82 Sluggo Win, who himself gathered it from a very clever sign at the Nebraska – USC game critizing Mark May rather than Mandel.

But exactly as I had predicted here, Mandel has led the media zombie rush to proclaim Cal-Oregon game “easily the season's most compelling to date”.

Exactly how this defensively challenged example of bad football is the most compelling game this season Mandel fails to elaborate on (other than to note the participants were “highly ranked” – very insightful Stewy), but he lavishes praise on the contest, calling both team’s performances “impressive”.

To the box score please –


Nearly 900 yards of offense should be no one’s idea of a “impressive” football game, much less one that holds himself to be an expert.

Plus, a glance again at the box score reveals the loser of this contest actually gained 97 yards more offensively, had 6 more first downs and rushed for nearly 200 yards. That same loser – Oregon – gained 6 yards per offensive play.

Despite Oregon’s 4 turnovers to Cal’s zero, the Ducks would have tied the game were it not for Cameron Colvin’s unfortunate fumble – touchback turnover with 22 seconds to go.

So, 897 yards of offense reminds us of what? Well, it reminds those of us paying attention of last season’s “Game of the Century” between Ohio State and Michigan (900 yards of total offense there, exactly).

And we all know what happened next.

Cal is an extremely vulnerable team defensively, and has now surrendered an average of 388 yards per game. To put that in perspective the Bears, currently the 3rd ranked team in both polls, is ranked 70th in total defense nationally. Oregon is 76th, at 407.8 yards per game.

As we said in our post on defense regarding last week regarding Cal-Oregon –

“For all of you jonesing offensive junkies in need of a quick fix, turn in
to this defensively challenged match-up this weekend. And be sure of one
thing – whoever wins this thing will in turn be virtually vaporized by USC
later on. Which, in turn, will lead to inflated tales of Trojan
dominance.”

We would like to stand by that prediction even more so now, as Cal is an illusion waiting to be dispelled by a team with even an above average defense. However, we don’t think Cal is going to make it to USC undefeated. For Cal’s current 5-0, the NCAA standings of the defenses they have faced are –

Tennessee – 95th
Colorado State – 63rd
La Tech – 85th
Arizona – 62nd
Oregon – 76th

That’s right. Cal has yet to play a defense better than 62nd, or one that gives up less than an average of 379 yards per game defensively.

Cal’s next 5 games, with their current NCAA defensive ranks, are –

Oregon State – 21st
UCLA – 55th
Arizona State – 16th
Washington State – 103th
USC – 15th

And likely this is where the sports media’s finest dream of a USC-Cal big time match-up comes unraveled, as Cal must finally face a reasonably competent defense (or two) prior to the Trojan game.

Mandel made the comment in his piece that “That them boys out West can play some football.”

In regard to Cal and Oregon, the football they play is only half a game.