This is not an examination of why Kevin Riley is one step from being sublime.

This is not an explanation of how Cal's OL is a sleeping giant, ready to arise.

This is not even an explication of why Cal's DL will be playing with - wait for it - an enthusiasm unknown to mankind over the next 9 games (yes, I included a bowl).

This IS a comparison to another coach at a different program who inherited a downtrodden program with lesser facilities in a talent rich state and only four wins in the preceding three years, met with early success, but then seemingly hit a plateau.

BOBBY BOWDEN:

             W   L   T   Ranking
1976     5    6   0
1977    10   2   0    14
1978     8    3   0
1979    11   1   0     6
1980    10   2   0     5
1981    6     5   0
1982    9     3   0    13
1983    8     4   0
1984    7     3   2    17
1985    9     3   0    15
1986    7     4   1
           90   36  3
          69.77%

Had FSU's AD decided after the 1986 season that Bowden was not the guy, he would have had a point. Bowden had been there for 11 seasons, had not recorded fewer than 3 losses in any of the previous six seasons, and had seemingly lost whatever touch he had in guiding the Seminoles to back-to-back 10+ win seasons. He would have had a point, and he would have missed out on 14 consecutive years of Top 5 finishes, 9 consecutive bowl wins, and two national championships.

Tedford may not be the next Bobby Bowden. But we won't know until we've given him enough time with proper facilities to find out.

Life is filled with many firsts, no denying that, such as the order I placed in which the words this sentence in.

Some are clearly more life-changing firsts, like how I had never used that exit ramp onto I-24 until this weekend when I had to use it to go to Chik-fil-A for my free chicken sandwich, also a first!

Some firsts are merely life-continuing firsts that don't really affect your life or routine in any perceptible way and that you have to actually think back and remember that, hey, that actually did happen!, such as that time I got downsized.

Others are firsts that fall somewhere in-between, neither life-changing nor life-continuing, firsts that have the potential to change your life but frequently end up never being acted upon. A good example of this would be picking out a new shade of paint for the bedroom and the cut of new drapes for your living room, or alternatively choosing between Charmin Ultra-Soft or CostCo Valu Brand.

And some are so epochal, so earth-shaking, so life-trajectory altering that describing them is of no use, they must merely be experienced. A good example of that would be writing my first DBD.

Some firsts that will always stick with me:

Tying my shoes!

via farm4.static.flickr.com

Or getting on the school bus for the first time:

via users.sfo.com

Or writing my first DBD!

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

What are some of your most memorable, or forgettable, firsts?

Cal news provided by Twist and his merry band after the jump.

Bumped to the front page. Everyone should definitely follow the link below and check out Nashville's post on CGB. --jake

Hey all. I wanted to alert you guys to a Fan Post I just wrote for CGB focusing on what the Pac-10 as a whole gains, and loses, as a result of the round robin. As you guys are our brothers in arms, thought you might want to check it out. There was a lot of talk about the round robin earlier this summer, but with football season practically upon us, I figured it was a good time to actually look through some of the numbers.

Thanks!

LINK

Hey all. I wanted to alert you guys to a Fan Post I just wrote for CGB focusing on what the Pac-10 as a whole gains, and loses, as a result of the round robin. As you guys are our brothers in arms, thought you might want to check it out. There was a lot of talk about the round robin earlier this summer, but with football season practically upon us, I figured it was a good time to actually look through some of the numbers.

Thanks!

LINK

Hey all. I wanted to alert you guys to a Fan Post I just wrote for CGB focusing on what the Pac-10 as a whole gains, and loses, as a result of the round robin. As you guys are our brothers in arms, thought you might want to check it out. There was a lot of talk about the round robin earlier this summer, but with football season practically upon us, I figured it was a good time to actually look through some of the numbers.

Thanks!

LINK

Hey all. I wanted to alert you guys to a Fan Post I just wrote for CGB focusing on what the Pac-10 as a whole gains, and loses, as a result of the round robin. As you guys are our brothers in arms, thought you might want to check it out. There was a lot of talk about the round robin earlier this summer, but with football season practically upon us, I figured it was a good time to actually look through some of the numbers.

Thanks!

LINK

Hey all. I wanted to alert you guys to a Fan Post I just wrote for CGB focusing on what the Pac-10 as a whole gains, and loses, as a result of the round robin. As you guys are our brothers in arms, thought you might want to check it out. There was a lot of talk about the round robin earlier this summer, but with football season practically upon us, I figured it was a good time to actually look through some of the numbers.

Thanks!

LINK

This FanPost is an attempt to determine the effects of the recently added 12th regular season game on college football, paying particular attention to the decision of the Pac-10 conference (hereafter PX) to institute a round robin (hereafter RR).

For those who don’t want to wade through the data and analysis below the fold and would prefer just to comment, I’ll quickly sum up the conclusions I reach:

• The average number of bowl teams in the PX has increased slightly since the introduction of the RR
• The average number of BCS eligible at-large teams – defined as 9+ wins in the regular season – in the PX has increased slightly since the introduction of the RR.
• The average number of wins has increased slightly since the introduction of the RR.
• Generally, the PX has a smaller increase in bowl and BCS eligible teams and average number of wins compared to every major conference since the introduction of the RR.
• The PX has increased its bowl win pctg., going from .442 during 1998-2005 to .706 in the last three years. 
• The approximate revenue increase from dropping the home-away RR in favor of two home games against lower division teams is appreciable but does not reach the ceiling a better television deal would reach.
• In my opinion, the key to a superior TV contract is through the "West Coast Advantage" of the RR, which attractively differentiates the conference and would help to negotiate a contract comparable to that of the SEC/Big10.

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For Cal fans, the 2004 season was particularly bittersweet. Having arguably - or inarguably - outplayed the eventual National Champions en route to a 23-17 loss in the Coliseum and a 10-1 overall record, the Golden Bears appeared at the very least to be on their way to their first Rose Bowl since 1959. Enter Mack Brown, whose nancy-boy whining helped ensure that a generation of Californians will never be named 'Mack.' But Cal fans could at least console themselves with the upward trend of their program and a 'Wait Till Next Year..."

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In the wake of the Pac-10’s horrible, terrible, no good, very bad day only one thing is certain: Pac-10 teams should never schedule a road game again. Ever. Some (probably after taking out their ‘Jump to Conclusions’ mat) have taken this opportunity to declare their certainty the Pac-10 is actually the ‘Pac-1.’

Ladies and gentleman of the Sports Blog Nation, these are lies – nay – damn lies! And The National Championship Issue has the statistics to prove it...

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