I don't like media polls, and I really hate the coach's poll. Nevertheless, the barometer has been set. The Bears are believed to be the 12th best team in the country according to the coaches poll, their best preseason ranking since 2006.

 

2009 preseason poll
Rank	Team (first-place votes)	2008 record	Points	Final 2008 rank
1.	Florida (53)	13-1	1,466	1
2.	Texas (4)	12-1	1,386	3
3.	Oklahoma (1)	12-2	1,358	5
4.	Southern California (1)	12-1	1,321	2
5.	Alabama	12-2	1,134	6
6.	Ohio State	10-3	1,126	11
7.	Virginia Tech	10-4	1,020	14
8.	Penn State	11-2	988	8
9.	LSU	8-5	917	NR
10.	Mississippi	9-4	889	15
11.	Oklahoma State	9-4	861	18
12.	California	9-4	711	25
13.	Georgia	10-3	707	10
14.	Oregon	10-3	694	9
15.	Georgia Tech	9-4	559	22
16.	Boise State	12-1	542	13
17.	TCU	11-2	461	7
18.	Utah	13-0	404	4
19.	Florida State	9-4	371	23
20.	North Carolina	8-5	293	NR
21.	Iowa	9-4	257	20
22.	Nebraska	9-4	236	NR
23.	Notre Dame	7-6	194	NR
24.	Brigham Young	10-3	178	21
25.	Oregon State	9-4	165	19
Others receiving votes (with 2008 records)
Kansas (8-5) 138; Michigan State (9-4) 136; Texas Tech (11-2) 114; Cincinnati (11-3) 90; Pittsburgh (9-4) 64; West Virginia (9-4) 55; Rutgers (8-5) 51; Miami (Fla.) (7-6) 46; Missouri (10-4) 44; Illinois (5-7) 38; Clemson (7-6) 30; South Carolina (7-6) 18; UCLA (4-8) 14; Auburn (5-7) 12; Nevada (7-6) 11; South Florida (8-5) 11; Kentucky (7-6) 9; North Carolina State (6-7) 7; Arkansas (5-7) 6; Wisconsin (7-6) 6; Northwestern (9-4) 5; Southern Mississippi (7-6) 4; Wake Forest (8-5) 4; Arizona (8-5) 3; Boston College (9-5) 3; Central Michigan (8-5) 3; East Carolina (9-5) 3; Colorado (5-7) 2; Maryland (8-5) 2; Navy (8-5) 2; Tennessee (5-7) 2; Houston (8-5) 1; Michigan (3-9) 1; Minnesota (7-6) 1; Troy (8-5) 1.

 

Based on your knowledge of college football teams, do you feel Cal is ranked properly? If not, should they be higher or lower, and which teams should be ranked ahead/bumped in favor of them?

Also, what teams stick out to you in the poll in terms of being 'out of place'? Which teams do you feel the coaches are missing the boat on?

Joy Fawcett's getting into at least one Hall of Fame this year.

Former California women's soccer star and three-time All-American Joy Fawcett was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Aug. 2. Fawcett and co-inductee Jeff Agoos received red jackets as members of the Hall of Fame in the induction ceremony in Oneonta, N.Y.

"What an amazing honor," Fawcett said at the ceremony. "For the voters to believe that I belong in this select group is truly humbling. I'd like to recognize my teammates and coaches. The bond between us brought meaning to the journey. The experiences that we shared and the challenges we overcame forged many amazing relationships."

In her years at Cal, Fawcett, under her maiden name, Joy Biefeld, was named a three-time All-American from 1987-89 and helped her team to third-place finishes at the NCAA Tournament in 1987 and 1988. She also set a Cal record for goals scored in a season with 23 in 1987, a record that fellow former Golden Bear Laura Schott tied in 2000. She was named the national player of the year for the 1987-88 season.