The depth chart should be released sometime tonight or tomorrow, since the practices for Maryland begin in earnest Wednesday. There should be a few big positions up for grabs (receivers and guards we've discussed previously, as well as some jostling at the linebackers position), but otherwise not much should be surprising.

Let's guess, shall we? I'll make mine, position-by-position in the comments. Feel free to disagree, I'm really stupid.

California collected a No. 7 ranking in the Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25 poll, the national magazine announced on Tuesday. UCLA, the only other Pac-10 team ranked in the Soccer America poll, sits at No. 9.

The Golden Bears finished with a 12-4-5 overall record (5-2-3 in the Pac-10) and in second place behind the conference-champion Bruins (10-5-6, 7-1-2) in 2008.

SA tabbed 2008 NCAA runner-up North Carolina (15-8-1 in 2008) as its top team, ranked 2008 NCAA champion and 2009 Cal opponent Maryland at No. 8, and selected Cal Poly (11-6-6 in 2008), another 2009 Cal opponent, at No. 20. The Bears play at Maryland on Sept. 6 and host Cal Poly in the Cal Legacy Classic on Sept. 13. Cal has two other games against SA-ranked opponents, with both against UCLA (Oct. 16 in Los Angeles and Oct. 23 in Berkeley).

The Bears have earned No. 8 preseason rankings from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer Times and College Soccer News and a No. 4 ranking from Top Drawer Soccer's preseason poll. The Pac-10 Preseason Coaches Poll pegged Cal as the favorite to win the conference championship.