After last night's punch heard 'round the world, I am even more appreciative of the upstanding program Tedford runs.  While Blount surely isn't representative of the Oregon program, his actions reflect poorly upon himself and, worse, his university.  So thank you, Coach Tedford, for always demanding class and dignity from your players.  Whether it's telling the players to "be good citizens, give credit to the opponent, win with class" after the upset over USC in 2003, disciplining your quarterback on national television after he helped run up the score in the 2006 Holiday Bowl, or suspending players for even minor infractions such as Slocum's traffic violations on his scooter, we Cal fans appreciate how you run your program.  Players like Alex Mack and Jahvid Best make us even more proud to be Bears.

After the jump we have (can you believe it?) more previews/predictions for Maryland, stories on why Riley is key to Cal success, Best's desire to redeem himself against the Terps, and more.  For this weekend's Golden Nuggets, we'll have recaps of all of this weekend's sporting events and more.  Finally! We'll have something besides speculation (because even I am tired of reading previews)!

• JO's practice report focuses on Gregory's defense and explains who's starting, who's subbing, who's redshirting and why.
• Cal kicker David Seawright will be writing for Mike Silver's weekly column on Yahoo Sports about life on the Cal team. Scroll down a bit to "Dispatches from the Lair of the Bear" to read about it.
• Washington Post's Terrapin Insider predicts a 35-21 loss for Maryland.
• Best is the focal point for Cal's offense but Riley is key to victory in tomorrow's game. SFGate on why, now more than ever, this is Riley's team.
• Best is looking to reclaim his good name in Maryland with a strong performance this week.  ESPN assesses Best's pro-prospects and suggests he should stay another year to improve his size and power.  As much as I'd love to see Best stay another year, I don't envision great improvements in his size or power should he choose to stay.  Best is #7 on Pat Forde's list of players/coaches who need a big game Saturday.
• Jon Wilner on why this year is The Year for Cal football.
• Various odds for Cal this year including winning the Pac-10 (7/2), becoming national champions (45/1), and Best winning the Heisman (19/2).
• SFGate blogger predicts a victory over USC.
• #10 Cal women's volleyball lost in four sets to #2 Texas.

Reminders: You can sign up for CGB's pick 'em league anytime, but you only have a few hours left to put in your picks for week one.  Make sure to vote in the CGB Hall of Fame wild card matchup; it's still a close race for the final spot.  Also, don't forget about Cal band's auction.  They have some unique items that you would have difficulty finding anywhere else.