vs. 

Game #2 : September 6 @ Washington State, 3:30 PM (televised on Comcast Sports Net West).

ragnarok:  I for one am glad to get this roadie out of the way early.  Not that much is expected from Washington State this year (they were recently picked to finish dead last in the Pac-10 recent pre-season media poll), but the Palouse has not been especially kind to the Bears in recent history (though Tedford won his only trip up there with the Bears in 2006).  Though travel to Pullman is never easy, the weather can get dicey later in the Fall, so an early September trip to Wazzu (with an afternoon start time, no less), is just about as good as this trip is going to get.  It's also nice that the first road trip of the year is against one of the least talented teams in the Pac-10 (in terms of recruiting rankings), meaning the Bears don't necessarily have to play their best to come away winners.

Of course, the big story with Washington State is their coaching change, with 'nice guy but shoulda topped out at defensive coordinator' Bill Doba out as head coach, replaced by 'fiery up-and-coming alumnus' Paul Wulff.  Wulff is no stranger to the area, having played center for the Cougars in the late 80's and lately coming off a successful stint at Eastern Washington.  A coaching change such as this can often shake a mediocre team out of the doldrums; will Cal be the upset that gets Wulff's party started?

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