Golden Nuggets: Cal-Utah Score Predictions + Thursday Football Open Thread

It's another toss-up game for the Bears.

As always, Uncle Ted cannot resist picking the Bears. Kevin Gemmell sides with the Utes.

Kevin Gemmell: Just when I start to put my faith in Cal, they rush for 3 yards. And Utah's defense is coming off probably its best game of the season against Oregon State. Recent history suggests Utah's second-half run starts now. Utah 17, Cal 10.

Ted Miller: It's gut-check time for both teams. The loser might kiss bowl hopes goodbye. We like the Bears to step up for Jeff Tedford. Cal 24, Utah 17.

Faraudo picks a narrow Bears victory.

– Cal at Utah, 6:45 p.m. (Pac-12 Bay Area): Can the Bears (3-5, 2-3) run the ball again? Can they survive the road? Will the Bear quit, will the Bear die? With a bowl bid fading from realistic view, this is a real test of a team’s will to hang with its coach. Coach Jeff Tedford and his players have had each other’s backs so far, but the defense-minded Utes (2-5, 0-4) won’t be easy-pickings. Cal 21, Utah 17.

Jon Wilner picks the Utes to win.

CAL (pick) at UTAH: Much has changed since Cal’s decisive victory last season, including the location: Take Pullman out of the equation, and the Bears are 1-8 in league road games the past 2.5 years (the win:Tempe‘11). The weather – it should be 40-something degrees at kickoff – is less of a concern for Cal than the alignment of the Star. Pick: Utah.

ESPN's PickCenter gives two votes for Utah, one for Cal.

Predictor	TeamRankings	numberFire	AccuScore
Score	Cal 20.5, Utah 21.7	Cal 20.9, Utah 24.7	Cal 25.4, Utah 23.6

• Athlon mostly sides with the Bears.

Cal, 24-21

Cal, 28-17

Cal, 24-20

Utah, 17-13

Stick around to talk about the Clemson-Wake Forest and Tampa Bay-Minnesota games...or not. What happened to Pac-12 Thursdays?

Football

• ESPN has a four-level rating of hot seats: going, (really) going, gone, and safe. Tedford is number 2 in the "(really) going" section, which is for coaches who desperately need wins to save their jobs.
• Athlon has a roundtable on whether or not Tedford should return in 2013. They generally struggle to find positive reasons to keep him around another year.
• Faraudo goes through the Bears' red zone performances this season. It's not for the faint of heart.

Basketball

• CalBears.com checks in with Theo Robertson, who currently serves as the team's graduate manager.

Golf

• The Bears wrapped up a perfect fall schedule with a victory at Isleworth. This was the men's team's first unbeaten fall in school history.

Tennis

• Ben McLachlan won the singles crown USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships and won the doubles crown with his brother Riki.

Track and Field

• Cal alumni Cherrelle Garrett and Tracey Stewart finished in the top-10 at the U.S. National Women's Bobsled Push Championships.

Softball

• CalBears.com has a Q&A with freshman Khala Taylor.

Soccer

• Tony Salciccia was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.
• CalBears.com has a Q&A with the women's team about pregame rituals.