Golden Nuggets: Cal Football's Worst-Case Scenario

Would you like to earn yourself and the Bears a whole football season's worth of good juju? Read this worst-case scenario from Ted Miller.

Maynard, not unlike 2011, remains inconsistent. The offensive line is struggling. The young talent on defense makes major mistakes for every big play. Injuries start to pile up.
...
At 4-8 with six consecutive losses to end the season, it's clear Cal will make a change. Athletic director Sandy Barbour announces that "with great regret" she is terminating Tedford.

USC wins the national championship. Stanford wins the Rose Bowl.

Barbour hires Andy Ludwig to replace Tedford.

UCLA eclipses Cal on the U.S. News & World Report university rankings.

"Er," says UC Berkeley professor Jack Moehle, a member of the campus’s Seismic Review Committee. "You know all that stuff we built into the stadium to save it from a potential earthquake? The concrete 'seismic blocks' at the end zones to keep fans from rocking as a quake rolls, the press box that can sway up to 12 inches in a large-scale temblor, and the shock absorbers to prevent the box from crashing into the western seating bowl? None of it works. If there was even a small earth quake, everything would tumble into Hayward Fault. Well, everything other than USC and Stanford."

Given that the worst-case scenario was eerily and astoundingly accurate in 2010, the above scenario is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Plenty of links after the jump to cheer you up.

Football

• The Bears open as 11-point favorites and the under is set at 55.5.
• Beyond the Bets releases the over/under for wins among Pac-12 teams. Cal is set at 6.5 and Wilner wouldn't touch most of these with a ten foot pole.
• Jordan Rigsbee and Bryce Treggs are among Athlon's Pac-12 freshmen to watch. Todd Barr is an honorable mention. The article also highlights the Harris-Powe-Harper battle among the freshmen WRs competing for the third spot.
• Faraudo was thoroughly impressed with his latest tour of Memorial Stadium. From Top Dog to better views to the comfy chairs, Faraudo loved everything about the visit. Here's a slideshow of photos from the visit. Check out #9: how nervous do you think that guy was?
• Not to be outdone, Crumpacker has a Memorial Stadium photo gallery in his recent article on the stadium's long-term funding goals.
• Not surprisingly, Urban Meyer reinstated linebacker Storm Klein after his domestic violence charges were dropped. He is facing at least a two-game suspension, so he probably won't be in playing shape by the Cal game.
• With the focus shifting to Nevada, Tedford talks about preparing for the Wolfpack.
• Tedford calls the current stable of backs the deepest, most talented group he's had at Cal.
• Crumpacker has a great profile on senior linebacker J.P. Hurrell.