Golden Nuggets: How big of an upset is needed to beat UW? More on Cal's graduation rates.

Our friends at ESPN's Pac-12 Blog aren't predicting great results for Saturday...

Gemmell: The Huskies need a win to snap their three-game losing streak. No better time to face a Cal team that is struggling. Washington 42, Cal 21.

Miller: The Huskies are a different team at home. And they should be angry -- on both sides of the ball. The big question is whether QB Keith Price plays and, if he does, if he's effective. Washington 45, California 28.

Athlon Sports lists us as 24-point underdogs with only one of four pundits predicting our loss will be by fewer than 20 points.

Also, DL Gabe King has left the football program in order to focus on academics. We wish Gabe the best of luck in his future.

While you sit and lament the fact those heinous Huskies are likely to beat us for yet another year, please check out some of the interesting Cal news from the past few days. Particularly, I hope you take a second to read some good and bad news about our graduation rates and a cancer fundraiser in honor of a Lacrosse alumnae, Stephanie Smith. Go Bears!

Lacrosse

• Stephanie Smith, a Cal Lacrosse alumnae, was diagnosed with brain cancer the day after she graduated from law school just a few months ago.
  
  The bulk mass of the tumor has been removed by surgery and she is currently undergoing chemotherapy. A Cal Alumni group in Philadelphia have arranged for eight Cal Lacrosse alumni to participate in a 5k run to raise funds for the National Brain Tumor Society. If you're like me and incapable of moving a few feet without gasping for air, please consider donating to help their cause. Go Bears!

Cal Athletics

• You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have the facts of life. Let's talk about the freshmen classes that entered in 2003–06.
  
  The good? We've got FOUR teams with 100% graduation rate! Yays for Lacrosse, Tennis, Volleyball, and Water Polo! Also, great job to five teams with rates between 99–90%: Women's Crew, Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Soccer, Men's Cross Country/Track and Field, and Men's Golf!
  
  The bad? Football and Men's Basketball registered 44% and 38% respectively... 44% is the lowest in FBS football.
  
  If you would like to peruse the GSR data (and I know you do!) you can here.

• Football may be disappointing, but at least our band's football shows are getting recognition...?

— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) October 24, 2013

Volleyball

• Come to Haas this weekend to watch Adrienne Gehan try to become the 15th Cal player to register 1000 kills
• Gehan and her 978 kills blogged about site-seeing with the team in Seattle, the worst city on Earth

Men's Tennis

• For the second straight year, Cal won the singles and doubles titles at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships

Women's Tennis

• A look at Anett Schutting and her transition to Berkeley from Estonia

Women's Basketball

• Coach Gottlieb will not be attending Pac-12 Media Day due to the passing of her father, Stephen Gottlieb. We send our condolences to the Gottlieb family.
• Brittany Boyd and Gennifer Brandon are on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 List
• Cal received only one first-place vote in the Pac-12 Coaches Poll with the vile Stanfurd Cardinal receiving 11

Men's Basketball

• UW Dawg Pound (because it doesn't look silly to spell it like that at all) is previewing the Golden Bears

Softball

• Khala Taylor answers a Q&A, reflecting on her first year

Women's Soccer

Men's Golf

• Cal won third place at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational

Football

• Taking a look at an integral member of the football team of whom you may have never heard (proper grammar is almost awkward as me trying to meet women [or as awkward as unnecessarily long parenthetical clauses]): Bud "Dog" Turner

• Uncle Ted tells us what we already know—injuries have sucked for our team
• The defense is looking forward to playing a run-based team (though I wouldn't ignore Keith Price); changes to the OL and possible changes to QB
• Deadspin thinks we're the 92nd best team, but I'm most disappointed they're referring to us as the "baby Bears"

Week	Cal's rank
Preseason	88
1	65
2	74
3	79
4	76
5	81
6	77
7	86
8	92

• The football team will be honoring the passing of Don James

— CalFootballEQ (@CalFootballEQ) October 23, 2013

• A look at Nnamdi Asomugha's charity work, including the Asomugha College Tour for Scholars
• Shane Vereen, still recovering from a hand injury during Week One, may be resuming practice soon

— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) October 23, 2013