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The Lowdown 2006 Schedule Coach: Jeff Tedford (5th season, 33-17) 2005 record: 8-4 (Beat BYU in Las Vegas Bowl) Pac-10 finish: 4-4 (t-4th) 2005 I-A offensive rankings: Rushing: 9th (235.3 ypg) Passing: 90th (192.7 ypg) 2005 I-A defensive rankings: Rushing: 24th (119.2 ypg) Passing: 80th (240.4 ypg) Date Opponent Sept. 2 at Tennessee Sept. 9 Minnesota Sept. 16 Portland State Sept. 23 Arizona State Sept. 30 at Oregon State Oct. 7 Oregon Oct. 14 at Washington State Oct. 21 Washington Nov. 4 UCLA Nov. 11 at Arizona Nov. 18 at USC Dec. 2 Stanford Depth Chart: Offense 8 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. WR 11 Robert Jordan Jr. 4 David Gray Sr. WR 1 DeSean Jackson So. 86 Sam DeSa Jr. WR 7 Lavelle Hawkins Jr. 5 Noah Smith Jr. LT 79 Mike Tepper So. 90 Chet Teofilo So. LG 75 Erik Robertson Sr. 70 Jeff Fritch So. C 62 Alex Mack So. 73 Mark Gray Jr. RG 55 Noris Malele So. 63 Brian De La Puente Jr. RT 52 Scott Smith Sr. 51 Kevin Bemoll Fr. TE 82 Craig Stevens Jr. 83 Eric Beegun Sr. QB 9 Nate Longshore So. 18 Joe Ayoob Sr. TB 10 Marshawn Lynch Jr. 20 Justin Forsett Jr. Depth Chart: Defense 7 returning starters in red Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr. DE 43 Abu Ma’afala Sr. 99 Phillip Mbakogu Jr. DT 52 Brandon Mebane Sr. 96 Tyson Alualu Fr. DT 69 Matt Malele Jr. 98 Mika Kane So. DE 53 Nu’u Tafisi Sr. 45 Fahim Abdallah Sr. OLB 15 Anthony Felder So. 16 Justin Moye Jr. MLB 10 Desmond Bishop Sr. 55 Greg Van Hoesen Jr. WLB 1 Worrell Williams So. 56 Zack Follett So. CB 13 Daymeion Hughes Sr. 17 Randy Bundy Sr. CB 22 Tim Mixon Sr. 19 Syd’Quan Thompson Fr. ROV 3 Brandon Hampton Jr. 7 Robert Peele Fr. FS 5 Thomas DeCoud Jr. 9 Bernard Hicks So. Special Teams Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr. K 15 Tom Schneider Jr. P - Andrew Larson Jr. KR 2 Marcus O’Keith Sr. PR 22 Tim Mixon Sr.

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The time looks right for the California Golden Bears. With 15 starters back, a Heisman Trophy candidate in tailback Marshawn Lynch and one of college football's top offensive minds in Jeff Tedford, the outlook is Rosey in Berkeley.

Consider that Pac-10 bully USC must rebuild a big part of its offense, and it's clear that the Golden Bears are being presented with a window of opportunity. Getting through that window, however, won't be easy.

First, the Bears must find a quarterback to operate what is potentially a powerful offense. Tedford must sort out a muddled four-man race that doesn't include a proven commodity. Next comes a major rebuilding job on the offensive line; three starters are gone from one the nation's top units of 2005. Finally, the Bears must adapt to new offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar, who was hired to implement some of the spread offense he helped create at Northwestern.

Cal appears to have the talent to overcome its obstacles. Consider these stats: Offensively, the Bears return players who accounted for 24 of their 27 rushing touchdowns and players who caught 20 of their 22 TD receptions. Defensively, the Bears return 13 of their top 16 tacklers and welcome back players who recorded 27 of the team's 32 sacks last season.

OFFENSE

Before Tedford can test Dunbar's theories, he needs to answer the question at quarterback. Last year, junior college transfer Joe Ayoob struggled mightily after taking over midway through the first game. Ayoob threw 14 interceptions (and 15 TDs) and completed only 49.2 percent of his passes before being replaced by Steve Levy for the Big Game win against Stanford and the Las Vegas Bowl victory over BYU.

Sophomore Nate Longshore, who won the job last year only to break his leg in the opener against Sacramento State, was listed No. 1 coming out of spring ball, but Tedford says redshirt freshman Kyle Reed and Ayoob are still in the picture.

The quarterback will be operating behind a rebuilt line that must replace three starters. If Cal can get average play from the line, the offense should be explosive, because the Bears are loaded at running back and receiver.

Lynch was slowed by a broken finger last season, but he still gained 1,246 yards and punctuated his season with 194 yards and three touchdowns in the Las Vegas Bowl. With Lynch missing two full games, Justin Forsett got a chance to show his ability and rushed for 422 yards combined against Illinois and New Mexico State, finishing the season with 999 yards rushing.

Speed is the name of Cal's game at wide receiver. Juniors Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins and sophomore DeSean Jackson all can fly. Jackson is an extraordinary talent, and he showed a glimpse of his potential as a freshman with 38 catches for 601 yards and seven touchdowns.

DEFENSE

This unit should be dominating. Cal returns 13 of its top 16 tacklers from a team that led the conference in scoring defense (21.2 ppg). The defensive line and linebacking corps return virtually intact, with defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection in '05, leading the way.

Desmond Bishop, a second-team All-Pac-10 pick in '05, is the headliner on what could be the Bears' best set of linebackers in over two decades.

The biggest task for defensive coordinator Bob Gregory is replacing rover Donnie McCleskey and free safety Harrison Smith. The Bears do have the luxury of sending out two proven cornerbacks in senior Daymeion Hughes, a first-team All-Pac-10 selection last year, and Tim Mixon, another senior.

SPECIALISTS

Junior placekicker Tom Schneider begins his third season as a starter, but he needs to improve on the 9-of-16 performance on field goals he has posted in each of his first two seasons. The punter will be junior college transfer Andrew Larson. Mixon, who averaged 14.9 yards per punt return in '05, is one of the nation's best in that category.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Despite a new offense, uncertainty at quarterback and some issues on the offensive line, Cal appears to be a viable BCS threat. The Bears return a wealth of skill position talent and most of their defense.

The schedule will test them early with a road game to open at Tennessee followed by a home game against Minnesota. The Bears are hoping plenty will be at stake for their mid-November trip to USC.