Ducks Roundtable: Are the Bears a Pac-12 Contender?

Over the weekend, we saw California almost defeat then-12th ranked Ohio State in a back-and-forth final quarter. The Buckeyes were able to hold onto a 35-28 victory at home.

September15, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; California Golden Bears quarterback Zach Maynard (15) fires a pass upfield against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-US PRESSWIRE

Did the game give enough conviction that the Bears could actually be more of a threat in the Pac-12 than we think?

Brian: I don’t believe they are a contender, but I believe they are better than we thought. They have an experienced quarterback, new stadium, the fanbase was excited to open the season, and head coach Jeff Tedford is going to work as hard as he can to keep his job. Was almost defeating Ohio State enough to keep his job? Of course not, but if he can get his team back to another bowl game, I don’t understand why there’s the need to fire him.

Raymond: I’m not really sure what to make of Ohio State right now.  It was a gutsy game by California but I still have them ranked at the lower end of the Pac-12.

Joe: I was really impressed with the play of Zach Maynard against Ohio State, and Cal’s near-win speaks volumes in regards to Maynard’s play that game. Cal’s hopes of contending rest on how Maynard plays and if he can build on that, but I’m not going to read too much into their close loss to OSU. It has definitely made me think about them more, but I’m not exactly ready to call them contenders yet after one game that wasn’t even a win.

Ricky: Cute. That is the best word I could use to describe Cal and Ohio State’s game this past week. All Cal proved is that the Pac-12 is just as tough as the Big Ten. That’s it! Ohio State is not the same team it has been in the past. To me, they have a great QB and that’s it. I believe Colin Cowherd put it perfectly this past week when he said, “Urban Meyer has taken over a program in dire need of elite playmakers. For all his weakness, Ron Zook left Urban with more good at UF.”

The Autzen Zoo staff includes lead editor Brian Spaen along with staff writers Joe Soriano, Mike Vamosi, Raymond Mencke, Jr., and Ricky Widmer.