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		Morris Phillips on the NCAA By Morris Phillips October 26, 2010

	Sportstalk: Morris, the Bears are 4-3 (2-2). In the games that they have won, they have destroyed teams with 50-point plus games and some great offensive contests. In the games they have lost, two out of three of them have not been close. The Bears face Oregon State 3-3 (2-1) you might say this could be an even match with the contest being in Corvallis. Will the Bears be that high scoring offensive team we've seen or a defensive shrinking violet that we've seen in some of their losses? Every week is different for Cal, but their opponent is the closest indicator of what type of performance to expect. Weaker teams have been dispatched rather easily, and more talented teams have really given Cal fits. In Oregon State, the Bears get a talented team, along with a coach, Mike Riley, that has had his way with Tedford and the Bears. Beating Oregon State would be the high point of the season for Cal, along with breaking a three-game losing streak to the Beavers. Of course, a loss, or even worse, a lopsided loss, would be deflating and would really take the buzz away from enticing home games upcoming against Oregon and Stanford. Sportstalk: The Bears made playing football at Cal look like a piece of cake as they upended Arizona State 50-17 after being routed the week before against the USC. Was it a matter of playing at Memorial Stadium and getting that home cooking, or did the Bears gear up and strap it on and take care of business? Cal's talented, and they're capable of winning games comfortably when they establish momentum. The ASU result was not surprising, the awful effort at USC was. That said, the performance against the Sun Devils was impressive in that the Bears made plays on both sides of the ball, as well as getting a big effort on special teams. Hopefully, win or lose, the solid play will continue this week. If not, Bear Backers are going to need psychiatric assistance. Sportstalk: The Cardinal 6-1 (3-1) became Bowl eligible with a victory over Washington State 38-28 last Saturday, and have won six of their first seven games, which they last accomplished in 1970. The Cardinal battle the Huskies 2-2 (3-4) this Saturday. Do you see any surprises in this one or will the Cardinal continue their solid play and crush the Huskies? I don't anticipate any surprises from Stanford, but Husky Stadium is a tough place to play, and this could be a close game. Washington's Jake Locker has been nicked up and hasn't nearly the season fans and NFL scouts thought he would have. But if the scouts are going to be focused on this game, hopefully the other NFL prospect, Stanford's Andrew Luck, will give the scouts something to salivate over. With a win here, Stanford could move into the Top Ten nationally and that will really set up a special conclusion to their season with big home games with Arizona and Oregon State to come. If Stanford keeps winning, Stanford Stadium will fill up for the last two home games, a must after the Cardinal backers' no-show for Washington State.