By George Devine, Sr.

Cal came into the 117th Big Game with a 5-5 record, the same as its opponent. Either the Bears or the Stanford Cardinal could become bowl-eligible with a sixth win for 2014. As Joe Starkey said, that would not necessarily mean a bowl invitation, but it would be a prerequisite. Stanford passed that test with its 38-17 win at Strawberry Canyon on Saturday. When they take on UCLA the following week, their chances for postseason can improve. Cal, on the other hand, saw its prospects diminish not only as the Cardinal piled up the points, but as reports kept coming into the press box showing Brigham Young’s pasting of Savannah State. Initial dispatches in the first quarter showed a 21-0 margin; the final score was 64-0. The Bears play BYU at home on November 29, and must beat them to be even considered for any kind of bowl game.

BYU has a big team, and a forceful one on both offense and defense. QB Christian Stewart completed three touchdown passes and ran for two more. The Cal secondary, which lacks speed in the secondary, will be up against him on Saturday and against receivers Mitch Mathews, Terenn Houk and Jordan Leslie. Nate Carter will be part of the visitors’ ground game, having scored a TD run from the 2-yard line.

The Bears, who turned the ball over five times against Stanford, will need to be less anxious and intimidated than they were against their traditional rival. Moreover, they will need to be less predictable. This second objective might be reached if coach Sonny Dykes once again alternates QBs Jared Goff and Luke Rubenzer, who spelled Goff for a good part of the second half.

In any case, the Bears will finish with a significantly better record than in Coach Dykes’ initial season last year. And, if reports so far are indicative, this improvement will be joined by a parallel boost in academic achievement and graduation rate, one of the concerns the new coach has been asked to concentrate on.

Kickoff for this final game of the season is at 1:30 p.m. PST.