Cal-Tennessee: Wish I Was On Ole Tightwad Hill
Listed in:(Note: Remember that Sportszilla Live's NFL Preview show is Sunday night at 9pm. Tomorrow.)
College football is one of those beasts I sort of understand, and yet don't really understand. I was raised in San Francisco, a pro sports region. Interest in Stanford and Cal football and hoops might surpass the San Jose Sharks in San Francisco itself, but hockey trumps all college sports in San Jose, and unless said college teams are in the national spotlight, they're barely even a point of discussion on Bay Area talk radio.
Here comes college football, lollygagging onto my television this weekend. What's this? My heart thumped a punch: Cal hosts Tennessee tonight in Part II of their home and home. I guarantee that Memorial Stadium will be full, and it'll be a party atmosphere like The Big Game always is. But I know what Cal football is about, that they're a nationally recognized team, somewhere near the top of college football's second tier, that unless Nate Longshore takes a real step forward then they've already reached their ceiling in the polls because they'll lose to USC and someone else, but that their generally solid team defense will always give them a shot. Thumbnail sketch of a bunch of top-of-the-second-tier teams, no? Thing is, Tennessee's in roughly the same boat. Nationally recognized... second tier... Erik Ainge... they'll lose to Florida... generally solid...
So what the hell is wrong with the footballerati (compiled by calfootballfan.com) who assign instant credibility to the SEC and instant muffled chuckles for the Pac 10 representative in this clash? Is a season-opening drubbing of an equal team that happened to be in flux at QB, at home, really a point of argument here? On the flip side, the Pac 10 needs no validation, and thus a Cal win wouldn't provide any.
They both play good teams this year. The Bears have four "challenge" games, in which they'll almost certainly be tested (TEN, @ORE, @UCLA, USC), and possibly a fifth (ORE ST). The Vols have four (@CAL, @FLA, GA, ARK) and possibly a fifth (@ALA).
I'm not old enough to glean the wisdom from experience, nor do I have the time and Lexis-Nexus to search out cultural feeling over the years, but I suspect it's always been this way. Cal fans care about their team, and the team is good. Tennessee fans care about their team, and the team is good, except that because the team is a bigger part of daily life in their region, they feel as if they deserve to win more, and crow about it to anyone unfortunate enough to listen, which is a pile of crap. Having a greater number of passionate fans does not devalue the passion of smaller fan bases, nor does it lend moral authority when pleading to the football gods for victory.
In the end, I hope the football gods are hands-off with this one. Let the boys play their game, let the coaches call their shots, and either way when the gun goes off, share a beer on Telegraph Ave. DA! DA! DA! DUM DADA DAAAAA! your way through Big C. Don't be afraid to learn Rocky Top from your new buddy from Knoxville. And thank the gods for a game well played.
