CAL got screwed by a crying Mack Brown and his brother who was part of the coaches poll that was used to determine who went to the Rose Bowl that year. We were there before the last week of the season. When Tedford wouldn't pile on the points against our last opponent Mack Brown used is as an excuse that Texas was a better team. His brot…
CAL got screwed by a crying Mack Brown and his brother who was part of the coaches poll that was used to determine who went to the Rose Bowl that year. We were there before the last week of the season. When Tedford wouldn't pile on the points against our last opponent Mack Brown used is as an excuse that Texas was a better team. His brother cast the deciding vote for Texas in the Coaches Poll and the rest is history. I believe that was during Aaron Rodgers run in 2004. And yes, that was the year the Rose Bowl died...
Could we have blown out Southern Miss, that day, though? I remember thinking that game was a little too close for comfort because we simply weren't playing well, not because we were being ultra conservative. It was a tough situation from the hurricane reschedule and playing in humidity (forget what the game time was and if that was a factor too).. one of those "trap" games that can easily become an upset loss, that I was glad we pushed through, and yeah it's total crap that in reality that hurt us. Chances are even a blow out wouldnt have changed things if it was an inside job at the coaches poll regardless.
I think we also had a late TD called back on a bogus holding call. Maybe wouldn't have made a difference (really it was the computer rankings that screwed us more than the human polls), but a better-looking final score might have done something.
Also, if you play that Southern Miss game when it was supposed to be played (in September) and the result is exactly the same then no one remembers or cares about it. Our big blowout wins to close the Pac-10 season would then be all anyone was thinking about going into the bowls.
however, also classic Tedford was blowing the doors off less talented teams in the first half, which I think we could have reasonably expected that game
Down the stretch that season that wasn't how it went, though. Oregon had the lead on us at halftime before we stormed back, and UW and Furd were close at half before we blew the doors off in the second half.
IIRC, that Southern Miss game in Hattiesburg SHOULD have come in September at the beginning of the season and the score would've been an absolute non-factor...tho we likely beat them by double digits then anyways bc we were playing better. A hurricane postponed it until the end of the year, and then it took on greater significance than it should have, which is total horsesh!t...style points should never have been needed.
Another bad break that hurt our computer rankings was that ASU got upset by Zona in the final week, and they got devalued as our "best win." Also, back then the rankings weren't allowed to take into account margin of victory, which really was the big calling card for Cal that year (most of our wins were blowouts).
Exactly. That hurt as well...f-ing ASU. That USM game tho took on a life of it's own because of Mack's whining, tho Utah's undefeated season by Urban F-ing Meyer also hurt bc it locked up a top 6 spot for a mid-major (at the time). I remember it was on a night when there were no other games, I believe.
Kansas also daggered us by blowing a 13 point lead in the final 4 minutes at home in NOV, allowing Texas to escape with a win they had no business getting. Woulda knocked them out.
And the Big East still holding an auto-bid to a BCS game despite the conference having been thoroughly raided in the offseason and an 8-4 Pitt team being the winner. Pretty much the perfect storm for a team obviously deserving of a major New Year's Day bowl game being left out.
At least our fate was in our own hands during the season. 1st and goal against U$C with Rogers at the helm. The missed opportunity for that one felt devastating, and that feeling was retroactively validated with what transpired. I might be in the minority, and only became a Cal a couple years before that, but I've never cried much over that snub since we didn't outright win our conference. Also, the subsequent loss to Texas Tech -- and dont really care what the excuses are for that one.
The other underrated screw job was in 2006, when we should have beaten Arizona but for some flukey things and also a really horrible PI call that erased a Hughes interception on a late Arizona TD drive. Just getting that call right probably means we win the game, and then when USC unexpectedly lost to UCLA on the final week, we win the Pac-12 outright.
CAL got screwed by a crying Mack Brown and his brother who was part of the coaches poll that was used to determine who went to the Rose Bowl that year. We were there before the last week of the season. When Tedford wouldn't pile on the points against our last opponent Mack Brown used is as an excuse that Texas was a better team. His brother cast the deciding vote for Texas in the Coaches Poll and the rest is history. I believe that was during Aaron Rodgers run in 2004. And yes, that was the year the Rose Bowl died...
maybe Cal should have blown out Southern Miss and not leave any room open for crying coaches and voters
Could we have blown out Southern Miss, that day, though? I remember thinking that game was a little too close for comfort because we simply weren't playing well, not because we were being ultra conservative. It was a tough situation from the hurricane reschedule and playing in humidity (forget what the game time was and if that was a factor too).. one of those "trap" games that can easily become an upset loss, that I was glad we pushed through, and yeah it's total crap that in reality that hurt us. Chances are even a blow out wouldnt have changed things if it was an inside job at the coaches poll regardless.
I think we also had a late TD called back on a bogus holding call. Maybe wouldn't have made a difference (really it was the computer rankings that screwed us more than the human polls), but a better-looking final score might have done something.
Also, if you play that Southern Miss game when it was supposed to be played (in September) and the result is exactly the same then no one remembers or cares about it. Our big blowout wins to close the Pac-10 season would then be all anyone was thinking about going into the bowls.
ultra conservative to ensure a win rather than taking a chance and losing
classic tedford
however, also classic Tedford was blowing the doors off less talented teams in the first half, which I think we could have reasonably expected that game
Down the stretch that season that wasn't how it went, though. Oregon had the lead on us at halftime before we stormed back, and UW and Furd were close at half before we blew the doors off in the second half.
IIRC, that Southern Miss game in Hattiesburg SHOULD have come in September at the beginning of the season and the score would've been an absolute non-factor...tho we likely beat them by double digits then anyways bc we were playing better. A hurricane postponed it until the end of the year, and then it took on greater significance than it should have, which is total horsesh!t...style points should never have been needed.
Bad break....because Cal.
Another bad break that hurt our computer rankings was that ASU got upset by Zona in the final week, and they got devalued as our "best win." Also, back then the rankings weren't allowed to take into account margin of victory, which really was the big calling card for Cal that year (most of our wins were blowouts).
Exactly. That hurt as well...f-ing ASU. That USM game tho took on a life of it's own because of Mack's whining, tho Utah's undefeated season by Urban F-ing Meyer also hurt bc it locked up a top 6 spot for a mid-major (at the time). I remember it was on a night when there were no other games, I believe.
Kansas also daggered us by blowing a 13 point lead in the final 4 minutes at home in NOV, allowing Texas to escape with a win they had no business getting. Woulda knocked them out.
Sigh.
And the Big East still holding an auto-bid to a BCS game despite the conference having been thoroughly raided in the offseason and an 8-4 Pitt team being the winner. Pretty much the perfect storm for a team obviously deserving of a major New Year's Day bowl game being left out.
So very Cal.
I didnt know about Mack Browns brother though, that's extra shitty!
Nepotistically shitty!!!!!
Mack's house burning down was kharma....
At least our fate was in our own hands during the season. 1st and goal against U$C with Rogers at the helm. The missed opportunity for that one felt devastating, and that feeling was retroactively validated with what transpired. I might be in the minority, and only became a Cal a couple years before that, but I've never cried much over that snub since we didn't outright win our conference. Also, the subsequent loss to Texas Tech -- and dont really care what the excuses are for that one.
The other underrated screw job was in 2006, when we should have beaten Arizona but for some flukey things and also a really horrible PI call that erased a Hughes interception on a late Arizona TD drive. Just getting that call right probably means we win the game, and then when USC unexpectedly lost to UCLA on the final week, we win the Pac-12 outright.
Maybe we would have won, but I think there was still something like 1:30 left in the game, so it wouldn't have been over even with a TD there.