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Among the teams that occupied the top 11 spots in the AP poll Sept. 23, eight have lost at least one game in the last two weeks. California isn't one of them.
After climbing to their highest ranking in more than half a century, the second-ranked Golden Bears continue their quest for a national championship as they host Oregon State in a Pac-10 matchup on Saturday.
It has been an eventful two weeks in the Top 25, but California (5-0, 2-0) has remained on track for a second consecutive Pac-10 title and perhaps a chance to play in the national championship game in January.
The Bears survived a road trip to Oregon on Sept. 29, unseating the then-No. 11 Ducks with a 31-24 victory. That game left Cal and Southern California - last year's conference co-champs - as the favorites in the Pac-10.
While Cal was idle last Saturday, then-No. 2 USC suffered a stunning 24-23 home loss to 41-point underdog Stanford. Fourteenth-ranked Arizona State and unranked UCLA remain undefeated in conference play, but Cal is happy with its position in the standings.
"No team can beat Cal except for Cal," linebacker Worrell Williams said.
The Bears have earned their highest ranking since they were No. 1 on Oct. 16, 1951. They haven't been undefeated through six games since 1950, when they finished the regular season 9-0-1 before a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.
California visits Arizona State on Oct. 27 and hosts USC on Nov. 10, but its next test will be a home game against Oregon State (3-3, 1-2), which has won its last three contests in Berkeley.
Cal, though, boasts some of the best offensive talents in the conference. Wide receivers Lavelle Hawkins and DeSean Jackson have combined for 55 receptions for 654 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson, a preseason Heisman hopeful, finally had a breakthrough game against Oregon, catching 11 passes for 161 yards - both career highs - and his first two TDs of the year.
"Coach (Jeff) Tedford and the offensive coordinator did a good job putting everything together for me to make plays today," said Jackson, who had just 151 yards in his first four games.
While Jackson's slow start may have hurt his Heisman chances, running back Justin Forsett has emerged as a potential candidate. He had 23 carries for 101 yards last week - his fourth game with at least 100 rushing yards this year. He also added to his conference-leading touchdown total with two scores, giving him nine through five games.
"I like to make people miss, but I've learned from the guys around me to add more power to my game," Forsett said. "Then I'll catch some passes and do things that people don't expect out of me. I haven't heard anything about the Heisman. I'm more of a team-oriented guy. If we get to the national championship, that's what's exciting to me."
In addition to the offense, Cal's defense has shown promise. The Bears held the Ducks to less than half of their season scoring average last week while forcing four turnovers. They're third in the country with a plus-11 turnover margin.
"It's really the difference," Tedford said. "It's something we've preached all through camp. It's just nice to see that something that you preach and you work on so hard comes to fruition. It's the difference between winning and losing a tough game.
The Bears have won 12 straight at Memorial Stadium, but haven't beaten the Beavers there since 1997. Oregon State won 23-20 in its last visit to Berkeley on Oct. 15, 2005 - the Beavers' second victory by six or fewer points during their three-game win streak there.
Oregon State, however, lost 41-13 to Cal at home last Sept. 30, falling to 26-33 in the series.
The Beavers are coming off a 31-16 victory over Arizona last Saturday. Yvenson Bernard had 32 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and added five catches for 24 yards and another score as Oregon State won for the first time in three games.
Bernard has run for at least 100 yards in each of the Beavers' three conference games. He had a career-high 194 yards with two touchdowns in Oregon State's win at Cal two years ago.
After climbing to their highest ranking in more than half a century, the second-ranked Golden Bears continue their quest for a national championship as they host Oregon State in a Pac-10 matchup on Saturday.
It has been an eventful two weeks in the Top 25, but California (5-0, 2-0) has remained on track for a second consecutive Pac-10 title and perhaps a chance to play in the national championship game in January.
The Bears survived a road trip to Oregon on Sept. 29, unseating the then-No. 11 Ducks with a 31-24 victory. That game left Cal and Southern California - last year's conference co-champs - as the favorites in the Pac-10.
While Cal was idle last Saturday, then-No. 2 USC suffered a stunning 24-23 home loss to 41-point underdog Stanford. Fourteenth-ranked Arizona State and unranked UCLA remain undefeated in conference play, but Cal is happy with its position in the standings.
"No team can beat Cal except for Cal," linebacker Worrell Williams said.
The Bears have earned their highest ranking since they were No. 1 on Oct. 16, 1951. They haven't been undefeated through six games since 1950, when they finished the regular season 9-0-1 before a Rose Bowl loss to Michigan.
California visits Arizona State on Oct. 27 and hosts USC on Nov. 10, but its next test will be a home game against Oregon State (3-3, 1-2), which has won its last three contests in Berkeley.
Cal, though, boasts some of the best offensive talents in the conference. Wide receivers Lavelle Hawkins and DeSean Jackson have combined for 55 receptions for 654 yards and four touchdowns. Jackson, a preseason Heisman hopeful, finally had a breakthrough game against Oregon, catching 11 passes for 161 yards - both career highs - and his first two TDs of the year.
"Coach (Jeff) Tedford and the offensive coordinator did a good job putting everything together for me to make plays today," said Jackson, who had just 151 yards in his first four games.
While Jackson's slow start may have hurt his Heisman chances, running back Justin Forsett has emerged as a potential candidate. He had 23 carries for 101 yards last week - his fourth game with at least 100 rushing yards this year. He also added to his conference-leading touchdown total with two scores, giving him nine through five games.
"I like to make people miss, but I've learned from the guys around me to add more power to my game," Forsett said. "Then I'll catch some passes and do things that people don't expect out of me. I haven't heard anything about the Heisman. I'm more of a team-oriented guy. If we get to the national championship, that's what's exciting to me."
In addition to the offense, Cal's defense has shown promise. The Bears held the Ducks to less than half of their season scoring average last week while forcing four turnovers. They're third in the country with a plus-11 turnover margin.
"It's really the difference," Tedford said. "It's something we've preached all through camp. It's just nice to see that something that you preach and you work on so hard comes to fruition. It's the difference between winning and losing a tough game.
The Bears have won 12 straight at Memorial Stadium, but haven't beaten the Beavers there since 1997. Oregon State won 23-20 in its last visit to Berkeley on Oct. 15, 2005 - the Beavers' second victory by six or fewer points during their three-game win streak there.
Oregon State, however, lost 41-13 to Cal at home last Sept. 30, falling to 26-33 in the series.
The Beavers are coming off a 31-16 victory over Arizona last Saturday. Yvenson Bernard had 32 carries for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and added five catches for 24 yards and another score as Oregon State won for the first time in three games.
Bernard has run for at least 100 yards in each of the Beavers' three conference games. He had a career-high 194 yards with two touchdowns in Oregon State's win at Cal two years ago.
