Cal Football: Bears Aren't Unanimous Pick For Second Place in Pac-12 North

Lindy's Sports chooses Washington to finish ahead of Cal, behind Oregon in the North

Cal has beaten Washington two years in a row, but Lindy’s Sports apparently isn’t convinced the Bears can make it three a row.

Lindy’s has picked Washington to finish second in the Pac-12 North, one spot above Cal. Oregon is a near unanimous selection as the favorite in the North division.

Cal topped the Huskies 20-19 in Seattle last season and won 12-10 at Memorial Stadium in 2018.

The Bears haven’t knocked off UW in three straight meetings since coach Jeff Tedford’s squads won five in a row from 2002 through ’06. Unlike the defensive battles of the past two seasons, Cal averaged 43.4 points in those five victories and won by an average margin of 26 points.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that Cal had Aaron Rodgers under center for two of those games, and the current Packers quarterback threw for 509 yards and six touchdowns against the Huskies.

Cal and Washington are viewed as the most likely competitors for securing second place in the Pac-12. Athlon Sports favors the Bears, but Lindy’s gives UW the edge.

The Bears and Huskies will collide in Berkeley on Oct. 31.

Here’s what Lindy’s had to say about Washington:

Good news: The defense stacks up with the most talented and physical in the nation . . . Bad news: Offense remains a major question mark, and now, a new QB . . . Our Call: A midseason showdown with Oregon may well determine the Pac-12 North.

And the magazine’s take on Cal:

Good news: A healthy Chase Garbers gives Cal an offense to complement its stout D . . . Bad News: Tackling machine Evan Weaver is one of several prominent departures . . . Our Call: Cal has shown its close to Pac-12 contender; keep an eye on this Justin Wilcox team.

Lindy’s assigned the following national rankings to teams from the Pac-12: 9. Oregon; 15. USC; 23. Washington; 25. Arizona State; 29. Utah; 33. Cal; 46. Stanford; 55. Washington State; 62. Colorado; 64. UCLA; 64. Oregon State; 81. Arizona.

Meanwhile . . . cornerback Camryn Bynum is the only Cal player to earn mention on Lindy’s lists of top players nationwide at each position.

Bynum, also chosen by the magazine as a first-team All-Pac-12 selection, checks in at No. 8 among cornerbacks. Topping the list is LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr., a consensus All-American as a freshman last season when he had six interceptions.

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Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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