Cal set to face No. 23 Utah in Poinsettia Bowl
The Mountain West Conference has owned the Pac-10 in recent seasons. The California Golden Bears will get a chance for redemption this postseason. Cal has been matched up with the Utah Utes in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 23.
Given how inconsistent the Bears have played this season, it’s anybody’s guess as to how they’ll perform in this affair. Also worth noting is that had Cal knocked off Washington in the season finale, it could have finished in a tie for second place in the conference and a shot at a team from one of the power conferences, Oklahoma or Boston College.
It would be unwise to overlook the Utes, though, who enter ranked No. 23. The program has established itself as a force to be reckoned with nationally, evident in last year’s dismantling of Alabama in the BCS Sugar Bowl. This team is led by a freshman quarterback in Jordan Wynn, but still features talent all over the field and a coaching staff that knows how to prepare its team for bowl game.
It is unknown whether Cal star running back Jahvid Best will play, as he is still recovering from a concussion and back injury suffered that has forced him to miss the team’s past three games. Backup RB Shane Vereen is almost as explosive as Best, which is really saying something, but having their star back could cause fits for Utah.
