Idiots Write About Sports

Cal rises to 10 in the AP poll and 11 in the USA Today poll with their win over Oregon. And as Eric points out over at the Cal Football Fan blog, Tennessee’s win also really helps Cal’s overall strength of schedule.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you of what the genius named Bruce Feldman said one month ago:

After seeing a Tennessee offense, which ranked 101st in the nation in scoring last season, post 35 points in a little more than two quarters, I doubt anyone will take Cal very seriously again for a very long time. Overreaction? Maybe. But I think if the Bears could knock off USC, they probably still would not get back into the top 15. And of course, this blowout has big-picture meaning. Whenever folks talk about the Pac-10 being soft, this Cal-Tennessee game will always come up first. It will live in infamy out here on the West Coast.

Top 15, eh? Try Top 10, Feldman. And the Bears haven’t even gotten to USC yet.
Lot of games yet to play, and anything can happen — but the past five weeks, and especially last night, have proven to a lot of people that Cal’s loss against Tennessee was either an early-season aberration or a testament to Tennessee’s strength, or both.