2011 California Golden Bears Football Predictions, Odds, Picks and Schedule – 2011 California NCAA Football Preview

2011 California Golden Bears College Football Expert Predictions, Picks, Vegas Odds and Schedule – California NCAA Football Preview: Since taking over as coach at California, Jeff Tedford has turned the program into one of the best in the PAC-12. He has had just one losing season in his 10 years at the helm, but the bad news for Tedford was that his lone losing campaign came last season when the Golden Bears finished 5-7 and were non-factors in the conference title fight. Offensive issues couple with horrible performances on the road led to the disappointing season, and correcting both problems will be the key to whether or not California bounces back in 2011-12.

If the Golden Bears are going to improve this year, they have to find a quarterback that can lead the offense. With Kevin Riley under center last season, California ranked 94th in terms of passing yards per game and 73rd in points scored. Neither one of those numbers is going to fly in an offensive-minded PAC-12. Former Buffalo QB Zach Maynard will be charged with turning around the lifeless air attack. He is more of a scrambler than a pocket passer, but he can’t be much worse than his predecessor.

Maynard will have the benefit of being protected by an offensive line that returns three starters, but he will be breaking in a new running back. Shane Vereen is now in the NFL, following a year when he topped 1,100 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Isi Sofele will take over the full-time role, and while he was effective with his touches, he has never carried the load for an entire year. If he can hold up physically and be productive, Maynard will have an easier time transition to life in a major conference.

With the offense sputtering, the strength of the Golden Bears last year was their defense. The unit gave up just over 22 points a game, ranking 40th in the nation. California was even stingier at home, allowing 16 points or less in all but one game. Even Oregon – the top scoring offense in the nation last year – managed just 15 points in Berkley. This year’s unit has plenty of senior leadership, including linebacker D.J Holt. The Golden Bears should be even better on defense this season, and they could be one of the best units in the PAC-12.

Despite the additions to the conference this season, the schedule won’t be anything the Golden Bears haven’t dealt with before. The season opens with for winnable games, including conference road matchups with Colorado and Washington. A road game against Oregon starts a tough three-game stretch that also features USC and Utah. The season closes on a tough note as well with California going on the road to face Stanford and Arizona State. While not an impossible slate by any means, the Golden Bears to have the misfortune of playing the top three teams in the PAC-12 on the road.

It’s hard to imagine how a coach as famous for developing pro-style quarterbacks as Tedford can be facing a second straight year without a legitimate leader under center. Whether or not Maynard develops remains to be seen, but in the meantime, the Golden Bears will have to pin their hopes on running and defense. However, that formula is only going to get California so far in a conference that features elite offenses. Being one dimensional is going to limit the ceiling for Tedford’s team, but the Golden Bears should be able to ride their defense back to the postseason, even if a PAC-12 title remains out of reach.

2011 California Golden Bears College Football Predictions: 7-5 Record

Preseason 2011 California Golden Bears NCAA Football Odds:
Odds to Win 2012 BCS Championship: +10000
Odds to Win 2011 PAC 12 Championship: +1800
You can BET on these lines or any other College Football Odds and Lines daily at SBG Global Sportsbook(upto 265% in Bonuses!)

2011 California Golden Bears College Football Schedule
Sat, Sep 3 Fresno State 7:00 pm —
Sat, Sep 10 at Colorado 3:30 pm —
Sat, Sep 17 Presbyterian TBA —
Sat, Sep 24 at Washington TBA —
Thu, Oct 6 at Oregon 9:00 pm —
Thu, Oct 13 USC 9:00 pm —
Sat, Oct 22 Utah TBA —
Sat, Oct 29 at UCLA TBA —
Sat, Nov 5 Washington State TBA —
Sat, Nov 12 Oregon State TBA —
Sat, Nov 19 at Stanford TBA —
Fri, Nov 25 at Arizona State 10:15 pm —

Check out NSAwins.com’s official 2011 College Football Over Under Team Wins Odds and Predictions and 2011 PAC 12 Football Odds and Predictions articles.

Need Expert Winning College Football Picks? Be sure to check out NSAwins.com’s award-winning College Football Season Picks Packages for expert winners against the vegas spreads and totals in College Football this season including 2011 College Football Picks and Predictions to beat the vegas point spreads and totals!