Another #FridayThe13th Upset: Unranked Cal DEMOLISHES #8 Washington State, 37-3.

Submitted by SpikeFan2016 on

UPDATE:

California absolutely destroys previously unbeaten  #8 Washington State on both sides of the ball en route to a 37-3 upset win. It's only the second win over a Top 10 team in the past 50 years for Cal (the other was in 2003 against USC in 3OT). 

Wazzu was, amazingly, a 16.5 point favorite coming into the game and lost by 33. That's a 49.5 point swing in the spread.

The turnover margin was 7-0 in favor of the Golden Bears. 

So...our offense is better than Mike Leach's?

MGoBoard

DairyQueen

October 14th, 2017 at 1:41 AM ^

So,

-either Cal went severely under the radar

-the Pac-12 is extremely weak

or

-USC was severely overrated

 

I'm going with the latter. Only because Cal, doesn't seem "that great", just solid. This is WSU at home, and they are not losing by flukes, mere inches, injury, or luck. This game isn't even close.

Joined: 04/20/2014

MGoPoints: 6642

ST3

October 14th, 2017 at 1:41 AM ^

The fact that we were minus 5 in turnover margin and still only lost by 4 is amazing. It sucks real bad, but it's still amazing.

Joined: 09/11/2010

MGoPoints: 52822

Bodogblog

October 14th, 2017 at 8:53 AM ^

I mean I know you all put an angry stake in the ground and don't want to retreat, but you're better than that.  Turnovers killed momentum the entire game, surrendered field position in a game where that mattered most, and took scoring opportunities off the board for Michigan. 

The above assertion is subjective feelingsball.  Your recent mgoboard posts are mathematically based.  S&P, the king of math, says it was 24 points. 

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 9:41 AM ^

To be fair, your post can be put under the banner of "Duh, that's how football works." It goes both ways. It sounds just as bad to say, "Hey guys, if we just wouldn't have had those 5 turnovers and the other team would not have scored points on them or turned the momentum in their favor as well as field position, we would have won." Well yeah, no shit. That's how football works. Feelingsball vs excuseball.

Joined: 02/19/2016

MGoPoints: 9888

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 10:37 AM ^

I never said anything about the S&P analysis. I said you are wrong about 5 turnovers being so rare. Again, it happened a bunch in the last week. It's not that rare at all. In fact, it will happen to some teams again today. It happened last night. It happened multiple times in college football last weekend and it happened in the NFL last Sunday. Is that rare to you? Either way, it's almost game time so arguing with the SMUG CHAMP isn't what I want to be doing. Good Day

Joined: 02/19/2016

MGoPoints: 9888

Bodogblog

October 14th, 2017 at 11:16 AM ^

My initial response which got you worked up was rebutting the assertion that the turnover difference was only 7 points.  You then said that was duh.  What you didn't understand was that turnovers of that magnitude in one way are largely random, and not at all expected.  

Sorry if I'm being smug, but you must admit you're being an "unacceptable!".  Teams with that margin of turnover - again much of it random - are not going to beat decent opponents.  Bad turnover luck was an enormous contributing factor to Michigan losing by 4 points. 

Joined: 06/08/2010

MGoPoints: 26674

Maynard

October 14th, 2017 at 12:00 PM ^

My apologies. I don't disagree with any of that and I am not angry or in the completely unacceptable camp. I am more in the it's okay to question Harbaugh and please don't make excuses when we had two weeks to prepare camp. I have a problem with the Chicken Little crew and the Apologists both. And don't take that the wrong way. I am not putting you in either of those. So I may have jumped the gun on this one. 

One thing is certain: In three or four hours there will be a lot more hyperbole one way or another I suspect. Either shit will hit the fan or many will be saying it's all good and everything is fixed. GAME TIME.....actually right now.

Joined: 02/19/2016

MGoPoints: 9888

WichitanWolverine

October 14th, 2017 at 2:36 AM ^

That was one of the craziest games I've ever seen. Lowly Cal looked like world-beaters. The flip TD and pinball INT were amazing. Games like that give my irrational fandom hope for the rest of Michigan's season.

Joined: 09/30/2009

MGoPoints: 34392

Clarence Beeks

October 14th, 2017 at 8:20 AM ^

I still don't think that's a fair assessment. It was a rivalry game with half of the game played in a monsoon. Had we had three more minutes of good weather on either side of the storm we would have won, I'm certain of that, even with the bad offense and turnover margin. Yes, we played awful on offense, but the defense was amazing. The Oklahoma and Clemson lossss were in perfect weather to non-rivals, yet the media will give them a total pass, and probably even more so give them the "all of the good teams will lose at least once this year" treatment. It's just such an unfair media reaction when comparing the losses.

Joined: 09/06/2008

MGoPoints: 22850

Kewaga.

October 14th, 2017 at 8:06 AM ^

 

 

Just waking up to this one!  Saw the Clemson game... and we I went to bed California looked to be on a role.... but who knew!

 

Crazy year for college football, should be fun!

Joined: 02/06/2015

MGoPoints: 6945

BluCoast

October 14th, 2017 at 9:27 AM ^

#GoBears

Wilcox has put together an incredible staff and is getting results in year 1 with leftovers and castoff 2-stars on defense. Offense underserved with top 3 receivers and 2 RBs out for year and still gets it done!

2 HUGE problems:
A. Will never be able to recruit w the big boys in PAC
B. Will not be able to keep staff together (4 former HCs) beyond this year.

Joined: 04/01/2011

MGoPoints: 392