Fearless Prediction #1: The wacky WAC will be won by Hawaii.
Thought Timmy Chang was good?  Have you seen Colt Brennan?  If you watched Sportscenter at all last year, you probably have.  The Rainbow Warriors will rule the WAC in 2007.  The warriors host Boise St. and Fresno St. - the other two most threatening WAC teams - at home.  Boise St. will slip a bit with the loss of Zabransky and since everybody now knows their two most potent trick plays.  As for Fresno St., well, they haven’t been showing up for their cupcake games for their past two years so you can probably check mark a loss for them against Utah St. or Idaho (Fresno St. also has a tough OOC schedule of @Oregon, @aTm, and Kansas St.).  Will Hawaii crash the BCS party?  Even if they go undefeated (they have an OOC sched of North Colorado, UNLV, Charleston Southern, and Washington), I think the voters will leave them outside looking in because of their weak schedule. 

Fearless Prediction #2: Stanfurd will be a 1 win team (and Washington just might be too).
Stanfurd is just plain horrible.  And Harbaugh has practically ensured himself a ruthless beating from all other 9 teams by pissing off their coaches with some sort of asinine or uneducated comment.  Stanford’s only win will be against San Jose St.  Lucky for Stanfurd though, their demise will be in the company of Washington.  Washington has one of the toughest schedules in the nation.  They start off with a supposed "tune-up" game at Syracuse, but nothing is guaranteed with Willingham at the helm (72-67-1 overall record and only 13-21 at UW).  Then Washington opens up the heart of their schedule with games against Boise St., Ohio St., @UCLA, and USC.  After a brutal month of beat downs, I’m predicting Washington will be so demoralized and tired that they’ll fold to Oregon, and Arizona no matter how good or bad the Ducks and Wildcats may be.  The next week is Washington’s only hope as they are down on the farm to face Stanfurd.  A win against the Furd will keep them out of the basement of the Pac-10 before they go 0-4 against Oregon St., Cal, Washington St., and Hawaii to finish out the season.

Fearless Prediction #3: Michigan will win the Big-10 but lose their Bowl game (again).
Next year, Michigan hosts Ohio St. at home.  And sure, taking on Ohio St. at home is still a challenge.  It’s still a challenge when the Buckeyes WRs are busy injurying themselves in giddy touchdown celebrations, but I think Michigan will pull out the W.  If all things go well against in their OOC sked against the mighty Appalachian St., Oregon, Notre Dame, and Eastern Michigan ALL AT HOME… then the Wolverines should be glass football hunting.  But whether they are playing in the Big Easy on January 8th for all the marbles, in a regular BCS bowl, or in a 2nd rate bowl, expect them to lose their Bowl game for the 5th straight time.

Well, its a big of a dead period for Cal sports.  Summertime.  With nothing much else to talk about, save for the incomprehensible insanity that is the City of Berkeley, I thought I’d throw up some photos from a Cal rugby game I went to earlier this year.  I remarked briefly about it here.

I also said I’d put up the photos soon and that was 4 months ago.  Clearly, I suck at scheduling.  Like the SEC.   

I really know next to nothing about rugby.  But it was a fun time.  We were playing  against the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club.  Some sort of post-college team.  Some former Cal players are on it, I think.  Like I know anything.

But rugby does definitely have a lot of cool action.  Like when they hoist people up to snag the throw-ins.

 And there are crushing tackles, of course. 

One moment after this photo was taken that opposing player with the long hair (who was REALLY good) just crushed that diminuative Cal player.

That diminuative Cal player played on the wing and was very fast.  He scored 2 touchdowns (or tries?).  But he took some big risks, playing against player much larger than him.  I wouldn’t do it.  But then again, I am a GIANT pansy.

And they have those crazy scrums.   More photos later.  Maybe someday I’ll learn all the different strategy to rugby.