The PAC Forum at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

The Golden Bears played like a complete team last weekend, taking the punches and outlasting an expectedly better Ole Miss squad 27-16. Especially impressive is how the Bears once optional-only defense won the game on their terms by tightening up in the red zone, stuffing the run, and shutting out the Rebels in the second half to overcome a 16-7 halftime deficit. Justin Wilcox's on-field adjustments are taking hold much faster than expected, and although their mid-season schedule toughens up (SC, @Oregon, @UW, WSU) the back end is worth enough wins to get back to a bowl with a roster that's no better than conference sea urchins in Tempe, Tucson, and Corvallis.

2nd best hire of the coaching hiring season, after Purdue, in my opinion.

I was very impressed with his play calling and leadership during his one season in Madison.

Hopefully the Arizona schools model their upcoming HC searches after Cal's. Save for his brief stint through SC's tumultuous Sarkisian tenure, Justin Wilcox has performed well in whatever responsibility he's coached. Wisconsin was wise to get Wilcox back on track.

These offense-only hires are leaving rosters in shambles at Arizona - won't recruit D, at ASU - pretends to know D but got by snooping signals, at Texas Tech and at Cal before finally balancing out with Wilcox's hiring. Conversely, Dana Holgorsen is stable at West Virginia.

Two candidates similar to Wilcox and ready for Arizona/ASU level HC jobs would be LSU DC Dave Aranda and Purdue DC Nick Holt. You'll of course remember Aranda as the former Badger DC. He's long overdue for HC duties but since he's a Raider alum I'm betting Texas Tech has the inside track if they purge Goskingslingbury.

Nick Holt has longtime ties out west at SC & Washington and a solid track record with high profile defenses, but I am not sure Holt would be any better of a hire than Mike Stoops was.

Anyway, looking forward to Cal vs SC's kickoff this Saturday.

hopefully Wilcox is on teh list to replace CBJ if they in fact do cut CBJ loose... coming back to Tennessee isn't that far out of the question?

the comment was tongue in cheek.... nothing against Wilcox, i think he's a decent coach and man, but unproven yet... and the clowns running UT? that is precisely the type they like to target.... they're still enamored with putting a nickel in a slot machine and winning thousands. 

He's not a coach who is gonna take a bunch of 5* prima donna types. He needs film rats and kids who want to know the game. He enjoyed the shit out of coaching the kids he had in Madison.

He's very similar to Dave Aranda in that regard... But in a much different place, obviously.

He will succeed at Northern Cal. I'm sure of it.