College Football Odyssey is scheduled for yet another doubleheader on Saturday. Irony of ironies – this doubleheader will occur in the anti-hotbed of college football: San Francisco’s Bay Area. If that is not weird enough, both games will be ACC tilts. In college football’s bizarro world, Virginia Tech and Miami will take long flights to the “woke” capital of the USA.
The appetizer will be Saturday afternoon at Stanford. Believe it or not, there was a time in our lifetime where Stanford was not “woke.” The Odyssey reminisces about 2 games from the early 1970’s we attended where Stanford played Michigan. In those days, Stanford’s nickname was, GASP, the Indians!! If there is a team less prepared to face the NIL, insta-transfer portal world, it is Stanford. Yet, if their QB, Ashton Daniels, can recover from an ankle tweak suffered late in last Saturday’s tilt at Clemson, the Odyssey views Stanford as a very live dog. We hope that enough fans in the Palo Alto area will postpone their wine-tasting tours in Napa to actually attend the game. In recent years, so many Stanford fans have disguised themselves as empty seats.
The main course will be Saturday evening in Strawberry Canyon. Gameday is shockingly making a visit to Berkeley. We will look to buy a “Coke vs. Woke” Tshirt! Miami’s visit has all the makings of a sneaky, great game. Miami is undefeated while Cal has one loss. In another element of weirdness that is Berkeley, Miami should probably have one less and Cal be undefeated. Was there really enough evidence to overturn Virginia Tech’s Hail Mary? In Cal’s loss to Florida State, the Golden Bears roundly outplayed the Seminoles only to suffer massive Red Zone woes.
Will Cal’s great running back, Jadyn Ott, be back at full strength? The Odyssey fervently hopes so. A must do for all football fans is to get on YouTube for the following 2 videos. First, watch the witty, suggestive video from Chappelle Roan, “Hot to Go.” Then, the absolutely brilliant spoof of “Ott to Go.” The Odyssey bows down to such absolute genius.
For one evening, the Odyssey can forgive the Bay Area for their laissez faire view of college football. Go Cal!