Back when my academic career at Cal started, I shelled out $60 for a season ticket to the football games. Students did this for the experience I was told since it was a rare event to see the football team be successful. While the team lost 8 games that year, fans accepted it even if they couldn't stand it.

Flash forward to today where times have definitely changed. With Jeff Tedford at the helm, Cal has produced 3 straight winning seasons, going on 4. Heading into this season, all signs indicated a difficult year. Many defensive starters left as did Aaron Rodgers and the receiving corps. A weak special teams lacked a significant upgrade. On paper, it would have seemed .500 was a good year. But in the 5 years since my first season ticket, things have changed. Now it's a rare event to see the football team be unsuccessful. Last night's loss to UCLA hopefully provided a wake-up call to those who thought the Bears would win no matter what. They won't. It's a flawed team. It's a rebuilding team. Next year, I'm fully expecting an undefeated season as these young talents mature. But for now, I'm content on seeing them exceed expectations, which is what they're doing as I write this.