The Washington St. Cougars and the California Golden Bears are teams headed in the wrong direction as the 2011 college football calendar turns to November. The loser of this game could be that much closer to seeing the exit.
It looked as if Washington State was finally trending in the right direction after two forceful wins in their first two games against UNLV and Idaho State, but after that they have only one lone win against hapless Colorado. WSU blew a golden opportunity against UCLA and have been lost by three or more touchdowns in their other Pac-12 defeats. Another loss almost assures the Cougars will not be visiting a bowl game this season, and could mean Wulff's time is at an end in Pullman.
Cal football head coach Jeff Tedford is in a similar boat, although it's likelier he'll return even if his Bears suffer another poor season. Cal has lost four of their five games in conference play, most recently a humiliating loss in UCLA. The Golden Bears are reeling and are running out of winnable games. A loss at home to poor Washington State cannot be afforded at all.
This could be a highly competitive contest this week in San Francisco, as the stakes couldn't be any higher for two teams in the cellar of the Pac-12 North.
For more on WSU football, head up to CougCenter. For more on Cal football, go to the California Golden Blogs.