FanHouse Previews the 2008 Emerald Bowl: California vs. Miami

A trip to San Francisco might not be high on the list of rewards for fans of a team from Berkeley, but those California fans who make the short trek should be treated to a pretty good bowl game.

The Cal Golden Bears finished fourth in the Pac Ten this season, going 6-3 in league games and finishing 8-4 overall. Ken from Excuse Me For My Voice makes a good point when he mentions that only one Pac Ten team is playing in a New Year's Day bowl. I mean, whoopie for the Holiday Bowl in that they get the second-best team from the league, but the Pac Ten has to start doing a better job negotiating their bowl tie-ins. The fourth-best team from the Big Ten is playing in the highly-visible Outback Bowl, while the fourth-best team from the Pac Ten is stuck in the Emerald Bowl.

Miami comes from the ACC, where they went 7-5 overall and 4-4 in league play. While they don't have the swagger of past Hurricane teams, they certainly are an improved football team this year. Canes Rising is all over the play of their defense because of their lack of turnovers and red-zone production, and Miami sure didn't finish the season with a boom, but there is good reason for hope. Randy Shannon has recruited well so far, and he needs to be given time to get his recruits some experience.

More on the matchup after the jump.

FanHouse Previews the 2008 Emerald Bowl: California vs. Miami originally appeared on Fanhouse NCAA Football Blog on Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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