Even if head coach Jeff Tedford could stomach his team’s sloppy loss to Washington on Friday, he likely wouldn’t have been hungry — he’s swallowed too much pride this year.
After a run of seven straight bowl games as a bona fide NFL pipeline — Aaron Rodgers, anyone? — Tedford’s California Bears are headed for another season under .500, cranking up the temperature on the 11-year coach and raising questions about the team’s future leadership.
But if the former Oregon offensive coordinator is feeling the heat, he’s not showing it.
“The state of the program is fine,” Tedford said after Friday’s loss. “We had a down year.”
On the surface, his 82-55 record at Cal doesn’t raise eyebrows. But Cal has posted a 9-16 mark in conference play over the last three years and has missed a bowl game two out of the last three years. Already this year, the Bears have lost four home games — more than in any other year in the Tedford era.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” Tedford said. “It’s not something we’re used to. It’s not a good feeling.”
Off the field, the Bears aren’t much better. Their graduation success rate of 48 percent is easily the worst in the conference. In fact, it’s second-lowest in the country after Oklahoma (47 percent). It’s fallen 16 percent under Tedford since 2002.
Then there’s the matter of dollar signs.
Tedford’s the fourth-highest paid coach in the conference after Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Washington’s Steve Sarkisian and USC’s Lane Kiffin. He’s got about $7 million left on his contract, too, meaning a potential buyout would be costly. And Cal’s coffers aren’t exactly full after spending $321 million renovating Memorial Stadium, something Tedford declared essential to stay competitive in conference recruiting.
But the best pitch to potential players (not to mention the best way to fill that shiny, like-new stadium) is the prospect of winning.
If Tedford can’t wash the sour taste of losing out of the mouths of season-ticket holders and the administration, his shipping out of Berkeley is inevitable.