Cal linebacker Zack Follett has been named to a couple of preseason watch lists. Center Alex Mack received similar recognition last week. Here is the release provided by Cal athletic media relations.

This appeared in our paper today, from editorial columnist Daniel Borenstein.

scout.com reports that the Bears received a 2009 oral commitment from Mission Viejo High School quarterback Allan Bridgford, who received offers from a couple of other Pac-10 schools as well as Texas Tech.

Cal’s football program had a pretty good showing in the Academic Progress Rate report released Tuesday by the NCAA. The Bears ranked in the 80-90th percentile and 50-60th percentile among all sports. Click here to see the NCAA’s official report on Cal.

Not surprsingly, Cal center Alex Mack is finding himself on several preseason awards lists for 2008. Here’s a recap, provided by Cal media relations.

The Pac-10 announced today that Cal’s season-opener against Michigan State on Aug. 30 and its Nov. 8 game at USC will be televised by ABC and kick off at 5 p.m.

The disappointing second half of the Bears’ 2007 season didn’t seem to dissuade ABC from putting them on prime time. This is no different than last season, when Cal also had two games selected for the 5 p.m. time slot during the spring — the season-opener against Tennessee and the game against USC.

Other TV information and kickoff times will be announced in the coming months. The Bears could still be on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 a handful of other times when the network selects games in its six-day and 12-day window.

I know this isn’t exactly a cutting edge issue, but it’s worth discussion now that it appears there won’t be any change to the NCAA Division I football playoff format for awhile. BCS officials announced Thursday that it will not change the way it crowns its annual national champion as it prepares to negotiate TV contracts through 2014.

The one-plus format is the lastest proposal to get some momentum, but it was ultimately shot down. Under one-plus, the top four teams in the final BCS standings would play semifinals and then a championship game.

I still think there should be a playoff system, and it should be more than four teams. If it’s OK for the other divisions of college football, it should be OK with Division I. And I don’t buy the argument that it will take the luster off the regular season. Just because a team loses one or two games doesn’t meant it isn’t the best team in the country. A team loses a game in September and it’s almost as though its season is over. Let them decide it on the field.

Now, your thoughts?