TIPOFF: 3 p.m. Saturday at Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Ore. TV/Radio: Pac-12 Networks/910-AM.
With six wins in their past seven games — and four in a row — the Golden Bears are not only the hottest team in the Pac-12 …
They may now be the favorites to win the regular-season crown.
Just one game back of co-leaders Oregon and Arizona, the Bears boast a combined 3-0 record against the Ducks and Wildcats. For starters, that means they own the tiebreaker against both.
Then there’s the remaining schedule. Cal is the only team among the top eight teams in the standings with just one more road game — Saturday against an Oregon State team that is 3-11 in league play. A gimme? No, but a game the Bears should win.
Cal also has potentially the easiest remaining schedule, with no games remaining against the top five teams in the Pac-12 standings. Yes, the Bears lost last month to Colorado and Stanford, but both games were on the road. The rematches will be at Berkeley.
If Cal wins out — and that suddenly seems possible — it finishes 13-5. Only four other teams can even mathematically match that record.
Here’s a look at what lies ahead for the Pac-12’s top seven teams:
— ARIZONA (10-4): vs. WSU, at USC , at UCLA, vs. ASU.
— OREGON (10-4): vs. Stanford, vs. Oregon State, at Colorado, at Utah.
— UCLA (9-4): at USC, vs. ASU, vs. Arizona, at WSU, at Washington.
— CAL (9-5): at Oregon State, vs. Utah, vs. Colorado, vs. Stanford.
— ASU (9-5): vs. Washington, at UCLA, at USC, at Arizona.
— COLORADO (8-6): at Stanford, at Cal, vs. Oregon, vs. Oregon State.
— USC (7-6): vs. UCLA, vs. Arizona, vs. ASU, at Washington, at WSU.
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