The California Golden Bears have had a rough start to their season, so their 43-17 win against the UCLA Bruins has to feel like a life preserver game. Cal is working their way off the ledge, but another loss can send them spiraling back off the cliff. The good news is that Zach Maynard played as well as he's ever played as a Bear, and playmakers like Richard Rodgers, C.J. Anderson, Brendan Bigelow and Keenan Allen all made their impact felt.

Cal will now face the Washington St. Cougars in Pullman in a battle of teams trying to stay out of the Pac-12 cellar. The Bears and Cougars are both 2-4, with Cal 1-2 in the Pac-12 and WSU 0-3. Washington State has played two tough games against Oregon and Oregon State, particularly on the defensive side of the football. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to get their offense going, as both Connor Halliday and Jeff Tuel have struggled in their time at the helm. Halliday is the starter for Saturday's game against Cal. This game presents the Bears a golden opportunity to move one step closer back to .500 before their rivalry tilt with Stanford in the Big Game.