The seat underneath Cal coach Jeff Tedford’s keister was getting quite toasty before the 2012 season kicked off. With truckloads of money being poured into facilities and upgrades, time is no longer a luxury for Teford, who is in his 11th year with the program.
Following a 21-3 loss to No. 22 Stanford in Saturday’s Big Game -- the Cardinal’s third straight win in the rivalry -- Tedford’s seat should officially be causing third-degree burns.
The loss puts Cal at 3-5 on the season and the Golden Bears still have games against Washington, Oregon and Oregon State, all crucial Pac-12 North meetings.
Tedford has had some successful years in Berkeley, namely in 2004 and ’06, which saw Cal make a pair of Holiday Bowl appearances after 10-win seasons. Lately, though, Cal has been just above a .500 program in one of the tougher divisions in college football. Tedford also hasn’t been able to land the next big quarterback like some thought he would be able to do.
With four games left, the Golden Bears look like they’ll struggle to even become bowl eligible. Unless Tedford can knock off Oregon or Oregon State, Cal might be looking to upgrade its coach to match its upgraded facilities.