ESPN’s Bruce Feldman says:
4. Cal: Steve Levy vs. Nate Longshore vs. Joe Ayoob vs. Kyle Reed

Longshore was the opening day starter in 2005, but he broke his ankle, opening the spot for Ayoob who — hmm, how can I put this nicely? — flopped. The JC transfer played with no confidence, seldom stepping into throws and repeatedly misfired badly. That gave Levy, a one-time fullback, a shot and he attacked it, completing 67 percent of his passes for three TDs and one INT while leading Cal to wins over Stanford and BYU. (He also looked fearless relieving Ayoob late in the USC game.) Levy doesn’t throw a pretty ball and is barely 6-foot, but he runs really well and plays with the spirit of a Bradlee Van Pelt, which, at least in the college game, is a good thing. Plus, the arrival of former Northwestern offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar makes Levy’s mobility only more important now.

Reed, who redshirted last season, came to Cal very, very raw in terms of reading coverages, but he showed some good skills. My hunch is that he’s the long shot here, especially since Jeff Tedford really hasn’t gotten a chance to see what Longshore is capable of in games. My questions: Can Levy hold off a recovered Longshore? Has Ayoob built up his confidence? Is Reed ready to play at this level?