ESPN College Football

You can see California's new depth chart here.

Jonathan Okanes does a nice job of explaining the hot spots.

Some quick observations:

• Quick, undersized sophomore Isi Sofele is the backup tailback, eclipsing Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson, Dasarte Yarnway and Trajuan Briggs. That strikes me as a minor upset, but Sofele is a scatback type who can make plays as a runner and receiver. Coach Jeff Tedford always gives his No. 2 RB plenty of touches.
• The starting corners are Marc Anthony and Darian Hagan. Bryant Nnabuife is listed as the backup to both.
• Okanes notes that the top four safeties will see extensive action, but it seems notable that Chris Conte and Josh Hill are first team, meaning returning starter Sean Cattouse has dropped in the pecking order.
• A veteran -- Ernest Owusu -- held off a hard-charging youngster -- Deandre Coleman -- at one defensive end. Another hard-charging youngster -- Kendrick Payne -- eclipsed a veteran -- Derrick Hill -- at noseguard.
• QB Kevin Riley's backup is Beau Sweeney.
• The only true freshman on the depth chart is receiver Keenan Allen, who is No. 1 opposite junior Marvin Jones.
• The Bears will start eight seniors and six sophomores.

California opens preseason camp today. Here's a quick look.

Who's back: Eight starters on offense, six on defense and both specialists.

Big names: RB Shane Vereen, LB Mike Mohamed, DE Cameron Jordan, P Bryan Anger

What's new: Bob Gregory, who had been Jeff Tedford's defensive coordinator since 2002, left for Boise State, and NFL veteran Clancy Pendergast replaced him. Pendergast is expected to bring a more aggressive approach that emphasizes pressure on the quarterback. Also, Jeff Genyk replaced Pete Alamar as special teams coach. Genyk will also coach tight ends.

Key competition: Three spots in the secondary beside safety Sean Cattouse are wide open, though Bryant Nnabuife and Darian Hagan are listed first at the corners and Chris Conte is No. 1 at safety. Things also are unclear at outside linebacker, left offensive guard and a pecking order at tailback behind Vereen must be established. Will any young receivers step up?

Breaking out: Is Marvin Jones ready to become a go-to receivers? And will touted freshman receiver Keenan Allen make an immediate impact and perhaps also play in the secondary? Kendrick Payne and Deandre Coleman figure to provide some quality depth on what could be a very good defensive line.

Quote: Tedford on quarterback Kevin Riley: "We are going to have great competition at the quarterback position, but Kevin is the guy who takes the first snaps. Kevin is the active leader in the Pac-10 in wins, touchdown passes and starts. We are really hoping that his experience will really help us and translate to more success on the football field. The team has a lot of confidence in him. He has worked very, very hard and he feels that this is his team."

Notes: Two key recruits won't be on the team this fall, one permanently. Linebacker Cecil Whiteside will grayshirt due to academic issues; he won't enroll until January. Defensive end Chris Martin was released from his letter of intent and opted to sign with Florida ... Because of the renovation of Memorial Stadium, the team is using temporary locker rooms. Practices also have been moved to the morning instead of the afternoon ... Cal was picked seventh in the preseason media poll.

The fourth of a 10-part series that looks at where Pac-10 teams are strongest and weakest as they begin spring practices.

California

Strong: Offensive line

Why it's a strength: There isn't an area of the 2010 Bears that will blow you away, but the offensive line welcomes back five guys who've started at least seven games, as well as a couple of quality backups, though it was a hit when veteran guard Mark Boskovich opted to graduate instead of use his final year of eligibility. Donovan Edwards (seven starts) is the most likely candidate to fill a void at one of the tackle spots. The health of talented guard Matt Summers-Gavin is an issue after a shoulder injury and concussion limited him to eight starts in 2009. As a group, the Bears were better run-blockers (third in the Pac-10 in rushing) than pass-blockers (31 sacks surrendered) in 2010. The latter often improves with experience and continuity. If the unit stays healthy, it could be one of the stronger crews in the conference.

Weak: Secondary

Why it's a weakness: The Bears must replace two starters, including two-time first-team All-Pac-10 cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson, and experienced backup safety Marcus Ezeff from a crew that ranked ninth in the conference in pass defense (267 yards per game) and seventh in pass efficiency defense -- and was a huge disappointment in 2009. There are some interesting possibilities at safety, where Sean Cattouse, Chris Moncrease, Chris Conte and Vachel Samuels will compete (and touted incoming freshman Keenan Allen, though primarily a receiver, might be in the mix, too). Cornerback, however, is a question. Darian Hagan fell out of favor as a junior, while Bryant Nnabuife and Josh Hill often were picked on opposite Thompson. Samuels might be an option at corner. Opponents completed nearly 64 percent of their passes against the Bears in 2009 and threw 20 TD passes, which ranked seventh in the conference.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

California fans probably let out a sigh of relief with the Bears' fast start against Colorado State. Obviously, there's no post-Maryland swoon.

And talk about finding creative ways to score.

• Blocked punt returned 30 yards for a touchdown by Bryant Nnabuife. 7-0
• Brett Johnson, 43-yard interception return. 14-0
• Kevin Riley 11-yard touchdown pass to Nyan Boateng. 21-0
• Syd'Quan Thompson 73-yard punt return. 28-0.

And a shutout and four sacks from the defense (so far) is also encouraging.

Instead of being flat, the Bears are playing opportunistically, which means the Pac-10 appears on the cusp of notching its first win this season against the Mountain West Conference.

Against, er, five defeats.