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FACTS & STATS: Site: Candlestick Park (69,900) -- San Francisco, California. Television: CSN-CA. Home Record: Fresno State 0-0, California 0-0. Away Record: Fresno State 0-0, California 0-0. Neutral Record: Fresno State 0-0, California 0-0. Conference Record: Fresno State 0-0, California 0-0. Series Record: Fresno State leads, 2-0.

GAME NOTES: It is an unusual venue to start the season but nonetheless the California Golden Bears will open their 2011 campaign at historic Candlestick Park where they will clash with the Fresno State Bulldogs.

The Golden Bears should however get used to playing on a baseball field, because all their home games for 2011 will be at AT&T Park, while Memorial Stadium is being renovated.

If not for three heartbreaking losses by a total of six points last year, it would have been a completely different season for the Golden Bears. However, that was not the case and Jeff Tedford's team finished with just five victories. The veteran coach leads a revamped team into 2011 and the Golden Bears will look to jump back over .500 and in the process help their coach break the school record for most wins. Tedford currently sits three wins away from the record which is held by Andy Smith (74) who set the mark way back in 1925.

The 2011 season will be the farewell tour for the Bulldogs as part of the Western Athletic Conference. Fresno State will make the jump to the Mountain West Conference in 2012. Coach Pat Hill has done a tremendous job since taking over at Fresno State, but last year's 8-5 ledger was a bit of a letdown for the fiery coach. FSU solidified its place in a bowl matchup by winning its last two games by a total of five points. The Bulldogs could not continue that success in the Humanitarian Bowl however, as they were clobbered by Northern Illinois, 40-17, marking the fourth loss in the last five bowl appearances for the Bulldogs.

It has been over a decade since these two schools have collided on the football field. Back in 2000, the Bulldogs pushed their modest lead in the all-time series to 2-0 with a 17-3 decision at home against the Golden Bears.

The Derek Carr era at Fresno State will begin this Saturday. Derek is the younger brother of David, who was one of the best quarterbacks in FSU history and was also the top pick in the 2002 NFL Draft.

Carr has the ideal size for a pocket passer, but it is unclear how he will handle the starting gig for Fresno State. Coach Hill does have faith in his new signal caller though and believes the transition will be easier thanks to the return of some key options at the receiver position.

Rashad Evans is probably the best all-around receiver on the roster and should be a top target for Carr on Saturday, and throughout the season. However, look for Carr to link up with Devon Wylie and Jalen Saunders as well.

Also giving Carr a chance to breath under center will be the return of running back Robbie Rouse, who finished last year with over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns. Rouse, second in the WAC in rushing last season, missed two games at the end of the season because of injury, but before going out he became the first running back in FSU history to post consecutive 200-yard rushing efforts.

With a new quarterback this year coach Hill will need a much better showing by the defense in 2011. Fresno State will be hard-pressed to win eight games again with a defense that allows 30.0 ppg.

One way this unit can lower that number is by forcing more turnovers. Last year this defense forced just 13 takeaways in 13 games.

One way to force mistakes is by pressuring the quarterback and the Bulldogs have a tackle in Logan Harrell that should give opposing signal-callers fits. Harrell, a 2010 First Team- All-WAC performer, racked up 10.5 sacks a year ago.

Anchoring the linebacking position will be Travis Brown. Brown, a Second-Team All-WAC selection, collected 79 tackles a year ago and should give FSU another presence up the middle which is surely needed after the team surrendered 158.5 rushing ypg in 2010.

Continuing with defensive strengths is safety Phillip Thomas, who is the leader of the secondary and is coming off a strong showing last year in which he collected a team-best three interceptions.

The identity of the Golden Bears' offense was lost last year because of inconsistent play and injuries at the quarterback position. Coach Tedford knew coming into this season that he would need a solid leader under center if Cal was going to get back to a bowl.

In steps Zach Maynard, a transfer from Buffalo, who could be exactly what coach Tedford was looking for. Maynard has all the tools to be a big time quarterback, but the Pac-12 is a different animal when compared to the Mid- American Conference, so it will be interesting to see if Maynard can handle the pressure of a much tougher schedule. One thing is for sure though, this passing attack will be ready come Saturday.

A big reason for that is because Marvin Jones is back in the mix. Jones, one of the most dangerous receivers in the nation, is back to close out his career at Cal with a bang and improve on mediocre numbers from a year ago. Giving him room to breath will be Keenan Allen, who will play on the opposite side. Allen emerged last year as a dangerous target and now will keep opposing defenses honest.

Coach Tedford did not only need to find a reliable quarterback in the off- season, but he also had to replace tailback Shane Vereen. As of now Isi Sofele will be the starter, but look for Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson to see some carries in the opener as well.

The bread and butter for coach Tedford's defense through the years has been the play in the trenches. Cal has dominated foes up front, but this year things might be a bit different. Trevor Guyton and Kendrick Payne will start the opener, but the two combined for just six starts a year ago and it may take time for this unit to reach its potential.

Coach Tedford does return some solid options at linebacker with D.J. Holt and Mychal Kendricks. The two players finished second and fourth, respectively, on the team in tackles. A lot is expected of freshman David Wilkerson as well and he could make a big impact on Saturday.

The secondary had to replace a couple of starters as well, but Sean Cattouse and Marc Anthony are back, good news for the Bears.

Both teams open the year with new quarterbacks, so there could be some kinks to iron out in week one. Tedford certainly knows what a Carr under center can do for a team, as his last season as an assistant at Fresno State saw the emergence of David Carr for the Bulldogs.

The difference in this game is that Cal's Maynard has started at the FBS level, giving him a leg up on Carr this weekend. This game might be close for a couple of quarters, but look for Cal to pull away down the stretch.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: California 37, Fresno State 24