For the first time in a long time, UCLA football has some relevance

by notaznguy on Nov 7, 2011 10:30 PM PST

No we are not in the Top 25 nor are we going to be competing with LSU or Oklahoma State for the BCS national title. And certainly nobody on our team is a Heisman candidate.

But, that being said, UCLA, at least on paper, has an opportunity to outright win the inaugural Pac-12 and earn a Rose Bowl berth. Wow, did I just write that? If someone said that to me 2 weeks ago when we got destroyed in Tucson, I would've smacked them in the face.

In many ways, this is great news. This is fantastic news! But at the same time, looking back, it's a sad reflection of what we've endured and what we've finally hoped for.

I've been a UCLA football fan ever since my freshman year in 2008 (sorry old timers, but I didn't get into college football until I actually went to college). The first time I entered the Rose Bowl was on a sunny Saturday afternoon literally 1 day after I moved into my dorm in Hedrick Summit. The Rose Bowl was a beautiful sight and the field was so alive. I had high hopes for the Bruins after witnessing the miracle of the Tennessee game where Kevin Craft threw 4 interceptions and came back to win it against a Top 25 SEC team. Unfortunately for me, that afternoon we played the Arizona Wildcats and my first live UCLA game resulted in a loss. It wasn't until my 3rd home game that I finally saw my first UCLA victory live at the Rose Bowl.

As the season went on though, I learned that UCLA didn't really have anything to play for. We finished 4-8 that year, but honestly, it was "okay" due to the circumstances. I mean, it was Rick's first year, and Kevin Craft, a 3rd stringer, was our quarterback. It was bound to be better next year. Right?

And it was.....but not really. I think at the time, my sophomore year was exciting only because I had the opportunity to watch UCLA in the postseason. But in hindsight, did the Eaglebank Bowl mean that much? It was important for us because it was the next stage in Rick's 5 Year Plan. We were like the Russians industrializing. Soon we would be a juggernaut. In retrospect, the rest of the nation could've cared less. Win or lose, UCLA was still irrelevant. There would be no conference title, there would be no Heisman winner, or Johnny Unitas award, or Outland Trophy. And even though we won our Eaglebank Bowl, to me, the entire season was just a year of anticipation to see what would happen next season (no offense to the team for a hard won season and bowl game).

But what was anticipated never happened. It was my junior year and 4-8 happened again. Disappointment. Agony. What was the point of that football season? Why did I even watch the games? There was no relevancy to what we did. Nothing was on the line. And I think this was how a lot of the team felt too. What was the point of even investing the emotions into UCLA football? It was all irrelevant. Honestly I thought we were the L.A. Clippers of college football. Except we didn't have a Blake Griffin on the team to keep things exciting.

Then senior year happened. I had little hopes, and UCLA football, being the UCLA football it has always been, certainly did not disappoint. The Arizona game was something I was never going to forget. What a way to end my senior year. Going out with a bang right? Then, for the first time ever, I said to my self, "I'm not going to watch any more games this season." I can't. I've invested 3 years into this and there's been no ENJOYMENT from this. At least all the older guys can remember the glory days of Cade McNown, the 8 year streak against $C, and the 80's Rose Bowls. What do I have? My glory days were victories over Washington State. I just couldn't do it anymore. Usually you go to football games to have fun right? Well I literally went to football games to feel...MISERABLE! Like my girlfriend just dumped me or something. Masochism much? So yeah. I didn't watch the Cal game. At all.

And then...all of a sudden...I start receiving texts from friends that we were not only winning, but we were DOMINATING Cal. Strange. Very strange indeed. Somehow we ended up beating Cal.

I decided not to watch the Arizona State game either, thinking the Cal game was merely a fluke. BAM! Texts flood my cellphone "ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?!?!" and "75 YARD BOMB!!!!!!!!!!!!!" What in the world...? What's going on here? They meant Arizona State right? Turns out, we won the game. Wow. We won the game! Shortly afterward, of course after lurking around on Bruinsnation, it hits me. UCLA has the opportunity to win the inaugural Pac-12 conference title. Not only that, UCLA has the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl game. No, scratch that. UCLA is RELEVANT in football? Excuse me?! Stop talking right now, I've been a student here for 3 years now. This is blasphemous! But no, it's not. It's all there. The pieces are aligned. For the first time in a long time, my university's football team has light at the end of its tunnel. There is actually MEANING to this season. This isn't a pointless season. This isn't another 4-8. This isn't another small time bowl game. This is for Roses. We're playing for conference titles. We're playing for national prominence. We're playing for GLORY.

Except just one thing stands in our path. Well, 4 things really, but basically: "Win out." Uh, yeah man. Win out. All or nothing. Do or die. Win the next game, the Roses live on. Lose the next game, go home.

The road is going to be hard and nothing is certain. We can end it all next week if we lose to Utah. Or we can continue plowing through and win 1 big for the ages. 9-4 UCLA Rose Bowl Champion? Hey Bruin fan. It's no dream. It's a small window, but it's all we need. Do we have what it takes to make a season comeback for the ages? Or are we going to fade away into irrelevancy once more? You decide Bruin fan.

The only thing I have to ask you is this:

Should I just stop watching all UCLA football games for the rest of the season?

Edit:**I just want to say, I feel that UCLA has put itself in a situation where it feels like it is in a playoff. They will advance after they beat each opponent. If they just lose one, they are eliminated [from Pac-12/Rose Bowl contention]. That's why this is suddenly very interesting to watch.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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Win 5 more games and maybe ...

Just maybe … we’ll be a relevant program again.

Until then, don’t get your hopes up.

HUGE TEST this Saturday. We are not a road team. We have not won in SLC since 1974.

If UCLA can somehow pull it off, my eyebrows will be raised. I expect nothing less than another Tucson-style massacre.

We should be able to beat Colorado since we are a strong home team. That game will be our bowl qualifier. As for SC, all bets are off but I’m not holding my breath.

by azbruin85260 on Nov 7, 2011 11:51 PM PST reply actions

I watched the game

I must admit. I saw a better team than I did in the previous games. Something in my heart wants to believe and I could never root against the Four Letters. But then there is an inconsistency about the team that keeps me passive about something I should be excited about.

I think the criticism here is justified and can only be answered by winning out (if not a full-scale restoration of UCLA Football to national predominance). That is a tall order and I’ll eat my hat if it happens and be glad to do it.

EGO TROIORUM MALLEUS SUM

by Bruins102NCAA on Nov 7, 2011 11:51 PM PST reply actions

You have the same optimism we all had at some point

And I don’t mean to crash you party, but you’re being a bit naive. I would like to win out as much as anyone else, but that would mean a 5-game win streak (we haven’t won more than 3 straight games since the 2005 team). That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but, for me, it’s too little, too late (even if we win the Rose Bowl). Winning a couple more games doesn’t really solve anything at this point.

by BruinsRUs on Nov 8, 2011 12:17 AM PST reply actions

I'm aware that winning 5 games straight is pretty much unlikey, if not downright impossible

But the fact that an option like this just makes at least another game of the season worth watching. This is totally different from other seasons in the past few years where all we had to look forward to was, “Oh man, I hope UCLA is bowl eligible so we can play in the KFC Cheesy Bacon Bowl.” I mean actually, that only happened once really. Last year had nothing to look forward to. There was literally nothing to look forward to at a certain point during the season, other than the ole’ Beat ’$C

by notaznguy on Nov 8, 2011 1:33 AM PST reply actions

notaznguy, revel in this. Far be it for me to kill your excitement for UCLA Football.

Far be it for anyone to step on your newfound excitement.

The fact is the patient has a pulse! Any young doctor should get their hopes up and do everything they can to save him. The older surgeons will tell you, let me know when he’s running sprints with his kids on the front lawn; then I’ll pronounce him healthy.

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. ~ Vince Lombardi

by MexiBruin on Nov 8, 2011 3:39 AM PST reply actions

Same as Dorrell days before he was fired - History repeats itself

What many people forget about Dorrell’s final days at UCLA was that we were still in the mix for the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth had we beaten the Trogans our final game (and a couple of other games that day had to go our way). Hard as that is to believe, had that happened we would have ended up 7-5 and champions, the first 5-loss team to ever play in the Rose Bowl. We know what happened – we lost to U$C and days later Dorrell was fired. So, while UCLA under Neu still has a chance to win the Pac-12 and earn a Rose Bowl berth, Nue’s body of work cannot be rewritten. If one game determines whether a failing coach stays or goes, he’s already gone. Neu has 4 games just to get to the Rose Bowl. I hope we get there, who doesn’t?! But I see more of Dorrell in Neu than I do of … well, I can’t think of any UCLA football coach in the last 30 years I would finish that sentence with. That says it all. There is a silver lining to this gray cloud hanging over our football program and athletic department: There is a strong contingent of UCLA alumns, students and fans (BruinsNation and elsewhere) that will not settle for mediocrity no matter who is providing it, even a prodigal son. And we are getting pretty good at organizing and forcing change.

former editor, DumpDorrell.com ... formerly posted as DumpDorrell

by BruinCore on Nov 8, 2011 4:14 AM PST reply actions

Yep

UCLA was also in Rose Bowl contention during last few weeks of the year Toledo for fired too. It’s stunning to see what kind of short term memories people have of our program.

by Nestor on Nov 8, 2011 5:01 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Note that notaznguy has only been following UCLA football

for three and a half years. Even as a big college football fan, I remember having very little knowledge of UCLA’s football history (I knew Aikman, Stokes, Ogden and Gaston Green) when I first stepped on campus in 1996.

by LVBruin on Nov 8, 2011 11:52 AM PST up reply actions

It's a very salient point LV

And it goes back to the need for our administration to protect, preserve and promote our athletic history. It also goes back to number of macro points discussed over the years about our students need to be engaged on athletics the very first day they step on campus (starting from orientation).

The second part of my comment is not directed to notaznguy. I know where he is coming from. But more at the casual fans who have an incredibly short term memory.

by Nestor on Nov 8, 2011 1:11 PM PST up reply actions

Guys, don't be quite so secure in your feelings of unanimity among the fans

I took a look at Inside UCLA or whatever Gold’s blog is. The comments really surprised me. BN was viewed as the National Socialist Party, and Nestor, well, let’s just say we all know who the head of the Nazis was.

There is more to do in terms of convincing people that Neuheisel is not the coach of the future (or of the present.) The people still chugging the Kool Aid are not total morons. I think they are so young they have never experienced what it’s like having a real team with a real coach and expecting to win every game. These people need to be helped with convincing arguments. I hate to say it, but their fixation and feeling to absolute superiority in that fixation seems trogan-like in its misplaced arrogance. There is a lot of missionary work to do, folks.

by Fox 71 on Nov 8, 2011 6:43 AM PST up reply actions

I'd pay as much attention to comment threads of tradmed blogs

As I would to comment threads on YouTube. Most of the times there is no secured commenting system in those outlets. So you have rival fans coming in and commenting as "UCLA fans." If you have the time to lower your IQ and troll through those comments, go for it. Otherwise it’s not worth wasting time on and talking about it here. We have better things to do.

by Nestor on Nov 8, 2011 7:07 AM PST up reply actions

Fox may have inadvertently concluded the same thing

He noticed that they are “trogan-like”. The truth is likely not far behind.

by Tydides on Nov 8, 2011 7:21 AM PST up reply actions

I admit that I have my "Real Housewives" character flaw.

I enjoy reading the comments on Yahoo and You Tube. There are a couple of good ones every month or so, but I so enjoy the rants about how stupid someone else is that are filled with misspellings and all that. That’s where I got my favorite – someone was described as a “Pre-Madonna.” I’m retired, so I have more time to waste prospecting for nuggets like that.

by Fox 71 on Nov 8, 2011 9:20 AM PST up reply actions

I like that Nestor is both a facist and a socialist on that blog

That’s pretty impressive.

I’m relatively new to BruinsNation (been on HalosHeaven, TurfShowTimes and StumptownFooty for while), and what brought me here was the ability by all the BN staff to express exactly how I feel about this program. I have such a hard time revelling in a single win or even a moment of relevancy because I expect relevancy at all times. I’m tired of using “but we’re so good at the Olympic sports” as a comeback to U$C and Duck fans (I live near Portland) and I shouldn’t have to.

Keep up the good work BN.

And notaznguy, don’t forget how this feels. Remember it. Crave it. Demand it.

"I have something 95 percent of all those All-Stars only wish they had: a World Series ring. If I had to choose between that and being an All-Star, it would be no contest. I’d grab the gold ring and never look back." -Tim Salmon

by BruinHalo on Nov 8, 2011 1:02 PM PST up reply actions

Again note

We have nothing against Gold, who is doing a great job IMO. It is often impossible for him to manage all the comments that is why I imagine it gets out of hand sometimes. But I love the news bits Gold has been serving up. It’s good stuff.

by Nestor on Nov 8, 2011 1:19 PM PST up reply actions

Agreed.

I read the front page and avoid the comments.

by BruinHalo on Nov 8, 2011 1:19 PM PST up reply actions

In case you hadn't noticed

we WON the last 2 games while you weren’t watching…..being the superstitious type, I say PLEASE DO NOT watch the UCLA football games for the rest of the season! Maybe then we’ll win!! Of course if we lose to Utah you’re welcome to tune back in. (Just kidding of course – love your renewed enthusiasm!)

by UCLA4EVR on Nov 8, 2011 9:16 AM PST reply actions 1 recs