UCLA: All or nothing

[Olympic Fan]

Southern Cal is just putting the finishing touches on a massive beatdown of UCLA. They're up 43-0 in the fourth quarter.

That's interesting because that loss drops UCLA to 6-6. But get this, they are in the Pac 12 title game next week (since Southern Cal, which actually won the Pac 12 South, is ineligible due to probation ... Stanford and Oregon, the only two other quality teams in the conference, are in the same division).

But here's the kicker -- If UCLA upsets Oregon next week, they go to the Rose Bowl.

If they lose to Oregon they will not be eligible for any bowl at 6-7(unless they get a special waiver from the NCAA, which I'm told is extremely unlikely). If Utah had won Friday night (they were upset by Colorado), they would have knocked UCLA out of the title game -- BUT that would have guaranteed the Bruins a bowl at 6-6.

Crazy situation.

[Bob Green]

UCLA's situation is definitely crazy. They do not have a snowball's chance in Hell to beat Oregon so they will not be going bowling.


...Stanford and Oregon, the only two other quality teams in the conference, are in the same division...

Washington (7-5) is a decent second tier team, but not a conference champion quality team. Washington is also in the PAC 12 North. They have one bad loss on the season, last week to Oregon State. Their other four losses were at #4 Stanford, #9 Oregon, at #10 USC and at #22 Nebraska.

[throatybeard]

It's like the division strength imbalance in the SEC but more.

[juise]

Reports are out that Neuheisel is out (http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/story/_/id/7290938/ucla-bruins-tell-rick-neuheisel-coach-pac-12-title-game-source-says) after the Pac-12 title game. So the offensive coordinator would take over if the team were to win and go to the Rose Bowl. What does that say about the UCLA leadership's hopes against the Ducks? :p

[Dev11]

What does that say about the UCLA leadership's hopes against the Ducks? :p

That they are more realistic than I was in voting in our little ACC-B1G challenge poll. :p

[tommy]

Reports are out that Neuheisel is out (http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/ncf/story/_/id/7290938/ucla-bruins-tell-rick-neuheisel-coach-pac-12-title-game-source-says) after the Pac-12 title game. So the offensive coordinator would take over if the team were to win and go to the Rose Bowl. What does that say about the UCLA leadership's hopes against the Ducks? :p

Well, they are 30 point underdogs . . .

[A-Tex Devil]

Not anymore. The NCAA granted UCLA a waiver so they can play in a bowl win or lose Friday night.

Which meshes with the BCS discussion -- how does the Venn Diagram of authority between the NCAA, Conferences and BCS/Bowls over the schools look? The Bowls aren't part of the NCAA, but the NCAA is the organization to go to to get a waiver?

Anyway --- that would be something to have a bowl team end the year with 8 losses.