USC, UCLA Try To Salvage Season
Both schools have had seasons of disapointment. But nothing makes you feel better than beating that cross-town rival.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 14: Head Coach Pete Carroll of the USC Trojans reacts after a touchdown to the Stanford Cardinal to trail 42-21 during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Pete Carroll
They may not admit it, but there is one thing USC and UCLA fans have in common: Disappointment. Both expected more out of their football teams than what their records show. USC is 7-3 and its dreams of a BCS berth have been dashed. UCLA is 6-5 and the goal of a season that trumpets their return to being a powerhouse in college football remains on hold.
But a win Saturday will make one team feel a lot better.
Beating the cross-town rival never gets old — not even for USC, which has done it nine times in the last 10 years. There’s still something special about it. And it’s special for the alumni who can go back to work on Monday and rub salt in the wounds of their co-workers who went to that other school.
This year, the win would provide a special balm to ease the pain of a disappointing season.
UCLA came out of the gate hot, winning it’s first three games including on the road at Tennessee. They looked like a program that was back. Then Pac-10 play started, and in a season with a conference deep with talent the Bruins dropped their first five games. The air went out of the program. The Bruins have rallied to win their last three games, behind a strong and opportunistic defense, but the season so far has not been what UCLA fans or players had hoped.
USC enters each year with dreams of BCS bowls dancing in their head, dreams that were further fueled by beating Ohio State in Columbus. But three losses in the Pac-10 — including blowouts to Oregon and Stanford — have humbled the Pac-10’s flagship program.
What happens Saturday could also impact these programs for years to come. Hundreds of young football players — the future recruits that both the Bruins and Trojans will go after — watch this game with interest. Doesn’t matter if a Rose Bowl bid is not on the line. They are looking for what school they may want to play for in a couple years. A good showing could sway some minds and bring in some key players that will make winning this cross-town rivalry a little bit easier down the line.
But that is not what will be on the players minds Saturday night. Both teams will be trying to rinse the bitter taste of a disappointing season out of their mouths with a win over their biggest rival. One team will leave the field thinking this season was not that bad.
