Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

With the oft-maligned BCS era closing in 2014, much speculation has gone around concerning how college football will adapt a playoff system.

While all the details have yet to come to fruition, one thing is almost certain: The Rose Bowl game and the Sugar Bowl will host college football’s first national semifinal on January 1, 2015. From CBS Sports:

The Rose and Sugar bowls are likely to host college football’s first major-college national semifinals in back-to-back games on Jan. 1, 2015 CBSSports.com has learned.

While it was stressed the situation is not finalized one source that was a “likely scenario.” There are other indicators. CBSSports.com also learned the two bowls will be paired together four times as national semifinals on the same Jan. 1 date for the length of the 12-year playoff deal. In the eight years they are not semifinals the Rose and Sugar are expected to stay on Jan. 1 with their conference partners – Pac-12/Big Ten for the Rose, SEC/Big 12 for the Sugar.

Essentially, three bowl pairings will be seen in the 12-year span, and each year, those three will rotate four times. The first pair of bowls up in that rotation will be the Rose and Sugar Bowls, and it’s likely that the other current BCS bowls get involved.

The championship game will take place the Monday following New Year’s Day, which is where the current BCS championship game currently sits.

The Rose Bowl game, as stated by CBS Sports, will still include a tilt between the Pac-12 and Big Ten champions three times every four years in the deal.

This is mine…  

Sep 15, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins mascot Joe Bruin high-fives a young fan during the game against the Houston Cougars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kriby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

It was on September 3, 1988, two days before Labor Day.

I was taking summer session classes as part of the Academic Advancement Program’s Transfer Summer Program, a sort of spring training for new UCLA students who transferred from other colleges to get them acclimated to what UCLA classes were like. I had realized my dream of being accepted to the school – my dream school, in fact – after I had began my undergraduate career at Santa Monica College, and I took the opportunity to experience what classes at UCLA were like as well as get some credits before fall quarter started.

Part of the TSP was doing fun, outside-the-classroom things, and they made plans to go to the Bruins’ first football game at the Rose Bowl, which being the fanatic Bruin football fan that I was, well, it was like a five-year old going to Disneyland for the first time; I was that jazzed.

So there we all were, on the rooter bus pulling out from Lot 32 in Westwood and heading north on the 405 with other students, turning right on the 101 and rolling along to see our heroes commencing with their season.

When the bus approached the Linda Vista off ramp, I looked to my left and there it was – the Rose Bowl, sitting there among a big stretch of grass looking all majestic. As I was seeing it for the first time, my mind flashed back to all the New Year’s Day Rose Bowls that I had seen on TV, and I couldn’t help thinking, “I can’t believe that I now get to be a part of this!”

So we park with all the other buses, go in the gate, walk in the narrow tunnel – tunnel seven to be precise – come out the other side, and you know what my first thought was upon seeing that iconic stadium and field for the first time ever in person?

“Gee, it looks a lot bigger on TV.”

Even though at the time the place had a capacity of over 100,000 people; sure it was huge, and I was appropriately impressed, but it just seemed bigger when I watched all of those New Year’s Day games on TV. I suppose that was a bigger version of the adage, “The camera adds ten pounds”.

Anyhow, we sit in our seats in the student section – as it turns out it would be the only time I would ever sit there, for reasons I will state in a bit – when this middle-aged lunatic in glasses with little blue shorts, a blue and gold-striped sweater, and a blue cap, stood on a podium on the sideline behind the 50-yard line and screamed with furor:

“I WANT EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND CHILD!!

“GIVE ME A ‘B’ “!!!

And you know we fully well did, along with the rest of the Bruin spellout as I encountered Geoff Strand ’71, the greatest cheerleader of all time and arguably the chairman of Bruin Nation, for the first time. Like countless other Bruins, he would be an inspiration to me and a significant reason why I still go to games all these years later.

As for the game, well, there really wasn’t much to talk about there. We were playing San Diego State and after our defense gave the Aztec offense a three-and-out, I was looking forward to seeing Troy Aikman, the quarterback who, like me, was a transfer student and was on a lot of pre-season All-American lists.

Little did I know that the eventual three-time Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall-of-Famer would be in my sociology class a few weeks later.

Yes, I was anticipating seeing the great Aikman, as I referred to him then, until Darryl Henley took the punt back 75 yards or so for the touchdown.

The game was pretty much over after that as we scored at will and ended up routing the Aztecs, 59-6, on the way to an eventual #1 ranking – the last time the Bruins achieved that standing in the polls – a 10-2 record and ending the season ranked 6th in the country.

The two other memories of that evening were participating in the card show at halftime and having the head of the Rally Committee practically on his knees begging us to “Please do not throw your cards, Bruins – they can seriously hurt someone!”, and seeing the marching band in the stands to my right and slightly below. I had auditioned and was accepted to that Solid Gold Sound a few weeks before, and two weeks later I would officially be a member of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band and participating in their band camp, learning “Sons of Westwood and “Mighty Bruins” on my tenor saxophone, hence not sitting in the student section anymore.

All-in-all, it was a good introduction to Bruin Nation and – yes, I know it’s a cliche – something that I’ll always remember as 2013 will mark 25 years as a member of UCLA Bruin Nation for me.

It’s been a great ride, to say the least, and provided that this current football team reaches their potential, I’m looking forward to even more great memories and thrills in what is considered the greatest stadium in America.

I know that sounds a bit pompous, but still…

Anyhow, we find

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

The UCLA football season kicks off against Rice on August 30, but the team will play its first home game against top-25 team Nebraska on September 8.

Of course, this is the first time that UCLA fans will get a live look at Jim Mora’s football team in a real game, and thus, it is the beginning of the Mora era.

We won’t know how long it’ll last, but we know that the Mora era will begin with a bang. Literally. Because there’ll be fireworks. From UCLABruins.com:

The Jim Mora era at the Rose Bowl will start with a bang when the UCLA football team hosts Nebraska in the 2012 Home Opener on Saturday, Sept. 8. Following the Bruins’ 4:30 pm game against the Cornhuskers, the pageantry of UCLA Football at the Rose Bowl takes on a unique twist with a postgame fireworks show.

The fireworks show will be produced by Rialto-based Pyro Spectaculars, one of the nation’s leaders in large-scale fireworks shows. As an added bonus, the UCLA Band will provide the live soundtrack for the show.

First things first: I can’t believe they took my “the era will start with a bang” line. I’m mildly upset. Hold me.

Of course, this is a new thing, to start home games with fireworks. I don’t know if the Neuheisel era started this way — if not, it might as well have since UCLA went nuts for the dude back in 2008 — but this is a cool gesture. Mora’s been working hard and it’d be nice to give him a warm welcome. This is only good news.

Unless Mora’s squad loses to Rice. Then, wow, what a stupid idea.

GO BRUINS!!!

Tailgating. A sports tradition.  Although some people claim that tailgating began in the frozen tundra of Green Bay in the early 1900’s, it actually dates even further back.  The first tailgate party came in 1869 in a college football game between Rutgers and Princeton.  Fitting as it is, almost 150 years later, tailgating has become a staple of American sports society, especially in college football.  Here are 15 tips to maximize your tailgating experience at the Rose Bowl:

Be prepared- To have a perfect tailgate, you can’t start planning the day of the game.  Tailgating is an art form and must be thought out in advance.   Arrival time, the food menu, chairs, shade, games, etc. are all examples of things that must be planned in advance.  Take some time and think it through.

Have a leader- In order to be prepared, you often need someone to take charge.  You need someone to be the one to make decisions and tell everyone where to meet and what to bring.  The role of the leader is not to be a dictator and make enemies, but rather keep everything flowing smoothly so when you get to the Rose Bowl and set up, everything is taken care of.

Tailgate with good people- Often times, everyone wants to have the biggest and baddest tailgate party and their group includes people they don’t like.  No one cares if you have 20 people or 3 people.  Make sure you enjoy spending time with those people.  The goal of the tailgate is to have fun and if you spend time worrying about the person you can’t stand, it will take away from your overall tailgating experience.

Have a good cook- Hopefully in the group of good people you tailgate with, one of them is a good cook.  You don’t want to show up and realize that you don’t have a good cook to make all the awesome food that you brought.

Variety of food- Most seasons you get 6 UCLA home games at the Rose Bowl (this year 7), so make sure you don’t eat the same boring hot dogs and hamburgers every week.  Mix it up.  Try something new.  Anything that can be barbequed is an option.  Heck, if your BBQ has a side burner, eggs are easy to make, too (perfect for the November games).

Arrive early- One of the most important ways to maximize your tailgating experience is by showing up early.  Whether you get there 8 hours before kickoff or 2 hours, you still pay the same, ridiculous $20 parking fee.  Lot H is the place to be in the early hours at the Rose Bowl.  The gates open 6 hours before kickoff, but that doesn’t stop the hardcore tailgaters from getting their earlier.  In every single home game last year, I was the first truck waiting along the side of the road for the gates to open to Lot H.  Rules say arrive 6 hours early, show up 8! Park along the side of the road and throw your football or Frisbee around in the park.  A perk of being one of the first groups to arrive is you get a front row spot with extra space to set up your tailgate.

Wear game attire- No black, no green, no purple, and sure as hell NO RED at the Rose Bowl.  Wear your Bruin blue and gold.   Rep the Bruins every time you tailgate.  Enough said.

Show off- One way to show off your tailgate is by getting a UCLA flag.  You can buy a cheap flag pole with a tire mount and show your Bruin pride high in the sky.  5 years ago, 15 and 20 foot flag poles were standard so I went higher and bought the 25 foot.  The last few years, people have caught up, so I bought a 28 footer.  Your flag marks your spot and can be seen from far.  Another way to show off is by buying a sweet UCLA canopy, UCLA chairs, and other UCLA gear.

Bring a TV- Since you know to arrive early, you need something to do all day.  The best way to pass the time and not get lost in all the other college football action is to bring a TV.  There are two common ways to get TV access at the Rose Bowl; both need power obviously, which is best accessed with a generator.  The way which I have used in the past is to get a converter box.  With a converter box, you also need an antenna and you have access to local channels 2-13.  The upgrade I made this year was to satellite TV.  With satellite, you need your TV, satellite, a tripod, and a generator.  Make sure you have an active box, either from your home system or a friend or family member.  Getting signal is not a problem at the Rose Bowl and all you have to do is follow the on screen instructions, point your dish, and watch football all day.

Upgrade each year- The previous tip is an example of how you upgrade.  It may seem like a lot of money to spend to buy everything for the perfect tailgate all at once.  No need to worry, you can definitely take your time creating the perfect tailgate.  Each year, upgrade one aspect of your tailgate and enjoy the benefits for 12 months and then it’s time to upgrade again.

Play games- The perfect weather in Pasadena offers chances to play a wide variety of games at the Rose Bowl (although drinking games are now banned).  Bring a football.  Bring a Frisbee.  Try playing ladder golf or bean bag toss.  Play cards.  Whatever you like to do, give it a try.

Meet people- If you are open to talking with your tailgating neighbors, you might be surprised how cool everyone is.  Get to know the people around you.  If you listen to rule number 6 and arrive early, odds are you will be seeing the same diehards around you each week.  I got to tailgate the last season near the family of defensive lineman Seali’i Epenesa and they are the nicest people.  They are just one example of the many great people you will meet at the Rose Bowl.

Stay late- If you don’t have kids that need to be home early, why leave when the game ends?  Once you come back out of the Rose Bowl after a Bruin win, fire up the TV and BBQ again and keep on tailgating.  The late games are usually near conclusion and I have watched more classic college finishes when tailgating after games than before!  An added benefit of showing up early and staying late is that in the front of Lot H, the Bruin players who are either injured or redshirting come out and hang with you for a while.  I’ve watched games in recent years with Dietrich Riley, Jerry Johnson, Andrew Abbott, Ben Wysocki, Richard Brehaut, and many more Bruin players.

Drink responsibly- Alcohol usually plays a major role in tailgating parties, but don’t make it a major role in ruining yours or someone else’s time.  You don’t want to be so wasted that by the time the game starts you are too drunk to know what is going on.  You also don’t want to EVER danger yourself, your friends, or anyone else by driving drunk after the game.

Have fun- Throwing a tailgate party can be a lot of work and you could put pressure on yourself to make everything perfect.  If you forget something, don’t worry about it.  You are there to have fun.  If tailgating becomes burdensome and you aren’t having a good time, then it may not be for you.  Relax, enjoy the awesome weather, the beautiful women, and UCLA Bruin football

UCLA football is always a big ticket and an awesome way to spend your Saturday nights, even when UCLA is having a poor season like they did in 2011 (although they went 5-1 at home this season). And things are a lot crazier when our Bruins play cross-town rival USC.

In 2012, UCLA will host the huge rivalry game against Southern Cal. Since that’s always a huge draw, ticket prices go up considerably, always.

But this year, the cost of the UCLA-USC game will be $122. FOR PARKING. From our very own astute and aware Brian Smith (4EverBruin):

These ticket prices are insane for #USC vs #UCLA on Nov 17$122 for PARKING?? ticketliquidator.com/tix/tickets.as…

— Brian Smith (@USMale7) March 21, 2012

Here’s the visual evidence:

This isn’t just at Ticket Liquidator. The cost of parking in “Lot K” is $120 at Stub Hub.

Now, I have no idea what the cost of parking in “Lot K” was this year, especially against U$C. I’m a first-year transfer student here at UCLA, so this past football season was my first ever collegiate football game that I attended. And even then, I never paid for parking because I took the Rooter Bus (which transports you from UCLA to the Rose Bowl for $6).

Plus, perhaps “Lot K” is some fancy parking that’s on better grass and has built-in booze dispensers or something crazy like that. I have no idea, so, to take a friend’s favorite saying, I could be wrong. I was wrong once.

But $122 is too steep for me to park, man. Listen, I love tailgating as much as the next dude, but I’d rather go to an expensive restaurant before the game if I’m poppin’ out $120 to bring in my car, which is worth roughly half of that, maybe.

We get that this is an important game, UCLA Athletics Department, but come on! $122?!?!? U CRAZY.

After what transpired on National Signing Day, if I ran into UCLA football coach Jim Mora there would be two words that I would say to him:

“Well done.”

It’s a consensus that the Bruins did very well with Mora’s first recruiting class, as it is ranked 13th nationally by Rivals.com and 11th in the nation by Scout.com – second in the Pac-12 on both accounts.

Out of the 26 recruits that Mora, recruiting coordinator Angus McClure, and the rest of the coaching staff signed, 11 out of those 26 are ranked either as a four or a five-star by at least one source, and 11 of them flipped (switched) to UCLA after having verbally committed to other schools.

One recruit, Jordan Payton, had committed to USC, California and Washington before telling Mora early Wednesday morning that he will sign with UCLA.

And in an interesting note, Justin Combs’ father is fairly well known as he is none other than Sean Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy and currently known as Diddy.

Let’s just go ahead and list these Bruin newbies that will be in Westwood this fall, with two of them planning to enroll for spring quarter:

* = Four-star

** = Five-star

PLAYER                             POSITION                   LAST SCHOOL

Ishmael Adams *                       DB                             Oaks Christian HS

Eli Ankou                                     DL             Bear (DE) Red Lion Christian Academy

Jeremy Castro *                         LB                              Vista Murrieta HS

Alexandru Ceachir *                OL                           Santa Monica College

Justin Combs                              DB                     New Rochelle (NY) Iona Prep

Colby Cyburt                              OL                               Mission Viejo HS

Ka’imi Fairbairn                          K                          Honololu (HI) Punahou HS

Devin Fuller *                              QB              Old Tappan (NJ) Northern Valley HS

Randall Goforth *                       DB                             Long Beach Poly HS

Simon Goines                              OL                           Keller (TX) Central HS

Ahmaad Harris                          WR               Suwanee (GA) Peachtree Ridge HS

Carl Hulick                                   OL                           Anaheim Esperanza HS

Nate Iese                                       LB                          Sacramento Sheldon HS

Taylor Lagace                                S                                       Arcadia HS

Ellis McCarthy **                       DT                                   Monrovia HS

T.J. Millweard                             QB                       Fort Worth (TX) All Saints HS

Fabian Moreau                           RB                             Davie (FL) Western HS

Kenny Orjioke *                           LB                           Marietta (GA) Lassiter HS

Jordan Payton *                          WR                              Oaks Christian HS

Paul Perkins                                  RB                               Chandler (AZ) HS

Aaron Porter *                             LB                                    La Habra HS

Marcus Rios *                               DB                     Elk Grove Cosumnes Oakes HS

Ian Taubler                                    TE                               Fresno Bullard HS

Kenny Walker                               WR                      Richmond (CA) Kennedy HS

Lacy Westbrook *                         OL                           Compton Dominguez HS

Javon Williams                            WR                               Chandler (AZ) HS

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In honor of National Signing Day today, in which UCLA is doing very well so far, today’s video spotlight is on the Bruins’ leading rusher of the past several years, Johnathan Franklin.

In 2010 the  Los Angeles Dorsey High graduate became the first Bruin to rush for 1,000 yards since Chris Markey in 2006, and last year he led the team with 976 yards, narrowly missing the chance to be the first UCLA running back with consecutive 1,000 seasons since DeShaun Foster in 2000 and 2001.

His best game in 2011 was against Colorado, where he ran for a season-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and his 5.9 yards a carry last season was a career high.

It’s a very good thing that Franklin has decided to return for his senior season, not only to give the Bruins a legitimate threat at running back, but also because he needs to work on not fumbling the ball, which has been his achilles’ heel in Westwood.

Here’s a highlight clip of his exploits against Colorado at the Rose Bowl this year:

highlights of 162 yds by Jetski (johnathan franklin) HD on YouTube

If UCLA is to contend in 2012, Franklin must have a good year; Bruin Nation will certainly see if he can rise to the occasion.

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I have been waiting for this for a while - UCLA’s schedule for the 2012 football season.

It turns out that Jim L. Mora’s has a relatively favorable sequence of teams to face in his first year in Westwood, as they have seven home games at the Rose Bowl and for the third year in a row the Bruins face Washington State and Oregon State as part of their Pac-12 Conference slate, rather than Washington or Oregon.

Also, unlike in previous seasons, I see at least two away games that are very winnable; Rice and Colorado, with the toughest games being at home.

And for only the sixth time in 45 years, UCLA will not end the season with USC as Stanford will be their last regular season opponent.

Here is the 2012 schedule:

DATE                                                              OPPONENT

September 1                                                   at Rice

September 8                                                 Nebraska

September 15                                               Houston

September 22                                              Oregon State

September 29                                              at Colorado

October 6                                                      at California

October 13                                                           Utah

October 27                                                  at Arizona State  

November 3                                                     Arizona

November 10                                         at Washington State

November 17                                                       USC

November 24                                                  Stanford        

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As I was there and saw it, it was very cool to see and I hope that the students do a flash mob of “Edge of Glory”, or some other uplifting, get-everybody-pumped-up song, between the third and fourth quarters of every home game next season.

Here’s the video link:

UCLA Homecoming Flash Mob OFFICIAL VIDEO — 10/29/11 on YouTube

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As UCLA’s Bruins get ready to play in the post season for the 31st time, I thought I’d give Bruin Nation and the UCLA community some good memories and list my choices for the best ten players to ever put on football pads in Westwood.

I based my choices not only on how they performed while they wore blue and gold, but also took their post-Bruin careers – namely the NFL – into consideration with the exception of one man.

As I composed this list, I found myself wishing that these guys still had college eligibility, as the Bruins sure could have used these people the past few years.

OK, no more dawdling: here’s my top ten list, in descending order, with videos for some of them:

10.   GASTON GREEN, running back, 1984-1987

It’s impossible to leave this guy off this list, as he is UCLA’s all-time rushing leader with a grand total of 3,731 yards on the ground and was a big factor in the Bruins’ glory days of that period, winning a bowl game every year, including a Rose Bowl and a Fiesta Bowl over the big, bad Miami Hurricanes during his days in Westwood.

He was an All-American in ’87, and the 20 games he played where he rushed for at least 100 yards is a UCLA record that still stands. Plus he had a decent NFL career that lasted six years, mostly with the Los Angeles Rams.

9.   BOB WATERFIELD, quarterback, 1941-1942, 1944

This was the original Golden Boy, UCLA’s star during the World War II years who led the Bruins to their first conference title and, more importantly, their first Rose Bowl in 1943 after beating USC for the first time and winning the PCC championship in the 1942 season.

He was the first Bruin to pass for 300 yards in a game, against Idaho in ’42, but it was in the NFL where he became a star as he not only led the NFL in TD passes for the  Rams in 1945 and ’46, and led the league in passing again in 1951, he also had 20 career interceptions.

His election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1965, the first Bruin to accomplish that feat, was a mere formality.

And his Golden Boy status was solidified when he married legendary Hollywood box-office bombshell Jane Russell, as their marriage was comparable to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie today.

8.   JONATHAN OGDEN, offensive tackle, 1992-1995

Without a doubt, this was the greatest offensive lineman in UCLA history, one of only two Bruins to ever win the Outland Trophy as the nation’s best on the offensive front.

He capped off his career in blue and gold by not allowing a sack in his senior season, and allowing only one sack during his last two years in Westwood combined, winning consensus All-American honors in 1995 and going on to a career with the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the first round (the fourth pick overall) after winning UPI Lineman of the Year.

Ogden was a ten-time All-Pro with the Ravens and won a Super Bowl ring with them in 2001, but his crowning achievement along with that was his #79 jersey being retired by the Bruins, one of only eight so honored.

Jonathan Odgen highlights on YouTube

7.   KENNY WASHINGTON, halfback, 1937-1939

If I omitted this man from this list, I would have committed a cardinal sin (no pun intended) as this was UCLA’s first ever All-American in football who was one of the guys who put the Bruins on the map.

Not only did he lead the nation in total offense in 1939, helping UCLA to its first undefeated season, and set a school career rushing record – 1,914 – that stood for 34 years, Washington, along with teammate Woody Strode, broke the NFL’s color line with the Los Angeles Rams in 1946, a year before another certain African American did the same thing in baseball.

He also led the Bruins in passing for three years running in addition to his rushing prowess – how great was that?

Plus he made the College Football Hall of Fame and had his #13 jersey retired.

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