The UCLA Football team is one game closer to becoming bowl eligible after their win over Arizona State, but they will have to go through USC and Cal to get there.
It is “Beat SC” week and the upcoming ‘Crosstown Showdown’ means a lot for the UCLA Football team. Aside from the obvious (bragging rights), the Bruins need this win to become bowl eligible.
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Though very few will choose UCLA to beat USC, a win would get them back to the post-season after missing it last year with a 4-8 record. But if they lose, it is not the end of the wolrd (unless you have a diehard Trojan fan in your in circle, chances are you are not going to hear the end of it for a while).
UCLA still has one game to play after the Crosstown Showdown as Cal will be coming to the Rose Bowl the following Friday (the day after Thanksgiving).
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According to ESPN’s win predictors the Bruins have a 20.4% chance of beating the Trojans, while that shoots up to 71.5% against Cal. Needless to say, the Bruins have some breathing room, but they should not take either of these games for granted, especially Cal.
The Bruins have a chance to beat USC, but when you come off your peyote high, you should understand that the more plausible way for the Bruins to become bowl eligible is to beat the Golden Bears.
With history on UCLA’s side, it seems reasonable that the Bruins will get that sixth win against Cal. In the last eight contests at the Rose Bowl, Cal has only won one game. UCLA is also 5-0 at home this season, so hopefully the magic of the Arroyo Seco is with the Bruins in their final game.
This season, the Golden Bears are in transition with a new coach. Though they are 5-5 on the season, they have had some impressive outings. They started the season with wins over North Carolina and Ole Miss, nearly took out USC and upended then-#8 Washington State with an impressive 37-3 victory.
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So even though the Bruins might have more of an advantage, they should not take this Cal team lightly. Still, first things first. Beat SC.