All of a sudden, it seems like the sun shines a little bit
brighter.
The sky is a little bit bluer.
The bird’s song is a little bit better.
Even the traffic doesn’t move quite as slowly.
It’s the darndest thing, because less than a week ago,
things weren’t so great. Finals were rapidly approaching,
nearly everyone had a cold, and traffic was really, really bad.
But suddenly, the proverbial clouds have cleared, and life is
simply grand. I can’t figure out what it is.
Oh yeah, I remember.
13-9.
In those four hours on Saturday, it seems like everything wrong
with the world suddenly became right. I know it sounds petty and
patently untrue, but hey, feelings are feelings.
And I feel great.
Four hours Saturday simultaneously washed away four years of
sadness and validated my decision to stay in school for year number
five.
It was ““ sad and pathetic as it may sound ““ one of
the happiest days of my life.
The happiness, of course, didn’t end Saturday, and it
won’t end for awhile.
On Sunday, there were newspaper articles to read, fallout to
follow, backs to pat, and BCS ramifications to behold (it seems as
though the road to Glendale wasn’t paved with Trojans, after
all).
Some other Sunday incidents unmistakably proved how much my life
changed in those four hours. Reggie Bush scored four impressive
touchdowns for the Saints, and I found myself kind of excited to
watch the highlights. Matt Leinart won again, and I felt kind of
good for the guy. The UCLA men’s soccer team lost in the NCAA
Championship game, and I wasn’t too bothered.
It’s truly amazing what one win can do for the old
psyche.
But it’s not just my psyche; it seems to be the collective
Bruin psyche.
Around campus, students seem to walk with a little more bounce
in their steps. UCLA gear is more prevalent, not only on campus but
in society at large. We’re pumped to get out there and take
on our finals, and then the world. All because our football team
beat USC.
Which, I suppose, brings me to my ultimate point.
Football matters.
Sure, we can attempt to explain it away in a down year
(“We’re not a football school, anyway.”), or
shift the topic to UCLA’s 99 NCAA titles (“That’s
more than Stanford and USC.”), or point to our No. 1
basketball program (“Howland is my homeboy.”). These
are my common tactics, and they are generally pretty
successful.
But four hours Saturday have provided a glimpse of the way
things can be ““ and hopefully, with this new swell of
confidence, the way they will be.
I truly feel that this football program, if it continues in the
direction it is headed, is capable of great things. It is capable
of 10-win season after 10-win season. It is capable of
overshadowing USC. It is certainly capable of instilling a great
sense of pride in almost everyone who attends this university,
making UCLA an even better place to be.
13-9 provided a glimpse.
In four hours, seven years of Bruin heartache fell by the
wayside, and the college football landscape was transformed.
Notably, the arrogance emanating from Troy has diminished
significantly.
Before the game, a Trojan friend was explaining to me that Ohio
State running back Antonio Pittman wouldn’t have any success
against USC.
He was right.
After the game, this same Trojan friend was not accepting phone
calls. But he did send out a mass text message: “Congrats
please do not call or talk to me for awhile.”
Gracious in victory, gracious in defeat.
After my column last week, which began with a definition of
“arrogance,” I received a number of responses
(primarily from Trojans).
My favorite response simply defined the word “envy”
““ a feeling of discontent or covetousness with regard to
another’s advantages, success, possessions, etc.
When I received that e-mail last Thursday, it was spot on.
Not anymore.
Things have changed.