For better or worse, this Saturday is a perfect example of the pageantry of college football.
The matchup between the Bruins and the Fighting Irish is by no means the most significant game of the season. It would almost be a stretch to call it an important game.
It is a nonconference game against a team that is making Michigan’s season seem successful. Notre Dame is about as bad as a Division I program with a century of football history can be. The Bruins, while fantastic compared to the Fighting Irish, are worse than they were last year and are coming off of an ugly game where they skated past an Oregon State team that threw the game away.
Still, the Rose Bowl will be packed when UCLA and Notre Dame square off for the second half of their two-year engagement. You could moan about how the game is irrelevant and shouldn’t matter, or you can appreciate all that is quintessentially college football about this matchup and enjoy it. I’m choosing the latter.
Take the first story line: the Irish as sitting ducks for revenge. A year ago, the Bruins had the upset complete, and then the Irish squeaked back and stole the game. That win would have been major. Instead, all of the Bruin faithful that made the trip to South Bend, Ind., were sent home in major disappointment.
This year, the game is at the Rose Bowl, and a few key names are not on the guest list. Brady Quinn has a game against the Patriots in New England, so I’m pretty sure he won’t be able to make it. And secondly ““ I may be making this up completely ““ but I believe former Notre Dame wide receiver Jeff Samardzija has a lifetime ban from the Rose Bowl for his big play against the Bruins last year.
In short, the Bruins should (and need to) get big revenge against the Irish. Notre Dame has no offense, and UCLA has a good defense. They should not only win this game but also do it by a couple of touchdowns.
Second, Notre Dame and UCLA are two of the most storied names in all of college sports. When you think of NCAA sports, these two names are going to come up more often than not. A UCLA-Notre Dame matchup has such a marquee sound to it that it is impossible not to get excited, even if neither team is in the top 25 in the AP poll.
While this is not the first meeting between the two football programs, it is the first time that they will play at the Rose Bowl. It is the first opportunity for UCLA to host the matchup, and it seems as though the Bruin fans are preparing to come out in big numbers. Saturday should be one of those (all too seldom) occasions when the Rose Bowl is full, blue and loud.
Third, it is an absolute must-win for the Bruins. While a win by no means makes the season for UCLA, being the first team to fall to the Irish would go a long way toward breaking it. Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue all beat Notre Dame by at least two touchdowns. UCLA does not want to be the first to succumb to Notre Dame, especially at home.
Unless things go very awry for the Bruins, this should be a chance to celebrate college football. That means waking up on a Saturday, throwing on the lucky shirt and heading to a packed stadium to watch your team stomp the visitors.
College football has a lot that professional football doesn’t. Players stay with the same team, mascots are a lot better, and the culture survives year in, year out.
So far, this year has proven that emphatically. Even while Michigan was losing every game in sight, the Wolverines were still selling out the Big House. Even during a year when the Bruins seem to have major issues and Notre Dame definitely has crippling ones, this game will still fill the Rose Bowl.
And rightfully so.
E-mail Gordon at bgordon@media.ucla.edu if you plan to call security if you see Samardzija at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.