Author Archives: Bruce Tran

A quick review of the Pac-10 preseason poll shows you how poor prognosticators we media folk are about football. Sure, we got the top two teams right, with USC No. 1 and Cal No. 2, but the guy who never comes out of his room because he is studying and is already panicking about finals […]

Coach Karl Dorrell calls this the “meat of our Pac-10 schedule.” Well, while we’ll agree that it’s important, I’m looking at it as more of an appetizer. Sort of like the potato skins or jalapeño poppers before the prime rib. After this week’s matchup against relative pansy Arizona, UCLA is looking at Cal, Arizona State, […]

It’d be easy to overlook San Diego State. After all, the Aztecs don’t have the athletes that UCLA has. But the last time the Bruins played a California state school, it was Fresno State in last year’s Silicon Valley Classic. (We may have to ask them what their definition of a classic is.) The Bulldogs […]

There are some teams that just have another team’s number. Think of the Lakers beating the Kings or the Yankees over the Red Sox. For UCLA, it would seem that its whipping boy is Washington, who the Bruins face on Saturday in their Pac-10 opener. The Bruins have won six of the last seven meetings, […]

It’s 9 o’clock on a Saturday morning, and you’re a little groggy. So what do you do? Well, if you flip to ABC, you can catch the UCLA v. Illinois football game. And if it’s anything like last year’s game, you might promptly fall right back to sleep. Lucky for you, both teams would be […]

Look at how much can change in a year. It was only last fall that UCLA seemed on the verge of a turnaround, behind the unknown, but highly recommended, coach Karl Dorrell. What could have changed things so quickly? Well, try watching every minute of the 2003 season, and you’ll understand why. Better yet, you […]

Roll back the red carpet. Park those collegiate planes into their hangars and start getting used to coach class seating like the rest of us. That stretch limo picking you up at the airport? Well, here’s a tip: It’s customary to tip $2 or $3 for airport shuttles. With the latest series of NCAA reforms, […]