Ex-trOJan Marcus Allen cluelessly wonders if UCLA — who has already clinched the Division — will rest their starters against $C
Marcus is in the darkus. What part of the term “Rivalry” doesn’t he understand?
With Utah’s loss to Colorado on Friday, the UCLA Bruins have CLINCHED the Pac-12 South Division and will head to the first-ever Pac-12 Championship game — regardless of what happens Saturday night against u$c in the Coliseum. But for Marcus Allen to think that the game has been rendered “meaningless” to the Bruins is ludicrous. A large portion of UCLA fans hate their Rival so much, that they would rather BeatSC than win the Pac-12 Championship and go to the Rose Bowl. But that’s NOT THE POINT.
Neither is the fact that those fans would crucify Rick Neuheisel if he rested starters against SC. The point actually is that you don’t sacrifice the sc game by being afraid of injuries. This is College Football. Every game matters. If the Bruins lose to sc, and then lose again in the Title game, they would finish at 6-7 and have to petition the NCAA for a waiver to play in a Bowl game despite having a losing record. Chances are the NCAA would grant the waiver, but it’s not a guarantee. So you really think Neuheisel would tank the sc game, when a Bowl game is still at stake? He wouldn’t do it even if it weren’t, but with a Bowl game on the line, why would Allen even ponder the strategy?
There would be a total mutiny if Neuheisel even suggested replacing the starters. This is the last chance for Bruin Seniors to taste victory in the Rivalry. No one is going to take that opportunity away from them. EVEN IF THEY HAD a legitimate shot of beating Oregon or Stanford on the road in a Title match, it still wouldn’t matter. The Bruins will go all out to get a win over the trojans, no matter what else is on the line. How Allen could not grasp this is mind-boggling. But then again, he is a trojan — the one that allegedly slept with Nicole, and is even an alternate suspect in some conspiracy circles — so his mental capacity should never be over-estimated.
The Bruins will pull out all the stops to try to win this game. When you see all the mental mistakes, poor execution, bad play calling, bad time management, missed assignments, blown coverages, missed tackles, stupid penalties, and lost fumbles, it may LOOK like the Bruins were looking ahead to the title game, or not giving 100%, but that WON’T be the case. The effort will be there — Beating SC and their (alleged) roster of pay-for-play, chemically-enhanced all-stars may just be asking too much.
Comments
7 responses to “WAY OFF THE MARCUS”
I’d assume a more intelligent man was speaking tongue-in-cheek, but it is a trojan, after all…
The Bruins clearly want to win the South outright, and a victory would make them 6-3 with the head-to-head tiebreaker and accomplish just that.
I guess it’s too bad for trojans that they don’t make steroids for brains…
I hope we CRUSH THOSE PRICKS!
(But always remember, even if we don’t, it’s better to lose one and still be a BRUIN, than to win one and still be a trojan!)
I thought we won the South outright even with a loss, thanks to Colorado and California?
I did read something that suggests that winning or losing against SC *does* make a difference. Losing to USC drops us to 6-6, though we still go to the Pac-12 championship against either Oregon or Stanford. But if we lose *that* game as well, we drop to 6-7 and *we’re no longer bowl eligible*.
(That doesn’t seem completely fair to me, but nevertheless, it is what it is. Anyone know for sure if that’s accurate?)
I think I read this on a http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mailbag column from a week or two ago, but I’m not 100% sure.
So, beating USC keeps us bowl eligible even if we lose the Pac-12 championship.
[T-H’s Note: If the Bruins finish 6-7, they will petition the NCAA for a waiver, which will most likely be approved, so the Bruins will still end up being eligible for a Bowl.]
Oh, OK.
The article I read suggested it WASN’T LIKELY to be approved, because there’s no shortage of playoff eligible teams.
I hope you are right and the author of the article is wrong!
[T-H’s Note: The shortage is of Pac-12 teams. UCLA will get the waiver so that the Conference can fulfill its contracts with the Bowls.]
Found my source:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/stewart_mandel/11/16/oklahoma-bcs-mailbag/1.html
“Is it possible that the PAC-12 title game could actually cost the league a bowl-eligible team? If a 6-6 team from the South goes in and loses the game wouldn’t it then be ineligible for a bowl at 6-7?
— John, Spokane, Wash.
Yes. This scenario also happened a few years ago in the MAC, when Miami of Ohio went 6-6, played in the conference championship game and lost. A league could apply for a waiver from the NCAA but isn’t likely to get it unless there’s a shortage of eligible teams, which this year there’s not.”
[T-H’s Note: There IS a shortage… of eligible Pac-12 teams, to meet the Conference’s commitments.]
Good!
I’d hate to have to beat USC AND THEN Oregon/Stanford to be assured of a bowl.
I had the same question. Now is answered. Go BRUINS!
Sure looked like they rested their starters.
[T-H’s Note: Yes, exactly like I predicted it would at the end of my previous article.]