Monday, September 1, 2008

Bruins flex Pac 10 muscle with victory over 18th ranked Vols


A weekend that started with USC romping Virginia, and Cal surviving Michigan State, ends with UCLA stunning 18th ranked Tennessee. People call us left coasters crazy for not bowing down to all the SEC superiority talk. But honestly, give us a reason to. Despite what your television analysts tell you, and despite what’s written in the papers, the fact remains that with UCLA’s victory, the Pac 10 now leads the SEC in the BCS era by a count of 10-6.

This is Fulmer’s second consecutive trip to California with a ranked SEC program, and his second consecutive loss. What makes the loss even more stunning is that unlike the Cal team that whipped them in 2007 , this was a UCLA program that is a mess. Although, even after Cal took down the Vols, they did finish the year with only 3 victories in the Pac 10. But UCLA played with a 3rd string QB in his first year with the program. They lost their top running back to injury early in the game, along with their top tight end. The Bruins survived QB Kevin Craft's 4 interceptions in the first half, with the defense keeping them in striking range, by powering up against the overly-hyped offensive line of Tennessee.

Where was the physicality that we hear of? Where was the speed? One team appeared no greater than the other, yet one was highly ranked for being a member of the SEC. UCLA is projected to have a 5-7 season at best, and may be spanked by BYU in coming weeks, but they begin the year by bringing down an SEC big dog.

Can the Pac 10 finally get some media respect?

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