U-C-L-A

Some years things go well for a sports fan, but usually there are more downs than ups. The Michigan Wolverines took a thumping from Greater Sladed Family’s favorite USC Trojans. The San Diego Chargers, the only professional football team I care about, got knocked out in the first round of the playoffs and then crashed the entire team despite a 14-2 record.

Mrs. Sladed would lament more about the Padres falling apart in the playoffs than I would, but I am with her in spirit having lived through decades of mediocrity with the Pads. The only other baseball team I care about, the Detroit Tigers, didn’t fare much better.

Then, the fog seems to clear and your team does something good for a change. My Team, the UCLA Bruins, is in bollege basketball's Final Four and doing it with grit, hard-nose defense and crappy shooting. Except for the crappy shooting, I haven’t seen a team like this in Westwood since the old Wooden days.

Here’s hoping the Bruins hoist another Championship banner at Pauley Pavilion. Of course you can check back in a week to find out they didn’t get any farther. And that’s the funny thing about sports. There are hundreds of teams that only dream of being in the Final Four, and who could complain for very long about a 14-2 record? I guess it’s all about finishing the job and I suspect we fans put too much on winning it all. We’re so fickle!

Overrated

Ohio State won in convincing fashion and should be the unanimous Number 1 team in the country when sportswriters go to the polls this week and vote. But which team should be Number 2? Florida, ranked second or third depending on which unfair voting system you believe, lost to Auburn tonight. Certainly they will drop in the polls like a Ricky Davis fumble at the goal line during the Rose Bowl.

University of Southern California, arguably the weakest Number 2 team ever in the history of college football rankings, barely beat a weak team from Arizona. It doesn't matter which Arizona team -- Arizona State, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona, Scottsdale Community College -- they're all terrible and it's a huge embarrassment that USC escaped with a late touchdown AT HOME NO LESS. They looked about as sharp as white socks with a black suit tonight.

Besides the close shave USC had against a junior varsity team, they are coming off lackluster wins at unranked Washington State (28-22) and a time-conveniently-running-out-win at home against Washington, 26-20. I guess the Trojans should enjoy life at near the top for a short time, because I don't think they will be able to finish the season undefeated with home games against highly-ranked Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame coming up. Home games? Geez, how many home games do the Trojans get against good teams?

On a much brighter note, fourth-ranked Michigan won another game on the road in stronger fashion than the score would indicate. They defeated the tough Penn State Nittany Lions 17-10, but it took a late touchdown to make the score look close. Until the final Penn State drive, they had been held to 52 yards of total offense by the stingy Wolverine defense, which also racked up seven sacks. In the end, Penn State was held to a mere 119 yards of total offense after the Wolverines put in their second and third defensive teams leading 17-3 late in the game.

With this impressive win, along with what can only be described as an ass-pounding (can I say that in a sports story? You bet your Red Smith I can) at Notre Dame, followed by solid wins against good Big 10 teams Wisconsin, Michigan and Michigan State, Michigan should be moved up to the second spot in the rankings. I don't think there is a convincing argument otherwise.

Now I am sure there are some ignorant football fans out there from the LA area that will disagree, but USC may as well start its gradual decline in the rankings now while the big boys, Michigan and Ohio State, fight it out for the top spot.

There, I've said it. I'm pretty sure I'm right about this.