By Rob Miech
CBS SportsLine Staff Writer
Nov. 2, 1998
LOS ANGELES -- You're ridin' high in the last week of October, shot down in the first week of November. And you still haven't lost once in 17 games.
To UCLA coach Bob Toledo,
|
The Bruins (7-0) claimed the top spot in the first Bowl Championship Series last week, eked by Stanford 28-24 in the Rose Bowl on Saturday and then slipped to third with a thud on Monday in the new BCS poll.
Toledo professed a week ago to care only about how his team does on each Saturday, and he said Monday that the key for him will be to keep his players on an even keel.
"The important thing is to be consistent, don't be on a roller-coaster ride," Toledo said. "We have to execute our system. We can't beat ourselves, and we almost did that last week. You can't take yourself too seriously. If you take yourself too seriously, all of a sudden you'll get the rug pulled out from under you.
"We stubbed our toe, but we haven't totally shot our foot off."
OHIO STATE (8-0) AND TENNESSEE (7-0) are now 1-2 in the BCS, and Kansas State (8-0) is in fourth for the run to the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. Wisconsin, Arkansas and Tulane also lurk in the shadows with undefeated records, but Toledo is confident that the next month of Saturdays will determine the elite teams.
"I think so," Toledo said. "I think there is a lot of football to be played. There's no question that the next three or four Saturdays will tell a big tale."
Only
|
|
Bob Toledo's Bruins are now on the outside looking in to the championship picture.
(Allsport)
|
"Joe Paterno's (Penn State) team goes 12-0 (in 1994) and didn't get anything," Toledo said. "I said it last week when we were No. 1 that there should be a tournament. That's the only way you can decide a true national champion. Now, if you're undefeated and you don't play in the Fiesta Bowl for a national championship, you're a failure. That's sad. That doesn't sit well with me.
"It's better, (but) it's not the answer. Somebody could still be left out in the cold."
THE BUCKEYES ARE SHOOTING FOR their first national championship in 30 years, and their annual battle with Michigan looms in Columbus on Nov. 21 as their most difficult test the rest of the way.
The Volunteers have four games left, but they get their most challenging regular-season opponents -- the Razorbacks and super quarterback Tim Couch of Kentucky -- at home. Then there's the SEC title game.
Kansas State gets Nebraska at home on Nov. 14, but the twice-defeated Cornhuskers are fuming. Missouri will be pesky on the road the following week, and then the Big 12 championship game could be in the cards.
Ohio State, Tennessee and Kansas State all posted convincing victories on Saturday. UCLA plays its first games on artificial turf Saturday against Oregon State in Corvallis and next week against Washington in Seattle. Then it plays host to USC and emerging quarterback Carson Palmer before finishing the regular season in Miami Dec. 5.
"The most upsetting thing is that we didn't win convincingly," Toledo said. "That's a concern. You see some guys run plays -- up three or four touchdowns -- to score another touchdown. We're not going to do that. I'm not going to run up scores just to please somebody in the polls.
"WE'VE HAD SOME HIGH-SCORING games, but I don't think I ever really ran up the score. I'm not about to do that. If you have to run up the score to win a national championship, then we're doing the wrong thing."
UCLA has done plenty wrong the last few weeks. Penalties are up, point production is down almost 20 points per game to 28, quarterback Cade McNown has been most effective running and blocking, and tailbacks Jermaine Lewis and DeShaun Foster have leg injuries.
The Bruins seem to be missing a game-breaker. They don't have former stars Skip Hicks and Jim McElroy and receiver Freddie Mitchell is out for the season after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in the opener.
"It seems like it's harder to make those big plays," Toledo said. "I think we have enough weapons, we just don't quite have the speed at receiver like we did last year."
Left guard continues to be the weak leak of the offensive line, and super kicker Chris Sailer is still hampered by a groin injury he sustained in an impromptu kicking contest with a television personality. On defense, a weak pass rush has been leaving the secondary vulnerable
Or is the weak secondary leaving the line vulnerable?
"We've been vulnerable the last couple of weeks," Toledo said. "If we don't win in November, when championships are won, we're in trouble."
Rob Miech is a sportswriter on CBS SportsLine's staff.