They will gather for the Disappointment Bowl on Saturday night inside the Rose Bowl, two teams eager to show they are on an upward trajectory under new coaches even if the early results have indicated otherwise.
A win under UCLA’s Chip Kelly has been a rarity on par with the epic Southern California rainstorm that preceded it. The coach wore the look of a man paroled when he met with reporters this week, his relief resulting from his first Bruins victory, which eliminated the possibility of an O-fer season.
“I’m not going to deny that,” Kelly said when asked if it was nice to head into a week with a win.