Were they even trying? After last night's 50-0 stomping by cross town rival USC, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel's time in Los Angeles is numbered. Last night’s annihilation marks Neuheisel's 4th loss to USC in 4 years of being coach, and its biggest margin of defeat by USC since 1932.
Even though UCLA will be playing in the first ever PAC-12 championship against Oregon on Friday since USC is ineligible due to past violations, most if not all expect the same result next week: an uninspired team led by a coach who looks lost and confused about how to be competitive in a game.
You can defend Neuheisel as much as you want, but the fact of the matter is, when you’re the head coach of a prestigious team like UCLA, your expected to do two things: win and beat USC. Neuheisel has done neither while being in charge since the end of 2007.
In years past, the UCLA-USC game was a cherished rivalry where people would be full of anxious anitcipation weeks before the game. Now, you’re lucky not to be asleep by the end of the first quarter. It may take 3, maybe even 4 or 5 more years until UCLA can take a step forward and be prominent again, but until they fire their mediocre coach, they will forever live in mediocrity.
