No Huskies Probably Means No Rose Bowl : UCLA: Not playing Washington gives Bruins little chance for New Year’s Day in Pasadena.

As the Pacific 10 Conference football season winds down, it has become more apparent that UCLA did not get a break by not having to play Washington.

This isn’t to suggest that UCLA would have beaten the unbeaten Huskies. However, the Bruins would have had an opportunity to do so.

As it is now, Washington virtually has clinched the Rose Bowl bid. The Huskies would have to lose twice in their remaining three games and California would have to lose once and tie another game for the Bruins to play in Pasadena Jan. 1, and that’s assuming they will win their final three games.

UCLA, 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the Pacific 10, has won four consecutive games.

But Washington’s not being on the schedule this season, or in 1992, because of a revised format that has each team playing eight conference games, haunts the Bruins.

“I would have loved to play Washington,” said UCLA offensive tackle Vaughn Parker. “A lot of people up there thought our win last year in Seattle (25-22) was a fluke. But we came ready to play. It was said they had a letdown. Well, it’s their responsibility to get up for every game.

“We can play with a Washington and would have loved to have the chance.”

UCLA offensive guard Scott Spalding agreed with Parker, saying: “We’re not an active party. We’re just waiting for (the Huskies) to make a mistake. (UCLA-Washington) would have been a war.”

Said quarterback Tommy Maddox: “It’s the worst thing that could happen to us right now. That would be our only chance to prove ourselves and show the caliber of team we have and possibly get in the Rose Bowl race.

“We don’t have that opportunity to work things out for ourselves. It hurts. Nothing you can do about it. If we go 9-2, we’ll have good year. You can’t worry about the rest.”

Asked if he thought UCLA could beat Washington, Maddox said: “I think we could give them a good game. Win? Who knows?”

Coach Terry Donahue said earlier that it was to UCLA’s advantage that Washington wasn’t scheduled.

“I said, ‘That’s a good deal for us and a good deal for them.’ And I meant that,” Donahue said. “We have been hard on Washington, and they’ve beaten us, too.

“I felt by not playing Washington, it was really an advantage. There are some other teams I’d much prefer to play than Washington as it turned out.

“When we lost to Cal (27-24 on Oct. 5), Washington basically had to lose twice to give us any chance to get to the Rose Bowl because they have a better nonconference record than we have.

“As it turned out, you don’t really control your own destiny. But the new conference schedule is a huge improvement over what it was.

“We knocked Washington out of a national championship last year, and they might be upset about that.”

Maddox said that UCLA fans don’t really understand the conference race and cited an example at last Saturday night’s game against Washington State at the Rose Bowl.

“A lot of our fans were cheering when they heard USC got beat by Cal and we said, ‘Oh, no.’ We wanted (USC) to win. That’s the first time I’ve ever rooted for USC.”

With the Trojans struggling, there seems little chance that they will upset Washington Saturday at the Coliseum and help UCLA.

“Who knows? USC might play a great game,” Maddox said. “They have a lot of pride over there. Last year when we played Washington, people said, ‘You can’t count on UCLA.’ ”

For sure, Washington would like to play the Bruins to avenge last year’s loss that deprived the Huskies of a national championship.

Parker is a member of an improving offensive line that has only two seniors, Spalding and center Aron Gideon, in the starting lineup. A previous starter, right guard Mike Linn, hasn’t been able to play because of a hip injury.

“We have matured a lot, especially since last year, and we have improved since the beginning of this year,” said Parker, a 6-foot-3, 276-pound sophomore. “You always know you can count on the person next to you.”

“Everyone wonders where we would have been if we had won the Cal or Tennessee games.

“However, we’re ensured of our first winning season since I’ve been here. It’s a new experience for me and and I’m trying to enjoy it.”

UCLA will play Stanford Saturday at Palo Alto, and the Cardinal (5-3, 3-2) also has won four in a row.

“Stanford is a good team, and it’s obvious they can play when they want to,” Parker said. “It’s just a matter of which Stanford team shows up. Hopefully, the team that can play shows up because I like to beat teams at their best.”