Bruins Lose a Little Respect

Life on the edge finally caught up to UCLA on Sunday, when the Bruins, unable to escape two days in a row, dropped two spots in one poll and one place in another.

The slip from second to fourth in the balloting by coaches for the ESPN/USA Today rankings and from second to third in The Associated Press media poll came as the first sign that voters have grown leery of the Bruins after a series of close calls.

While UCLA could have been excused, or even rewarded, for getting by two teams in the top 11 at the time, Arizona and Oregon, on back-to-back weekends, nationwide support has clearly eroded.

When those victories, also significant in the Pacific 10 Conference race, were followed by a 28-16 win Oct. 24 at unranked California in a game UCLA led by only five points heading into the fourth quarter, there was only slight fallout.

But a day after they struggled past last-place Stanford, the Bruins learned that only their undefeated record was still intact.

Their reputation was another thing. Coaches hit the hardest, dropping them to No. 4 while moving Kansas State from third to second and Tennessee from fourth to third and retaining Ohio State as No. 1. Even with one first-place vote, the Bruins lost 42 points as the Wildcats gained 22 and the Volunteers 17.

The damage was less severe in balloting by writers and broadcasters. They switched places with Tennessee, from second to third, but Kansas State, at No. 4, was only 18 points behind the Bruins, after being 52 points behind the Volunteers a week ago.

The real impact will be known today when the second Bowl Championship Series ratings are released, the only rankings that really matter in the quest for the national title. What is already a certainty is that the AP and ESPN/USA Today statements will carry weight in the BCS system, which includes an average of those polls. So UCLA goes from a 2.0 to a 3.5 in that regard.

Help came from the outside at least. Texas’ upset over Nebraska is a bonus for the Bruins because they already beat the Longhorns and strength of schedule is a consideration and strength of the schedule of the opponent is another, meaning UCLA is now tied to a quality team like Nebraska.

But UCLA’s chances of dropping out of the top two increased when it fell from No. 1 to No. 4 in the Sagarin ratings, which could be enough when combined with the polls for Tennessee to slip ahead. It also will depend on the outcome of two other computer rankings among other factors.

Being out of the top two spots in the BCS ratings, after being first last week, would mean they are no longer on a direct path for the Fiesta Bowl.