Toledo Is Coach Trojans May Have to Admire

I’ll tell you what a great job UCLA’s Bob Toledo is doing this season: He’s not only on track for Pacific 10 coach-of-the-year consideration, he’s also going to have USC fans cheering loudly for the Bruins.

I’m happy for the Trojan faithful, of course, because I’ve been to some of the games in the Coliseum, and you know how uptight USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett is when it comes to making noise, so this will be a good release, cheering loudly for UCLA in the Rose Bowl.

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NOW SOME things are going to have to fall into place before Trojan fans can get the thrill of feeling what it’s like to be a Bruin fan for a day.

But I think a case can be made that come nightfall on Dec. 7, the USC faithful will be singing the praises of Toledo, which is really going to confuse the UCLA boosters who have asked for his dismissal.

Here’s what has to happen first: Washington State has to lose to either No. 15-ranked Oregon or rival Washington before coming to the Rose Bowl to play the Bruins.

And the Trojans have to keep winning, meaning that USC also will beat UCLA, and I can’t imagine that being a problem with the Trojans having a Heisman Trophy candidate playing quarterback and the Bruins going with a youngster who would probably be thrilled just to meet Mr. Palmer.

So if all goes well, that would pit Washington State against UCLA on Dec. 7 -- a day that could very well live in cross-town infamy with the Bruins in position to determine whether the Trojans go to the Rose Bowl.

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NOW IF UCLA beats the Cougars, and for some reason doesn’t follow the script and also defeats the Trojans, imagine the scene in the Rose Bowl as his players hoist Toledo atop their shoulders.

OK, so maybe that’s not a good idea since the Bruins will be playing in a bowl game and we wouldn’t want anyone crushed, but right now without question Toledo deserves credit rather than the barbs I continue to hear.

The media placed UCLA sixth in preseason Pac-10 polls after the Bruins lost 23 seniors, including at least seven players who have spent time in the NFL this season.

Then the Bruins lost quarterback Cory Paus for the year, and we got the very best out of Toledo -- winning with freshman Matt Moore at quarterback, and then a week later with freshman Drew Olson. Toledo must be some kind of teacher, or baby sitter.

The Bruins are 6-3, and if they don’t slip against a Pac-10 doormat in Arizona, they’ll be in position to shock most observers with a 9-3 finish and a significant bowl opportunity, or at worst, go 7-5 and meet preseason expectations.

Now as much criticism as Toledo took a year ago for the Bruins’ collapse, he deserves just as much credit for finding ways to win with 10 freshmen set to letter -- the most in UCLA history.

“I learned a great lesson last year,” Toledo said Monday. “I had to be the leader with so many things hitting me all at once, and I felt like a boxer taking body punches, and while I wasn’t going down, I staggered a bit.

“I think I’m different his year. I’m much more positive with the players. I almost went down with the players last year after losing to Stanford. It rocked me too, with all the expectations of winning every game and the national championship. This year with nothing to lose, we’re just having fun, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy this group of kids.”

Not everyone is having fun at UCLA. There have been e-mails, letters and cries for Toledo’s ouster because the Bruins have not won every game -- the curse of the BCS and nothing else really matters -- and yet Toledo’s exciting brand of football has attracted an average crowd of 61,000 to the Rose Bowl with even bigger crowds expected for games against USC and Washington State.

UCLA starts three seniors on offense, four on defense, and so Toledo must be some kind of recruiter to use the kids to fill in the gaps, and keep winning.

There also hasn’t been any talk of problems off the field for some time, and if the newspaper is going to make a big deal out of documenting everything that goes wrong, the same notice should be given when all is well.

If Toledo weren’t doing the coaching job of the year, then USC might not have a chance to play in the Rose Bowl. In fact if I’m a Trojan fan, and we’re talking strictly hypothetically here, I’m hoping Toledo remains UCLA’s coach forever.

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I HAVE bad news for subscribers to The Times -- after appearing on ESPN’s “Around the Horn” for the first time, it’s obvious I’ll have to hang onto my day job.

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THERE WAS a fashion show Monday, and according to the press release it included Serena and Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, And More!

“And More!” to me means Anna Kournikova, but when I called to verify, I swear the woman who answered the telephone actually slapped me across the face.

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I STOPPED by Staples Center to say goodbye to the Kings as they begin an eight-city trip that will take them back and forth across the country “on the longest road trip in NHL history,” said Coach Andy Murray.

I know how grueling that can be, so I told him to take his time and there was no reason to hurry back.

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TODAY’S LAST word comes in e-mail from Fred Wallace:

“Are you still waiting to interview Julie Krone? If you had to wait, were you allowed to wait in the locker room? Isn’t that where reporters usually wait to interview athletes? Please don’t tell me you were not permitted in the women’s locker room.”

The wife’s orders.

T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com.