UCLA football looks to keep going up, USC football looks to stop the bleeding

Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times.

Ben Bolch has been a Los Angeles Times staff writer since 1999. Twice awarded top-10 finishes in feature writing by the Associated Press Sports Editors, he began his second stint as the UCLA beat writer in 2016. His first stint, during the 2010-11 season, ended with yet another crushing loss to Florida in the NCAA tournament. Over his 25 years at The Times, Bolch has also covered the Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers, Angels, USC men’s basketball and high schools. His favorite athletes to cover were Dave Roberts, Jamal Crawford, Jose Lima, David Eckstein, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Thomas Welsh, Josh Kelley and Aday Mara. Bolch is also the author of the book “100 Things UCLA Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.”

Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.