Long chap: 10k words
...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
6:56 AM
Wilson Plaza is a major plaza and open-air space located on the UCLA campus.
At this hour today, it already looked like a completely different place.
The College GameDay set was fully assembled in front of Janss Steps, surrounded by professional cameras, technicians wearing headsets, cables, lights, and production staff moving back and forth as only a few minutes remained before the main broadcast began.
All around it, thousands of UCLA students occupied practically every available space.
Those who had managed to secure the best spots, directly behind the stage and within the most visible camera shots, had been there since well before sunrise. Some had arrived in the middle of the night. Others had tried to stay there all night to make sure they got a spot.
Signs were raised everywhere, along with flags, while the vast majority wore blue and gold jerseys, caps, and painted faces.
The Bruins mascot could also be seen moving through the crowd, and every time he raised his arms to fire them up, it triggered another wave of shouting.
Paige was there. That, by itself, already seemed like a questionable decision to her.
Her spot was not bad. She could see the stage and the screens set up around it perfectly well, but she also was not among the obsessive people who had spent half the night competing for a chance to appear directly behind Lee Corso.
Paige let out a sigh, 'Why am I here?' she thought, bringing two fingers to the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath.
For that early in the morning, there was far too much noise.
Conversations everywhere, spontaneous shouting, chants that started at one end of the plaza before spreading through the entire crowd, and people bumping into her shoulders every few seconds because there was barely any space between them.
The problem was that she did not function properly at that hour.
Howard, standing beside her, seemed to have exactly the opposite problem.
A good portion of his face was painted in UCLA colors, and he had a completely unjustifiable amount of energy for someone who had also gotten up before sunrise.
"Come on, cheer up!" Howard exclaimed, leaning slightly toward her so she could hear him. "It's the first time in history College GameDay has come to UCLA's campus!"
Paige slowly turned her head. She had faint dark circles under her eyes and an expression that made it quite clear that this information was not going to improve her mood.
There stood one of the main reasons she was there instead of still sleeping comfortably in her dorm room.
Howard, Sam, Monica, and the rest of them.
Together, they had insisted enough to convince her to get up and come with them.
It was historic, that much was true.
The only previous occasion when College GameDay had chosen a UCLA game as its host site had been UCLA-Oregon on October 17, 1998.
But that time, the show had been set up at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena.
Not in Westwood.
So, this was, literally, the first time College GameDay had ever come to UCLA's campus.
Paige had heard that fact hundreds of times throughout the week.
The entire university seemed to have turned into one giant advertising campaign for the game.
Professors mentioning it before starting class, signs along Bruin Walk, announcements, and students organizing where they would be from the early hours of the morning.
Even walking around campus with Andrew that week had felt different.
He normally drew looks already, but those days had been something else. There was a sense that half the campus was waiting for him to do something against USC.
UCLA and USC were both ranked inside the top 10, Andrew was the Heisman favorite, not Barkley, and there was the rivalry game and the rematch from the year before.
Everything had piled up until that Saturday felt like something much bigger than just another game.
"I know, Howard," Paige grumbled. "I've heard that fact a thousand times this week, and don't yell in my ear. Thankfully, I'm not deaf."
"Jesus... what a temper," Howard muttered, raising his hands in surrender as he tried to move a little farther away.
He only managed to gain a few inches. The crowd was packed too tightly.
"That's why she doesn't come to tailgates this early," Leonard commented beside him.
Howard let out a small laugh and glanced sideways at Paige again.
There was the answer.
Paige was not a morning person. On top of that, even under normal circumstances, she already had a strong personality.
She rarely kept what she thought to herself.
She did not seem to care much if she made someone uncomfortable with a single look when she really wanted to.
Sleepy and in a bad mood, all of that only multiplied.
Howard respected Andrew quite a bit for that. Not in an entirely serious way, of course. But enough to admit that dating Paige required a certain amount of courage.
By that point, besides, nobody in the group needed the two of them to make some official announcement to understand that something was going on.
They still had not shown up declaring that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. They had not put any label on it in front of everyone. It was too soon.
But there was definitely something there. Most of all, the way Paige had stopped getting annoyed whenever Howard called them lovebirds or tried to tease her by saying she fit Andrew's type perfectly.
It used to bother her. Now she did not even try to argue with him anymore and just mocked him back.
Which was why Howard no longer used it.
As for Andrew's type, though, he had not been completely wrong. It was intelligent girls like Pippa or Nancy.
But that was where most of the similarities ended.
Pippa had been much calmer. The kind of person who could be angry and still maintain a perfectly polite tone.
Nancy did not raise her voice much either. She had confidence and personality, but she usually spoke calmly, even when arguing about something.
Paige was different. Her personality was much more direct and unapologetic. She did not yell, but she did not need to.
Haley, who was there with them, turned her head toward Monica.
Monica barely seemed capable of standing still.
Her blue eyes kept moving toward the College GameDay set again and again, trying to find something among the cameras, technicians, and crowd.
"Are your brother and Chandler already on their way or what?" Haley asked.
Monica looked at her and nodded. "Yeah. Ross is already here. The problem is going to be finding him..." she replied, shifting her gaze back toward the stage. "As for Chandler..."
She did not finish the sentence.
She did not need to.
"He must be with the ESPN crew or something," she finally added.
Haley smiled, still a little incredulous. She remembered Chandler perfectly.
The sarcastic guy, a little older than them, who months earlier had ended up spending an afternoon playing football with the group in Texas after the all-star game.
Now that same Chandler was going to appear on that set with Lee Corso, Chris Fowler, Desmond Howard...
On College GameDay.
For Monica, who knew him much better because he had been Ross's best friend for years, it was even harder to process.
Rachel, who had been listening to the conversation beside her, let out a small laugh. "I can't believe all of this started with us watching the Bosco game at your house."
Monica smiled at the memory. "Yeah... basically, I turned Chandler into an Andrew fan," she said.
Her expression slowly changed as she said it, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Now that I think about it, I should get credit."
Haley raised an eyebrow. "Credit?"
"Or money," Monica said.
Rachel burst out laughing. "Sure. Ask him for a commission for every tweet where he praises Andrew and quotes a Bible verse."
Haley shook her head, amused. "Although, if you think about it, Chandler also had something to do with you eventually hanging out with Andrew and all of us in Texas."
Monica tilted her head.
That was true.
She had told Haley the story.
Monica had been one of the early subscribers to Andrew's channel.
When he held his first major fan meetup in Los Angeles, she had traveled from New York with Ross and her father.
She had managed to meet him, take pictures with him, and give him some protein snacks she had made herself.
She had asked him for feedback. Not as an excuse. Well... a little of both.
She genuinely wanted to improve them, and who better to ask than an athlete?
Andrew had ended up giving her his number so he could give her feedback after he tried them.
A year later, Monica traveled again for another meetup. This time with Rachel, and that ended up being a disaster.
Too many people.
Andrew, Haley, and the others practically had to escape from there.
Rachel had been annoyed seeing that Monica had traveled all the way there again and still had not even been able to talk to her favorite YouTuber.
So, when she discovered Monica had his number, she snatched the phone out of her hand and texted him herself.
She managed to get them a meeting with Andrew. That was when they met Haley, Leonard, and Howard for the first time.
After that, more than a year passed without them seeing each other again.
Until January 2012.
The high school all-star game. Ross and Chandler traveled to watch him too.
After the game, Chandler decided to do exactly what Rachel had done before.
Steal Monica's phone and text Andrew as a joke, congratulating him on the game and telling him he had traveled all the way there to watch him.
Andrew replied.
He asked if they wanted to meet up. From there, things simply started falling into place.
"Good point," Monica conceded.
"Wait a minute," Rachel suddenly cut in.
All three of them looked at her.
Rachel pointed at herself. "Thanks to me, you're friends with Andrew and you get to experience all of this. I'm more important than Chandler."
Monica blinked, but said nothing.
"I was the one who suggested coming to Los Angeles. And thanks to my friendship with Haley, you get to experience all of this from the inside," Rachel said, looking very pleased with herself.
Rachel had a pretty good point.
Rachel had also been the one who ended up talking more and more with Haley after discovering that they shared the same interest in fashion.
Now they were practically best friends.
They went to the same academy. They lived together, and Monica was in the middle of all of this thanks, in large part, to that strange chain of decisions.
"Yeah, thank you," Monica said sincerely.
Rachel blinked.
The joke disappeared from her face almost immediately.
"Thank you! I wouldn't have been able to do it alone," Rachel suddenly blurted out.
Before Monica could answer, Rachel hugged her.
Monica went stiff for a second, wearing a strange expression, as if she were still trying to process how a conversation about how ridiculous it was that Chandler was going to be on television had somehow turned emotional.
Haley, of course, did not help.
"Aww..." she said, and a second later she joined the hug.
Now Monica was trapped between the two of them, "Okay... this got emotional way too fast," she muttered.
Even so, she eventually raised one hand and gently patted Rachel on the back.
Rachel tightened the hug a little more, "I love you."
"I love you too," Monica replied with a small smile.
Sam watched them for a few seconds, eventually smiled, and then turned her head toward Paige, "Why can't we be..."
The sentence died before she could finish it.
Paige had her phone raised in front of her face.
She had tilted her head slightly and covered part of her mouth with one hand, leaving only her eyes, nose, and part of her face visible.
Click.
Paige lowered the phone, checked the picture for a moment, and started moving her fingers across the screen.
Then she smiled. Not much. Just a small curve of her lips.
But at seven in the morning, coming from Paige, it was very strange.
Sam stared at her. "Did you just send a selfie of yourself and smile at seven in the morning?" she asked, surprised.
Paige looked up.
Sam did not even give her time to answer, "It's Andrew, right?" she asked, practically taking it for granted as her smile widened.
"Don't exaggerate," Paige replied, not bothering to deny it.
Because it was true.
"Oh my God. It is Andrew," Sam said, opening her eyes a little wider.
Paige rolled her eyes and decided to ignore her, turning her attention back to her phone.
'How adorable,' Sam thought, amused.
Paige was texting Andrew.
He was at a hotel in Pasadena.
Andrew had explained to her a while ago how game days worked when UCLA played at home. It was not as if he simply woke up in his apartment on Saturday, had a relaxed breakfast, and then walked over to campus like any other student.
The night before, the starters, backups, and a good portion of the coaching staff had checked into a hotel.
On Friday, they had held meetings there, gone over film, and done walkthroughs. During Saturday, the place practically functioned as a small extension of the team's facilities.
Scheduled meals, position meetings, and controlled timetables.
Everything organized so the players had to think about as few things as possible outside the game.
Andrew had woken up there that morning. A few minutes earlier, he had sent her a picture while eating breakfast.
Nothing especially interesting.
Andrew with a super awake expression compared to Paige, while Steve in the background definitely had the face of someone cursing the fact that he had to wake up early.
Paige had been complaining a little to Andrew.
About how sleepy she was, how she was surrounded by a loud crowd, and how, despite the effort of getting up before sunrise, she could barely make out Lee Corso's nearly bald head among all the heads, signs, and raised arms.
Then the atmosphere changed.
The conversations around them gradually began to fade as the main cameras switched on and the production crew gave the final signals.
In front of the set, Chris Fowler straightened his posture slightly and looked directly into one of the cameras.
Behind him, the plaza exploded.
There were more cheers, flags waving, and signs being raised even higher.
"Good morning from Westwood, California," Fowler began with a smile. "For the first time ever, College GameDay is live from the UCLA campus."
The reaction was immediate. The volume rose even higher. Howard threw both arms into the air.
Leonard started clapping.
The guy beside him whistled at full force.
Fowler continued as the cameras showed wide shots of Wilson Plaza, Janss Steps packed with students, and a crowd that looked much larger on television than it did from the spot where Paige was trapped.
"Today, Los Angeles belongs to college football."
One of the screens displayed the matchup graphic.
#3 UCLA vs. #8 USC
5:00 PM PT.
ABC.
The roar of the crowd rose again behind the set.
Chris let the noise fill the broadcast for a few seconds before turning slightly toward the men seated beside him.
"As always, I've got the crew with me."
The camera moved first to Kirk Herbstreit.
"Good morning, everybody," Herbstreit greeted with a slight smile. "This is going to be a fun one."
The crowd's reaction to him was especially warm.
Kirk was already one of ESPN's most recognizable faces when it came to college football.
A former Ohio State quarterback, an analyst for years, and a regular presence both on College GameDay and on ABC's biggest broadcasts.
At UCLA, however, there was another reason he was particularly well liked.
Herbstreit had been one of the national analysts who had backed Andrew the most since the beginning of the season.
Not blindly.
That was precisely why his praise carried weight.
Also, before the Oregon game, he had been the only person on that day's College GameDay desk to pick UCLA to beat Oregon.
On top of that, he had called some of the broadcasts that had already become part of UCLA's season.
His reactions during Andrew's most impressive plays had ended up being clipped, uploaded to YouTube, and replayed over and over again on sports shows.
So when the camera focused on him that morning, another ovation rose from Wilson Plaza.
Kirk briefly raised a hand toward the crowd.
Chris continued with Desmond Howard.
Desmond lifted a hand toward the crowd. "Westwood showed up today!"
The students immediately answered with another explosion of cheers.
Next came David Pollack. A former Georgia linebacker and one of the younger additions to the panel, Pollack had quickly carved out a place for himself thanks to his fairly direct style.
David smiled as he looked over his shoulder at the enormous sea of blue and gold filling Wilson Plaza. "I think they've been ready for this one all week."
Chris let out a small laugh.
The camera continued moving toward the final seat.
Lee Corso.
The reaction changed completely.
The volume suddenly surged.
Corso opened his arms with a huge smile as the crowd chanted and applauded behind the set.
"Coach!" several students shouted at once.
Chris had to wait a few seconds before he could continue. "Fourteen years since GameDay last came to a UCLA home game, and for the first time ever we're right here on campus in Westwood. That's why it's this crazy," he explained.
College GameDay was used to enormous crowds and campuses going completely wild before sunrise.
But for UCLA, this was unusual.
For many of those students, this was not normal.
Corso looked around, clearly enjoying the reception. "Not bad! Not bad at all!"
That caused even more noise.
Desmond waited for the volume to drop slightly before jumping in with a smile. "You know, they might want to get used to this."
Kirk turned toward him. "Used to what?" he asked, although from his tone it was obvious he already knew exactly where Desmond was going.
"GameDay coming to UCLA. Pritchett-Tucker is a freshman. He's got at least two more years of college football after this one. If UCLA keeps playing like this with him at quarterback, there's a very good chance we'll be back next year," Desmond replied.
"That's interesting coming from you," Chris said with a smile.
David let out a small laugh.
Desmond looked at him. "What?"
"You weren't exactly driving the Pritchett hype train in September," Chris reminded him.
Desmond smiled and nodded without arguing. "No, I wasn't."
He had been one of the more cautious voices during the first few weeks.
Not because he thought Andrew lacked talent.
But he had refused to turn a few spectacular performances from a true freshman into an immediate coronation.
He wanted to see him against better teams and when things went wrong.
"I wanted to see it first," Desmond explained. "Everybody knew the talent and knew what he did in high school. But college football is different. I wanted to see him against good teams, in difficult environments, and when everything wasn't going his way."
Kirk nodded slowly. "And now?"
Desmond let out a small laugh. "We've got enough evidence now. Bouncing back from his first loss, Arizona, Oregon... At some point, if you keep waiting for the evidence after the evidence is already there, you're not being cautious anymore. You're just refusing to see it."
Corso nodded energetically. "That's right!"
Chris let the moment breathe for a little while before turning back toward the main camera.
"Today, the third-ranked Bruins meet the eighth-ranked Trojans. But to understand how big this game has become, you have to remember where these two teams were when this season started."
The screen behind the panel changed.
The USC logo appeared.
Then images from August began cycling through.
Matt Barkley, Marqise Lee, Robert Woods at practice with head coach Lane Kiffin.
The Coliseum.
Cardinal and gold uniforms.
Chris's voice continued as the footage filled the broadcast.
"USC entered this season at number one in the preseason polls."
That was no small expectation.
It was national championship or failure.
The Trojans were finally entering a full season without the immediate shadow of the sanctions that had defined the previous years.
And, above all, Matt Barkley had decided to stay. He could have declared for the Draft. He had the opportunity. Instead, he chose to come back for one more year.
For USC fans, that decision instantly made the season feel special.
Barkley had already entered the year as the Heisman favorite before a single snap was played, and he was leading an offense that, on paper, looked terrifying.
USC was back, and this was supposed to be their year. The images changed. Stanford Cardinal.
"Then came September fifteenth."
USC had stumbled in just its third game. A loss to Stanford. From number one to number thirteen in a matter of hours.
The first major crack in a season that had begun with nearly perfect expectations.
But they did not collapse.
The next images showed consecutive wins, Lee touchdowns, Woods receptions, and Barkley passes.
"Since then, they've won seven straight."
Their record had climbed to 9-1. USC had worked its way back up to number eight.
It was not exactly the path they had imagined in August, but they were still there in the top ten.
The broadcast returned to the set.
Chris placed both hands on the desk and looked toward the rest of the panel.
"So what do we make of USC?"
He turned first toward Herbstreit.
"They started number one. They took that early loss, the Heisman conversation around Barkley changed completely, and yet here they are at 9-1 and back inside the top ten."
He paused briefly before adding, "Did they fall short of the expectations, or should we be giving them more credit for getting back here?"
"A little of both," David answered first.
Kirk nodded, "I agree. If we're talking strictly about the expectations in August, they haven't met them. At this point, they were supposed to still be undefeated, sitting in the top three or, at the very least, the top five, directly competing for a spot in the national championship game."
Everyone at the desk nodded.
That had been the standard from the beginning.
"Now," Kirk continued, "you also have to give them credit. Losing as the number one team, dropping all the way to thirteen, and then winning seven straight to get back into the top ten isn't easy."
Desmond agreed, "They're not the perfect team everybody imagined in August, but they didn't disappear either," he said.
"A partial disappointment, I'd say," David commented. "They can still finish with a great season, just not in the perfect way everyone expected."
By that point, USC's chances of reaching the national championship game were extremely slim.
Mathematically, they still existed. But they needed too many things outside their control to happen.
The Pac-12, however, was still completely in their hands.
If they won the rivalry game, they would remain on track for the conference championship.
If they managed to win the Pac-12, they could still finish the season in the Rose Bowl.
That was hardly a minor consolation prize.
It was still one of the most prestigious bowls in college football and, for any program in the conference, a massive goal in its own right.
Lee Corso smiled and said, "And today they can ruin something very big for UCLA."
The crowd responded with a mix of boos and shouts.
Chris looked directly back into the camera, "And now, let's get to UCLA."
The broadcast left the set.
Shots of the campus, the Rose Bowl, preseason practices, and the first games of the year began appearing as Chris's voice continued over the footage.
"After a very bad season, a complete coaching staff overhaul, and a program that looked destined to go through a rebuilding year, UCLA received one piece of news that changed everything."
The screen showed the day of Andrew's selection and signing.
Andrew wearing a UCLA cap.
"Andrew Pritchett-Tucker. Five-star prospect, number one player in the country, and, according to a large number of recruiting services, the best prospect ever to come out of high school."
Just hearing his name triggered another wave of noise in Wilson Plaza.
Students raised signs. Some began chanting his last name, "Pritchett! Pritchett! Pritchett!"
Chris continued as images of the recruiting class appeared, "And he didn't come alone."
Andrus Peat.
Vadal Alexander.
Steve Rice.
Amari Cooper.
A succession of names and photos appeared on the screen.
"UCLA ended up signing the second-best recruiting class in the country. Suddenly, what looked like a rebuilding process began moving much faster."
The images changed again. Andrew during preseason camp. Steve catching passes. The offensive line working.
Jim Mora and the new staff running practice.
"The hype arrived immediately. UCLA opened the season ranked number seventeen."
Then came the first game. The debut that ended exactly the way everyone had hoped.
The first major victory.
"And the start only added fuel to it."
The next transition took them to Nebraska. The mood changed.
"But in Week Two came the first blow."
Footage from the game against number sixteen Nebraska.
A close score and a narrow loss.
Andrew walking off the field with his head down.
"Interestingly, that loss didn't cool the expectations all that much," Chris continued.
Because UCLA had lost.
But they had not looked like the inferior team, and Andrew had not looked like a freshman completely overwhelmed by the moment either.
Then the streak began. One win after another. Eight straight. The images started coming faster and faster.
Oregon State, Houston, the California Golden Bears, Utah...
Touchdowns piling up, celebrations, runs, the heated game against Arizona, until Autzen Stadium appeared on the screen.
The roar from the plaza grew louder before Chris even said anything.
"The biggest comeback in NCAA history. On the field of the then-number two team in the country. Now UCLA is 9-1 and ranked number three in the nation."
The broadcast returned to the set.
Chris continued, "And their biggest star is right at the center of the national conversation."
"Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, true freshman quarterback, is currently the Power Five leader in total touchdowns."
The graphic appeared on screen.
Total Touchdowns — Power Five
1. Andrew Pritchett-Tucker — UCLA / Pac-12 — 45
2. Seth Doege — Texas Tech / Big 12 — 34
3. Johnny Manziel — Texas A&M / SEC — 33
4. Geno Smith — West Virginia / Big 12 — 32
5. Collin Klein — Kansas State / Big 12 — 31
The gap between first and second was too obvious to ignore.
"So what do we make of UCLA?" Chris asked, repeating the question, this time about the Bruins. "Did they meet, exceed, or disappoint expectations?"
Lee laughed, "I think that one's pretty easy," he said, amused.
Laughter spread across the desk.
Kirk waited a moment before speaking, "They completely exceeded them. I don't think anyone in August would've bet on UCLA reaching mid-November with a chance to play for the national championship."
Coming into the season, with the recruiting class UCLA had put together, the expectation was a solid record and a respectable bowl game.
Not this.
Not being the favorite in the Pac-12 South and a conference title contender.
And certainly not having a path to the BCS National Championship Game.
Kirk began explaining that although the two teams had exactly the same record, 9-1, the perception surrounding them was completely different.
For USC, getting to number two and reaching the BCS title game required winning everything they had left and then hoping for a considerable amount of help.
It was not enough for one team ahead of them to lose.
They needed several of them to fall. That was the real problem. UCLA also had to keep winning.
But from number three, the math was much simpler. One major loss by a team ahead of them could open the door.
USC needed genuine carnage at the top of the rankings. And then there was the way both teams had gotten there.
UCLA simply gave off the better impression.
They had been more dominant for much of their schedule and had one win no other team could match: Oregon in Eugene.
When Kirk finished making his point, Chris looked at him with a slight smile.
"So UCLA is the favorite?"
"Yes," Kirk answered without much hesitation. "They have the momentum, they've been putting together more convincing results, they have the most impactful offensive player in the conference, and they're playing at home."
He raised one hand before anyone could jump in.
"But that doesn't mean the win is guaranteed. This is still USC-UCLA. It's a rivalry game. And in games like this, everything else can matter a lot less than it seems during the week."
Desmond nodded immediately, "I like that better. Because a rivalry completely changes the context. You can come in looking better, worse, with more talent, with less... but when the team across from you is the rival you've been waiting all year to face, the energy is different. And today, on top of that, there's far more at stake than usual."
In practical terms, the winner of that game would take the Pac-12 South.
UCLA entered undefeated in conference play.
Their only loss of the season had come outside the Pac-12.
USC, on the other hand, already had one conference loss.
If UCLA won that afternoon, the separation would become decisive.
The Bruins would remain unbeaten in the Pac-12, while USC would fall to two conference losses.
At that point, there would be no way for the Trojans, or anyone else in the South Division, to catch UCLA.
USC, meanwhile, was in a different situation. That was their final conference game.
The only game remaining afterward would be against Notre Dame, outside the Pac-12.
UCLA would still have one more conference game the following week against Stanford.
That was why, if USC won the rivalry game, they would finish their Pac-12 schedule with only one loss.
UCLA would also have one.
In that scenario, the head-to-head tiebreaker would favor the Trojans.
So this was not simply a rivalry.
It was not just about revenge, and it was not only about UCLA's path toward the BCS.
It was, for all practical purposes, a game for the Pac-12 South.
"And even if all of that would already be enough for UCLA, I think there's one more thing we still haven't talked about," David said.
Everyone looked at him.
David let barely a second pass before saying, "Fifty to zero. We can talk about number three, the BCS, winning the Pac-12 South, the Heisman, but inside that locker room there are players who remember exactly what happened one year ago."
"It wasn't just losing," Kirk said, recalling that game.
"No," David replied. "It was humiliation. Fifty to nothing against your biggest rival."
An image of the 2011 scoreboard appeared on screen.
USC 50 — UCLA 0
"Now, Pritchett-Tucker wasn't there," David continued. "Amari Cooper, Steve Rice weren't there. A lot of these freshmen weren't there. But Shaq Evans was. Joseph Fauria was. A lot of the veterans on this team were."
Desmond nodded as he listened.
David continued, "And those guys have been telling the younger players about it all week. I guarantee you that."
Lee Corso raised a hand. "And it isn't just the fifty to nothing! UCLA's last win over USC was more than five years ago!"
The graphic changed.
Last UCLA win over USC
December 2, 2006 — UCLA 13, USC 9
Below it, the following results began to appear:
2007 — USC 24, UCLA 7
2008 — USC 28, UCLA 7
2009 — USC 28, UCLA 7
2010 — USC 28, UCLA 14
2011 — USC 50, UCLA 0
Desmond grimaced. "That's ugly."
"If we go back to 1999, USC has won twelve of the last thirteen," Kirk said, switching on his football encyclopedia.
The graphic expanded.
USC vs. UCLA since 1999
USC: 12 wins
UCLA: 1 win
David slowly shook his head, "That's dominance."
A huge smile began to spread across Corso's face, "That makes today even more interesting."
"Exactly," Chris replied. "Because if there has ever been a perfect time to break that trend, this is probably it."
UCLA came in ranked higher, they were playing at home, and for the first time in a long time, USC was the team entering the rivalry looking up at UCLA in the rankings.
Corso raised one finger slightly, "But that can also make it worse for UCLA. Because now they've got more pressure than ever. Everybody expects them to win. It's the perfect moment to end the streak."
Corso smiled and concluded, "And for USC, what better way to ruin the party than to come in here and beat them?"
Chris let out a small laugh before looking back toward the camera, "But there's another part of this story that often gets forgotten."
The graphic changed again.
1991-1998 — UCLA: 8 straight wins over USC
The rivalry had belonged to someone else before.
Between 1991 and 1998, UCLA had beaten USC eight consecutive times.
The rivalry had not been one-sided throughout its entire history. Instead, it had gone through strangely extreme stretches.
Years when UCLA dominated, followed by years when USC did.
Desmond looked toward the loud crowd of students, "And these people are hoping that today it starts changing again."
Chris let the conversation fade before changing topics, "Now, we know what we think. What are the people involved saying? Let's start with USC's side. On Monday, Lane Kiffin was asked exactly what probably every defensive coordinator who has faced UCLA this year has been wondering."
The broadcast cut to USC's press room.
Head coach Lane Kiffin was seated in front of the microphones while, off camera, one of the reporters asked the question.
"Coach, Pritchett-Tucker just broke the Pac-12 record for passing touchdowns, he leads the conference in total touchdowns, and he's coming off some of his best performances of the season. How do you prepare a defense to stop him?"
Kiffin remained silent for a moment, "Well, first... I don't think you go into a game against a player like that thinking you're going to stop him one hundred percent."
He took a second and added, "What you try to do is limit him. Don't give him easy plays. Keep him within the structure you want defensively."
Another reporter jumped in.
"Is preparing a defense for him different compared to the other quarterbacks you've faced this season?"
"Yes," Kiffin replied without much hesitation. "Because he can beat you in several different ways. He has the arm, he processes quickly, he can extend plays, and if you give him space, he can run too. He's a lot more dangerous with his legs than his rushing numbers alone would suggest."
The clip ended there.
The broadcast returned to the GameDay set.
"Notice the first thing Kiffin said: he didn't talk about stopping him. He talked about limiting him," Kirk commented.
"That tells you a lot," David said.
"Kiffin wasn't the only Trojan who was asked about this game during the week. For Matt Barkley, this will be the fourth UCLA-USC game of his career, and so far he's three and zero," Chris said.
The broadcast changed again.
Barkley appeared seated in front of reporters after a USC practice, his arms resting on the table and a calm expression on his face.
"Matt, this will be your last game against UCLA. What does this rivalry mean to you?"
Barkley nodded slightly before answering, "It's important. It always has been."
He paused for a moment to think and continued, "It's the Battle of LA. It's important to our school and to our program. It doesn't really matter what happened earlier in the season. When this week comes around, you want to win. Always."
Another reporter jumped in, "You've played in three of these. If you had to sum them up in a few words, how would you do it?"
"Crazy ending... hurt ankle... blowout," Barkley replied with a small laugh.
A few laughs could be heard around the room.
The broadcast accompanied each phrase with footage from those games.
2009: The late touchdown after the controversy surrounding UCLA's timeout.
2010: Barkley playing with his ankle still injured.
2011: The 50-0.
"Do you think about that fifty to nothing when you look at this game?" another reporter asked.
Barkley shook his head. "No. That was last year. This is a different team. They have a different staff, a lot of new players, and obviously they're playing much better," he replied.
"Would you like to finish four and zero against UCLA?"
Barkley smiled a little more. "Of course. Who wouldn't?"
A few more laughs could be heard as Barkley continued, "That would mean a lot. You want to be able to look back and say you never lost to your rival."
Then came the inevitable question.
"Matt, Pritchett broke your Pac-12 record for passing touchdowns this season. He's the Heisman favorite. What do you think about what he's done as just a freshman?"
Barkley took a second before answering, "He's having an incredible season, especially for a freshman. He's doing things that are difficult for any quarterback, regardless of age. He deserves all the recognition he's getting."
"Does it bother you to lose that record so quickly?"
"No, I don't really think about it. Records eventually get broken by somebody. This week I'm thinking about finishing four and zero against UCLA."
The clip ended and the broadcast returned to the set.
"Diplomatic, but in the end he made it clear which statistic matters this week," Desmond said with a smile.
"Barkley isn't the only major star in that offense."
The screen changed as Chris spoke, "Because if we're talking about the most explosive player USC has had this season, we have to talk about Marqise Lee."
Footage appeared of the sophomore catching passes, breaking away after the catch, and returning kickoffs while his statistics briefly appeared on screen.
Lee had become one of the biggest stars in college football that season.
He was no longer simply one of the best receivers in the Pac-12.
His name appeared on several Heisman Watch lists, and although he still trailed the leading quarterbacks in the race, he had remained around the top five or six thanks to extraordinary offensive production.
The image then shifted to another USC press conference.
Lee was in front of reporters, looking much more relaxed than Barkley.
"Marqise, what makes this rivalry different for the players?"
Lee smiled almost immediately.
"The biggest difference is you know half the people on the other team," Marqise replied.
A few laughs came from the reporters.
"You grew up playing against a lot of them, training with them, you know people who went to their school... all of that. So it's different."
"Is there more trash talk during a week like this?" another reporter asked.
"I want to win so I can talk trash afterward. But during the game, we're going to keep our composure," he quickly added. "After the game, then you can relax," Marqise said.
Then came another question.
"Marqise, on the other side you've got Andrew Pritchett-Tucker, probably the most talked-about player in the country right now. Have you been following what he's done this season?"
Lee nodded and replied, "Yeah. It's hard not to see it. He's on ESPN all the time. But yeah, he's playing incredible. What he's doing as a freshman is crazy."
"Do you think he deserves to be first on a lot of the Heisman lists?"
Lee made a small amused face. "You're asking me? I'm trying to get to New York too."
"Is there anything special about facing him after everything that's been said about him?"
Lee gave a slight shrug, "We're not playing Andrew. We're playing UCLA, and you always want to beat your rival, especially now that they're top three."
The clip ended there.
The broadcast returned to GameDay with Corso laughing. "I like this kid!"
Laughter spread across the desk.
"Now let's go to the other side of Los Angeles, because all week UCLA has also been trying to deal with something that doesn't disappear no matter how many times they say this is just the next game," Chris said.
The screen changed.
UCLA — Monday
Johnathan Franklin appeared seated in front of several microphones.
A senior, the starting running back, and in the middle of an excellent season.
Unlike many of the freshmen who had transformed the team that year, he was one of the players who had actually been in the Coliseum a year earlier.
"Johnathan, does the shadow of that fifty to nothing affect you guys?"
"This is a different team, a different season. All we can do is play well now," Franklin replied calmly. "But yeah, it's probably a shadow that's going to follow us for a while, especially those of us who were in that game," he added with a faint smile, bringing a little humor into it.
"But for you, as a senior who has never beaten USC, does it feel different?"
"Yes. It's my last chance. I've been here a long time and I've never beaten them. That means something," Franklin replied, turning serious again.
He quickly added, "But we're also playing for the division. We're playing for much bigger things now. So you have to control the emotions and just play."
Another question came soon after.
"Franklin, a year ago this team lost 50-0. Now you're number three in the country. What changed so quickly?"
"A lot of things. The staff. The way we work. The confidence. The guys who came in..." Franklin began.
"Andrew?" someone asked, almost interrupting him.
Franklin smiled immediately. "Yeah. Definitely Andrew."
"When Andrew chose UCLA, there was a huge amount of hype. Now that you've played almost an entire season with him... was it exaggerated?"
Franklin smiled as if the answer were far too obvious.
By that point, Andrew had already broken several UCLA and conference records.
If anything, the hype had fallen short.
Even so, he answered, "He's everything they said he was. That doesn't happen very often. He carries that burden where people are always going to expect just a little more from him. But he does things that are on another level."
The clip ended.
The broadcast returned to the set.
"That last part is important to me," Kirk commented.
David turned toward him. "Which part?"
"The burden. People always expect a little more. Last week against Washington, he scored three touchdowns and I saw people asking why he didn't score four or five," Kirk replied.
"That's stupid," Desmond said, shaking his head.
"It is," Kirk agreed. "He broke the conference's all-time record for passing touchdowns and spent a good portion of the third quarter resting. And there were still people saying, 'Yeah, but he could've done more.'"
Chris waited a moment before looking back toward the camera.
"Now let's go to two players who know pretty well what it's like to grow up with expectations. Andrew Pritchett-Tucker and Steve Rice."
The image changed.
Photos of both of them in Palisades uniforms appeared.
"Friends since high school. Quarterback and receiver then. Quarterback and receiver again now at UCLA."
Then came an image from the Oregon game.
Andrew escaping pressure, throwing left-handed, and Steve appearing to finish the play.
"When the game gets difficult, Rice is still one of the players Pritchett looks for."
The broadcast cut to UCLA's press conference.
Andrew and Steve were seated side by side in front of the microphones.
"For both of you, this will be your first USC-UCLA game as college players. What does it mean to finally get to this week?" a reporter with a raspy voice asked.
Andrew answered first, "It's special. Ever since we got here, we've heard people talk about this game. We knew what it meant to the program, to the players who were here before us, and to the people at UCLA."
"Now the division is on the line too. So yeah, we've been waiting for this game for a while," he added.
"A long time. Pretty much since we stepped on campus," Steve said with a slight smile.
"UCLA is at home, ranked higher, and for a lot of people comes into this game as the favorite. That's something that hasn't happened in years in this rivalry. Do you feel more pressure because of that?"
This time, Steve answered first, "There's always pressure. But we've been playing better every game. We know how we want to play, and we also know we have to break that streak against USC."
Then he smiled a little more and added, "Also, playing with Andrew helps..."
Andrew turned his head toward him, as if already predicting that some comment was coming that probably would have been better left unsaid.
Steve continued, "It's like getting into a street fight knowing Bruce Lee is on your side. You look over, see him there, and think, 'Yeah... we're probably gonna be fine.'"
The room exploded with laughter.
Andrew closed his eyes for a second, smiling as he slowly shook his head.
The clip ended there.
The broadcast returned to the GameDay set.
Desmond was already laughing, "Bruce Lee!" he repeated.
David shook his head, amused, "That's a lot of confidence in your quarterback."
Chris looked toward Kirk, "Did you ever have that feeling when you played quarterback? That your teammates would look at you and think, 'We've got Bruce Lee, we're gonna be fine'?"
Kirk burst out laughing, "Not that I remember."
"We'll have much more from Westwood throughout the morning. But now..." Chris said, and with that, GameDay temporarily moved away from the rivalry.
During the next few segments, the focus shifted to the national picture.
UCLA-USC remained at the center of the show, but College GameDay never spent two straight hours talking only about the matchup in front of them.
It moved back and forth between the host game and everything else happening around the country.
There were guests too.
Not many.
Usually, one or two people might appear during the show for short segments, interviews, or some particular story connected to the campus or the game.
But the real major guest was someone else.
The celebrity guest picker.
There was only one of those, and that was saved for the final stretch, when it was time to pick the day's biggest games alongside the panel.
Before that, however, ESPN had prepared something considerably less traditional.
Chris looked toward the camera when they returned from a commercial break, "Well... our next guest is a little different."
"Oh, boy, here we go..." Desmond muttered with a smile.
Chris continued, "He didn't play football at UCLA. He didn't coach here, and as far as we know, he's never officially been part of the program."
David let out a small laugh, "That last part is important."
"But," Chris continued, "if you've been on Twitter during this season, you probably already know exactly who he is."
The screen behind them changed.
A photo of Chandler, one he used openly on social media without any fear of showing his face, appeared first.
Then several of his most popular UCLA-related tweets.
"He calls himself the creator of Andrew Pritchett-Tucker's most famous nickname..."
Chris paused briefly as a few shouts started coming from the crowd.
"'Jesus Christ of Football.'"
The reaction grew immediately. Corso started laughing.
"But he may be better known for what happened two weeks ago in Eugene," Chris continued, trying to keep a straight face.
Footage appeared of Oregon dominating UCLA throughout the first half.
The scoreboard showed a thirty-seven-point deficit.
"UCLA was down thirty-seven. Twitter was already burying the Bruins. Some people were burying Pritchett-Tucker's Heisman chances too."
The screen changed and the tweet appeared.
@ChandlerBing:
"Do not gloat over me, my enemy. Though I have fallen, I will rise. Micah 7:8.
Laugh now. There are still two quarters left."
Even Kirk laughed when he read the tweet again.
Not even he, despite being one of the people who had said UCLA would win, would have had enough confidence to say something like that at halftime with the score the way it was.
"Taylor Swift favorited it," Chris continued. "Justin Bieber did too. Selena Gomez as well. Among other celebrities."
The screen showed the interactions and even replies from several of them writing: Amen!
"Then UCLA came back."
Footage from the comeback began appearing.
Chris raised his voice slightly, "Westwood... welcome the self-proclaimed creator of 'Jesus Christ of Football'..."
The crowd started reacting before he even finished.
"Chandler Bing," Chris completed.
Chandler walked onto the set with a huge smile. But the crowd had another name ready for him.
"PRO-PHET BING!"
"PRO-PHET BING!"
"PRO-PHET BING!"
Chandler stopped for a moment.
His smile grew even wider. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest and then raised them toward the crowd, slowly waving them as if he were receiving an ovation after winning an award.
With the men at the desk laughing, Chandler made his way to the table.
First he shook Chris's hand.
Then Kirk's.
Desmond's.
David's.
And finally Corso's.
"Welcome," Chris said, still smiling.
"Thank you. I always dreamed of making it onto ESPN by quoting the Bible during football games. My parents must be very proud," Chandler said.
The laughter was immediate.
Chandler sat down in the empty chair they had prepared for him. Behind the set, the chant started again.
"PRO-PHET BING!"
Chandler looked over his shoulder at the crowd. Then he turned back toward the panel with a perfectly serious expression.
"We have to start at the beginning. Where are you from?" Chris asked.
"And we need to know if you really created the nickname!" Corso added with a doubtful smile.
Chandler smiled. "I'm from New York, and I have proof that the nickname is something I came up with and used first."
Then he began explaining where it came from.
"ESPN nationally televised one of Andrew's high school games. I watched Mater Dei against Bosco with some friends."
"The game that started everything," Kirk commented. "It got a huge audience for a high school game. It was already pretty unusual for a matchup like that to get a national broadcast."
"Yeah. I said Andrew was going to score four touchdowns, and he scored seven. So I went on Twitter and posted: Bosco, thanks for coming. Show courtesy of Jesus Christ in a helmet, hashtag national beatdown, hashtag the beatdown is real. You can check my account."
"So you did invent it," Corso said, laughing.
"Mostly," Chandler conceded. "I started with 'Jesus Christ in a helmet.' Then the Internet did its thing and it eventually evolved into 'Jesus Christ of Football.' You know, like Johnny Football, just with a lot more mythology."
Desmond leaned back in his chair. "And a lot more marketable."
"That too."
David had been listening with a smile when he noticed something, "Wait. Is that a cross?" he asked, pointing toward Chandler's neck.
Chandler looked down. He took the small cross between two fingers and lifted it so the camera could see it, "Yes, it is."
Kirk stared at him for a second, "No way," he muttered.
Chandler kept a completely serious expression, "If you're going to compare a quarterback to Jesus Christ for three years, eventually you have to look committed to the concept," he said.
Chris lost his composure for a moment.
Even Corso started laughing before Chandler had finished the sentence.
Once Chris recovered, he asked, "So you're not religious?"
Chandler stayed perfectly still. He looked at Chris, then at the camera, then back at Chris.
"Next question," he finally said.
The desk erupted in laughter.
Chandler waited for the laughter to die down before continuing.
"Some questions just don't have a good answer. If I say yes, then I have to explain why I've spent three years calling a teenager who throws footballs Jesus Christ when I'm a believer. And if I say no, then suddenly I look like a guy who's been using the Bible for three years to get Twitter followers."
Another wave of laughter followed.
"The only thing I'll say is that I've learned a lot about the Bible over the last three years. More than I expected," Chandler added.
"That's dedication," David commented.
Kirk shook his head. "I'd call it not knowing when to let a joke die."
The conversation continued.
Little by little, it became clear that Chandler's connection to Andrew did not end on Twitter either.
Andrew had been following him for a long time.
They had exchanged public replies several times, especially after some of Chandler's tweets had gone viral.
But even that was not the whole story.
Through a fairly improbable chain of coincidences, Chandler had ended up meeting him in person after the high school all-star game in Texas.
Chandler had wound up playing casual football with the number one prospect in the country and part of his inner circle, including some of his cousins.
Chris took a second to process that, "Wait. You've actually played football with him?"
"Yes, and with Steve," Chandler said, earning surprised looks from everyone.
"Well, technically, we didn't let Andrew play. We took a vote and made him the referee. We came to the conclusion, Steve included, that he was way too broken to play and whichever team had him would make the whole thing unfair," he explained.
The segment had originally been planned as a relatively short appearance.
Five minutes.
They were already past ten.
But nobody seemed to be in much of a hurry to end it.
Chandler was quick.
He did not need much setup for his punchlines, and every time Chris looked ready to wrap up an answer, Chandler found a way to turn it into something else.
Finally, Fowler briefly looked toward the production crew before turning back to him.
"All right, Prophet Bing."
Chandler grimaced, "That nickname is going to follow me forever, isn't it?"
"Yes and if they're going to call you a prophet, we have to make you work a little," Chris replied.
The crowd reacted immediately.
Chandler looked back as several students started the chant again.
"You predicted Oregon when practically nobody else did. Be proud of it," Corso said with a laugh.
"Now you have to take another risk," Chris said. "USC against UCLA. Who wins?"
"And how," David added.
Corso raised one finger. "And I want a score!"
The crowd immediately reacted, waiting for the answer.
Chandler stayed silent. This time, there was no quick remark. Not even a smile.
"UCLA," he finally said. "Score: sixty-seven to seventeen."
For a moment, nobody said anything. Even the crowd did not react immediately.
The answer had come through the speakers in Wilson Plaza and seemed to need a couple of seconds to be processed.
"Sixty-seven to seventeen," David repeated, looking at him.
"Yeah," Chandler said.
"A fifty-point difference?" Desmond asked.
"I like scores with meaning," Chandler said.
Now the crowd finally erupted in shouts and laughter.
Kirk watched Chandler as if he were trying to determine whether the joke would finally come.
It did not.
David shook his head, "We're talking about USC. Number eight in the country. Nine and one. Matt Barkley. Marqise Lee. Robert Woods. A team that also knows exactly how to play this rivalry and how to beat UCLA."
A huge smile appeared on Corso's face, "Prophet Bing is doubling down!"
"Look, if I'm going to lose the nickname, it's not going to be because I predicted a three-point win," Chandler said with a shrug.
Desmond burst out laughing.
Kirk was still looking at him in disbelief, "So, just to make this completely clear... you think UCLA is going to destroy USC?"
Chandler nodded, and Kirk asked, "Why?"
Chandler slowly inhaled and replied, "I don't have an explanation that's going to make you happy, Kirk. Sorry."
That drew a few laughs.
"Everybody expects it to be close because it should be close. Number three against number eight. Rivalry. Barkley. Lee. The Pac-12 South. Everything that's at stake... That's exactly why I have a feeling it won't be," Chandler concluded.
A new graphic quickly appeared on screen:
CHANDLER BING
UCLA 67 — USC 17
"If you get this right, don't come back here!" Corso said, pointing at him.
Chandler raised his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"
"Because you're going to take my job!" Corso replied.
The laughter returned.
Finally, Chandler stood up to applause, shook the panel's hands again, and turned toward the crowd.
The chant started one more time.
"PRO-PHET BING!"
This time, Chandler simply raised both hands as he walked off the set.
After that considerably less conventional appearance, the show continued with someone far more appropriate for a historic morning at UCLA.
Mark Harmon.
The reception was enormous.
For a large portion of the students, he was instantly recognizable as the star of NCIS, the actor who had spent nearly a decade playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs, one of the most popular characters on American television.
But his connection to UCLA went much further back.
Long before Hollywood, Harmon had been the Bruins' quarterback.
He had started for UCLA during the 1972 and 1973 seasons, even leading the team in one of the most memorable victories of that era.
So he was not there simply as a Los Angeles celebrity.
He was a former UCLA quarterback returning to Westwood on a morning when another quarterback had put the program back among the best in the country.
That made his arrival feel very different.
The younger students shouted for Gibbs.
The older fans remembered the player.
Both groups ended up applauding the same person.
Harmon took part in the final stretch of the show, talking about UCLA, how different it felt to see the program competing nationally again, and everything that game against USC represented.
Finally, it was time for the picks. That was when the show's real consensus became clear.
Nobody expected a blowout. Not even the people who clearly had more confidence in UCLA.
David was the only one who picked USC.
His argument was not that the Trojans were necessarily the better of the two teams, but that this was exactly the kind of game where experience could change everything.
Barkley was a senior.
Marqise Lee and Robert Woods could tear apart a defense at any moment.
USC had spent years knowing how to play this rivalry and, if they managed to knock UCLA out of rhythm early, he believed they could win a close game.
Desmond, Kirk, and Mark picked UCLA.
Lee Corso made it four to one by finally putting on the head of Joe Bruin, UCLA's official mascot, as Wilson Plaza exploded one last time that morning.
UCLA: 4.
USC: 1.
But even within that majority favoring the Bruins, the predictions had been cautious. One possession. Maybe ten points. But an uncomfortable game.
None of the analysts had talked about steamrolling the number eight team in the country.
Nothing about imagining a humiliation.
Nobody except Chandler Bing.
And with that, College GameDay came to an end.
The cameras shut off shortly after nine in the morning, and that enormous gathering in Westwood began to disperse.
More than twenty miles away, Pasadena was preparing to receive tens of thousands of people.
The general parking lots around the Rose Bowl would officially open at eleven in the morning, six hours before kickoff.
From there, an entirely different part of the day would begin.
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