UCLA Football Practice Notebook: USC off Bruins' Radar, for Now

WESTWOOD, Calif. — Three letters one should not expect to hear around the UCLA football facilities this week are U-S-C. 

I made the mistake of mentioning those letters as they pertain to the impending rivalry contest following Tuesday's practice at Spaulding Field. Defensive line coach Angus McClure grabbed my shoulders and gave me a playful shake that was accompanied with a reminder: 

"It's not SC week!" 

No,  the No. 11-ranked Bruins are not devoting this week to preparation for USC. UCLA is on a bye and returns to action Nov. 22 against its Los Angeles counterpart. 

Additional lead-up time to the 91st installment of the Crosstown Showdown could mean more opportunity to strategize. But without another opponent for which to prepare, UCLA also faces more time to let the hype build. 

And there will be no shortage of hype. UCLA's two-game win streak over USC is at stake, and both teams could be playing for positioning in the crowded Pac-12 South championship race.

Wide receiver Jordan Payton put it simply: "Our next game's a big one." 

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Rather than spend two weeks focused on the magnitude of this year's rivalry matchup, the Bruins are easing into the process. 

"Today, we did some generic stuff," Payton said. "All of us have started looking at the film...and getting a head start. That's what this bye week is really for.

"It builds up through the week," he added. "As the week goes on, more and more film will be watched. As you get to Sunday, that's when you really start game-planning." 

By Sunday, USC will have played its Week 12 game against Cal, and game-day prep can begin as it would on a normal week. 

In the meantime, UCLA is focused on building off the positive momentum established in wins over Arizona and Washington. 

Both victories came by double digits, with UCLA showing glimpses of being the title-contending team some projected before the season. Those performances were emphatic responses to an October in which the Bruins lost back-to-back games and sputtered to narrow wins over Cal and Colorado. 

"We kept fighting through each game, stayed resilient, and it's benefited us over the last two weeks through some big wins," Payton said.

The challenge for UCLA now is continuing that progress.

"Right now, we're playing our best football," he said. "Even today in a bye week practice, we looked really good."

The bye week is also an opportunity for the Bruins to heal from their collective bumps and bruises. UCLA last had a week off in mid-September, and plenty of wear and tear can pile up in the course of two months. 

No one knows that better than running back Paul Perkins. 

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

With 1,172 yards, Perkins is far and away the leader of UCLA's multifaceted rushing attack. But to gain such yardage, Perkins has been a workhorse. 

His 190 carries through 10 games are 30 more than any Bruin took on through all 13 contests a season ago and 56 more than Perkins himself took on in 2013.

"It's good to have a bye," Perkins said with a laugh. "Pretty much all I can say. It's a long season."

That long season is down to its stretch run. After USC visits the Rose Bowl Nov. 22, Stanford comes the following week. Anything beyond that is uncertain. 

And while the Bruins are not yet focusing on the USC game, Perkins said they are looking ahead to a milestone beyond facing the Trojans. 

"We have a clear goal to win out and go to the Pac-12 Championship [Game]," he said.   

UCLA Ranking Provides Insight into College Football Playoff Committee 

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UCLA made the most significant jump in this week's College Football Playoff rankings, climbing seven spots from No. 18 to No. 11. That's three places better than its ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 and four spots better than the Amway Coaches Poll. 

In the playoff rankings, the Bruins are notably ahead of such teams as Georgia, one-loss Nebraska and the only team to beat the No. 16-ranked Cornhuskers, Michigan State. 

Michigan State fell after suffering its second setback, a 49-37 loss at home against Ohio State. 

UCLA's placement offers some insight into the committee's process early into the College Football Playoff's inaugural year. 

Quality of loss plays an obvious role in that UCLA—with defeats to two ranked opponents—is ahead of Georgia. The Bulldogs' losses to unranked South Carolina and Florida negated an impressive nonconference win over No. 19 Clemson. 

UCLA and Michigan State, however, have more comparable resumes.

The Bruins are 8-2 while the Spartans are 7-2. Both lost to No. 2 Oregon. Both defeated a ranked, one-loss opponent: No. 6 Arizona State for UCLA, Nebraska for Michigan State. 

Michigan State has the more impressive second loss by virtue of its falling to No. 8 Ohio State whereas Utah just barely remained in the rankings at No. 23.  

But UCLA landing a spot ahead of the Spartans suggests that talk of overall body of work isn't empty rhetoric.

The Bruins' nonconference slate lacked a marquee opponent of Oregon's caliber, but facing the Ducks in Pac-12 play compensates for Michigan State boasting that matchup on its schedule.

Meanwhile, UCLA played opponents from the ACC (Virginia), Big 12 (Texas) and the current leader in the American Athletic Conference, Memphis.

The remainder of Michigan State's nonconference schedule featured Football Championship Subdivision opponent Jacksonville State, perennial Mid-American Conference cellar dweller Eastern Michigan and a Wyoming team just one game ahead of New Mexico in the Mountain West Conference's Mountain Division.   

UCLA also benefits from the overall strength of the Pac-12 South, seeing as many ranked opponents within the division itself as Michigan State's played total. 

And aside from Clemson, Georgia has yet to even play, let alone defeat, any other teams currently ranked. 

So the lesson the committee is sending by rewarding UCLA is pretty simple: Better opponents mean better rankings.  

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics via CFBstats.com.