It's usually a waste of time listening to anything Rick Neuheisel has to say, but it's the start of a new season, and I'm the optimistic sort, so I stopped by UCLA.
Once again I left disappointed, which is probably the best way to prepare for another season of Bruins football.
The guy almost never tells the truth, everything so sugar-coated the malarkey turns to muck, Monday unfortunately no exception.
UCLA gets a bye to start the college football season, playing San Diego State, the Bruins 20-0-1 against the Aztecs -- the tie coming in 1924 -- and winning by the average score of 32-10.
A year ago, the Aztecs ranked 99th offensively, 113th defensively, and there are only 119 teams -- giving up an average of 37.2 points per game.
"It's going to be a great coaching challenge," says Neuheisel, who has years of practice offering such nonsense without even the hint of a grin.
"They were on the doorstep of beating Notre Dame last year," Neuheisel says, and just about everybody beat Notre Dame last season.
"Not everybody," Neuheisel says, "but I'm not going to fight you."
Pete Carroll would.
But then why is it so hard to just say, "If we've improved as much as I think we have, we should beat San Diego State?"
Worried about bulletin-board material?
Maybe that's why San Diego State has managed to win only nine of its last 36 games -- not enough bulletin-board material.
"So how's that football monopoly in L.A. going?" I wonder, a year ago Neuheisel pictured in an ad below a headline that reads: "The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over."
"We said what we said and we stand by it," he says. "We aren't there yet but still aiming in that direction."
That's a little hard to believe if a doormat like San Diego State offers such a "coaching challenge" to UCLA.
On a promising note, some folks already think well enough of UCLA to vote for the Bruins in this year's preseason USA Today top 25 coaches' poll.
I wonder if Neuheisel voted for his own team.
"I think I did; I think I put us at 25," he says. "I'm like Steve Spurrier. . . " and I'll pause here for a moment to allow the uproarious laughter to subside.
". . . I always vote for the school that I went to -- to get us in the top 25," Neuheisel says. "[Spurrier] gives Duke always a nod, a vote."
