Cal Time!

I wasn't going to let it get to me this time around. I wasn't going to partake in the trash talking. No, not this year. Heck, I am not even in California. I'm in New York. I thought I could do without getting riled up about this game, but I can't. Whether it is my friend rocking his Cal student section shirt to our graduate school class yesterday, or reading the message boards online, I just have to say something. I'll preface by saying I have the utmost respect for Cal as an academic institution. They are the #1 public school in the nation and have been. Heck they gave birth to UCLA 90 years ago. However, Cal fans seem to forget their former Southern Branch has overtaken big brother by quite a lot since. We don't have to count the higher applicant pool (10,000 people difference), or the lower admission rate (the theme of the last 10 years). Maybe how Cal's three biggest rivals (Stanford, U$C, and "little" brother) have the most national championships. But this week that doesn't matter. It's football. No reason to sweat over how Cal inspired Sons of Westwood, the colors, or even the name of UCLA. All of those are true Cal Bears, we know. So let's do a quick guide to how to make an annoying Cal fan who is trying to talk trash about the UCLA program shut up.

Cal fan: We have been so much better than you this decade.
UCLA fan: You have been better than us. You would consider this your best decade in sixty years, yet if you total the amount of conference wins you barely beat us. You also have a 6-4 against us and the same amount of Rose Bowls as us. And that is what we call a decade to forget.

Cal fan: When was the last time you guys played at home in January?
UCLA fan: Not since 1999. Which happens to be 40 years after your team did. And just to make something clear, the Washington schools, the Oregon schools, U$C, ASU, and your arch-rival Stanford have appeared in the Granddaddy of Them All. That's be 8/9 other conference foes.

Cal fan: No one likes UCLA football, it's like half full.
UCLA fan: Last year after a 4-8 season and a 7-6 season we had 66,000 people. Yes, that's roughly 72% of the capacity but still 5,000 more than Cal averaged in an era where fans in Berkeley have some optimism. How did the 90's attendance figures go for you?

Cal fan: Cal football has a rich tradition.
UCLA fan: If by rich tradition you mean no Rose Bowl since Jan 1, 1959, and a losing record against Stanford, U$C, and UCLA. In fact, all of those schools has at least 10 more victories in the head-to-head match-up. So if that counts as rich, yes. Very rich.