Bruins Can’t Argue With Rankings

Although disappointed over their drop in the BCS rankings, not to mention both of the polls, the Bruins acknowledged that they had it coming.

“It sounds about right,” quarterback Cade McNown said. “I think they did what was right.”

Coach Bob Toledo agreed, even while noting concern over the message that had been transmitted along with the ratings--that margin of victory is being weighted too heavily in some cases.

“I think coaches know who the best teams are in college football,” he said, putting more credibility in the ESPN/USA Today poll, which dropped UCLA from second to fourth, than in The Associated Press’ media poll, which dropped the Bruins from second to third.

Of course, the issue with Saturday’s 28-24 victory over Stanford wasn’t so much the four-point differential as that the Bruins had to come from behind against a last-place team to get that, and then survive when a Cardinal receiver had the ball stripped two yards from the go-ahead touchdown. It wasn’t so much margin of victory as barely victory.

“It’s definitely a wake-up call to us,” fullback Durell Price said. “I think our team is going to bounce back.”

*

In recognition of their physical play, guard Andy Meyers and fullback Craig Walendy have been selected captains for the Oregon State game, joining season-long selections McNown and Larry Atkins.