Don’t blink; teams are on the verge of a brilliant 2007-2008 season

While the end of the school year isn’t that far off in the distance, the start of football spring practice should mark the start of something big at UCLA.

No wait, huge.

Granted, next season does not start until September 1 in Palo Alto when the Bruins take on Stanford, but when the football team gets back on the field today it will be the beginning of a special year for UCLA athletics.

Anyone who has the ability to spell the name Kevin Love is aware that the basketball team for the 2007-08 season will be something magical to watch.

It will be time for even more Howland worship when the Bruins make their third consecutive Final Four appearance, and I’m not exactly going out on a limb here when I say that they will win it all this time.

The thing that will be special for UCLA students is that the football team will also be very, very good.

There is something about the prospect of a year with a great football season followed by a great basketball season that puts a little bit of a spring in my step.

It’s kind of like being a gold miner in Fort Knox; you’re in a good mood when you walk in.

Don’t get me wrong, the football team was not bad this past season, but it really was a season of almosts. Nothing can be taken away from the group that put 13-9 on the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl, but besides that, the Bruins were an OK team with one big win and an ugly performance in the Emerald Bowl.

There was a victory thrown away in South Bend that would have been huge, but anyone who can spell dsfgk;ehrg943, wait I mean Samardzija, knows what happened there.

This year, Bruin fans will be treated to a lot of wins at the Rose Bowl, as well as Pauley Pavilion. They will also get to see an offense that can match up to the defense that was a staple for last year’s team. DeWayne Walker, I’m still working on the phrasing of my thank-you letter.

With 20 returning starters, I am predicting that the Bruins go 5-0 into a home stretch against Notre Dame and Cal, after which the Bruins have a good shot of being 7-0.

I know this whole optimism thing is kind of new for UCLA football, but here it goes.

All of the UCLA football moves over the offseason so far ““ and there have been a lot ““ were for the better.

UCLA’s defense has a wealth of experience and leadership. As best I’ve noticed, one of the biggest differences between a freshman and a senior is not talent, but the ability to consistently show up and turn in a strong performance. With seniors like Chris Horton, Bruce Davis, Kevin Brown, and Brigham Harwell, that should not be an issue for this team.

On offense, the Bruins have a lot to improve on (a nice way to say they need to improve) and they will. Whoever is the starting quarterback come opening day against Stanford (another way to say Ben Olson) will be leading an offense without any devastating losses and will be much improved.

Here is the bottom line: Next year is the year to not miss a single game in either sport.

If you think Gordon is just trying to make nice for not picking UCLA to win the NCAA Tournament this year, e-mail him at [email protected].