UCLA vs. Arizona State: These rivals alternated fours up and forks up in heated battles

Bad Pac-10 starts were nothing new for the Bruins. Over the previous four years, they had gone 0-2-2 in their conference openers. They had also gone on to reach the Rose Bowl game three times, winning on every occasion. So there wasn’t widespread worry when UCLA opened with another dud against the Sun Devils, who managed the game’s only touchdown early in the fourth quarter. But Bruins safety Craig Rutledge had a premonition when he said, “As good as the conference is this year, you won’t win it with two losses.” UCLA sustained that second loss in November against Stanford, finishing conference play with a 5-2-1 record. At 5-1-1, Arizona State would win the Pac-10 and make its first appearance in the Rose Bowl game, where it beat Michigan, 22-15.