It was the best of the elections, it was the worst of the elections.

No, wait. She was simply the best of the picks.

I had Washington State over UCLA getting six points at home last week, and things were looking pretty good early in the fourth quarter, with the Cougars leading 38-21. Then the Bruins freaked out and sent the game to the OT. Did I mention I got six points? On my knees begging for a field goal, begging against a push, the gods of the game rewarded me when the surprising Maurice Drew countered a Washington State field goal with a one-yard TD drop. UCLA wins, Washington State covers, and I change to my underpants.

So why am I changing things up and taking UCLA this week?

I mean, hey, Oregon State, UCLA’s opponent this week, it wasn’t really some kind of Special person Wazzou three weeks ago? If Washington State is good enough to take the Bruins to OT, by the principles of cyclical logic, the Beavers should beat the Bruins outright this Saturday night in Los Angeles, right? Good bad. I guess no one really believes that Thought pattern Going by that logic, there are probably some Kevin-Bacon Sixes for which USC should lose to Montclair High School. But my point is: Oregon State is better than Washington State, UCLA fought Washington State, so shouldn’t Oregon State put up an even bigger challenge?

Maybe. The dominant story in this game will be QB Matt Moore’s return to the Rose Bowl, where just a couple of years ago he was fighting Bruin QB Drew Olson to be UCLA’s quarterback. When Olson won the competition over his then-roommate, Moore transferred to Oregon State, where he is throwing nearly 300 a game under coach Mike Riley. He will have plenty of motivation and plenty of buzz from the crowd in the 90,000-seat amphitheater.

The thing is, Washington State was simply a great matchup against UCLA, thanks to RB Jerome Harrison, whose 260 yards against the Bruins last week put him over 1,000 for the season in just six games. The defense against the UCLA race is, in a word, pitiful. As in: fourth worst in the entire NCAA. And this is an undefeated team? Eesh. However, Oregon State makes its living through the air. Yvenson Bernard is a good defender, but he is neither as fast nor as fast as Harrison. I’m sure he will have a good game on Saturday. I just don’t think he’s giving the Bruins 260. And the fact is, UCLA’s pass defense is pretty good, allowing less than 190 passing yards per game. Of course, part of that is that teams don’t need throw against such a lousy run defense, but again I say, running is not what the Beavers are set up to do.

The other side of the ball is a bigger mismatch. The Bruins like to throw, throw, throw, mixing it up with the third-best running back in the Los Angeles metro area, Maurice Drew, who already has 11 TDs this season. UCLA averages nearly 275 passing yards per game, and Oregon State is the second-worst team in the nation defending the pass, allowing 331 ypg. That’s a recipe for disaster against Karl Dorrell’s flanker-shooting offense. I still don’t think UCLA is anywhere near national title contender status, but this week represents a good matchup for them, and they have plenty of enemies after the lackluster win at Pullman. I’m drinking UCLA (-9.5) over Oregon State, and expecting a big score. But the Bruins won’t be tracked early, Olson will outplay his former roommate and Drew will score a few more times. UCLA! Struggle! Struggle! Struggle!