Freshening Up Tradition

I'm a lifelong UCLA fan; as such, I hate USC (sorry Kev). But I applaud Pete Carroll for openly declaring that he will have his team suit up in their home uniforms for Saturday's game against the Bruins, despite the possible penalty that doing so will incur. This is one of the oldest and biggest rivalries in all of collegiate athletics, but it has lost some of its luster in recent years. Maybe this will help bring it back into the national spotlight.

I say let the kids and coaches enjoy themselves. With all of the nonsense that schools and fans have to endure due to the BCS, I think the NCAA owes us at least a little fun.

Dan Woike from Rivals.com writes:

Monday, USC coach Pete Carroll told the media and his team that they'd be breathing life into a tradition that's been dead since 1982 – where both UCLA and USC wore their home jerseys when the two teams meet.

By wearing their cardinal jerseys Saturday, the Trojans will be penalized and will lose a timeout in each half.

"It might (cost us). I don't know. I don't care about that right now," Carroll said. "We'll play without it. I think it's worth it. I think it's a fun thing to do, and I think our fans will appreciate it over time."

Woike later adds:

Carroll said he called UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel shortly after the former Washington coach took over across town.

"I know Rick liked the idea, too," Carroll said. "We're not trying to surprise them like Notre Dame throwing on the green jerseys or something like that."

To read the full article, click here.

Go Bruins.