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So UCLA lost to that OPU (other public university – abbreviation is pronounced as o-poop) up in the Bay Area, and by looking at the final score, 45-28, it would seem that the Bruins were outmatched in every way.

Never fear, Bruin fans — your eternal pessimist actually thinks there might be some cause for optimism for the rest of this season.

I mean, granted, you have to dig through the 500-plus total yards that the OPU Golden Bears ran up on UCLA, not to mention the Bruins’ hideous two tries to get a yard in the red zone, but it’s there.

You might have to squint a little, spray some Windex on those glasses or steal a magnifying glass from the biology lab, but it’s there.

The Bruins tallied more points against OPU than even USC did, an amazing feat given that UCLA was without Craig Bragg.

With Bragg back, Bruin offensive coordinator Tom Cable must be giddy thinking about the possibilities. He could run play-action, throw some deep balls, or run some wide receiver screens, something we haven’t seen a lot of in the last three games.

Or Cable could call the play where Drew Olson throws to Tab Perry over the middle for about a 10-to-15-yard gain, the safety jumps on his back, and Perry carries him 27 yards down the sideline. That reminds me – I should start charging my goddaughter, Lily, for piggyback rides.

The other thing that made the game seem like a blowout when it wasn’t was the two fourth-down conversions by OPU that led to touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bruins missed two key fourth-down conversions.

There’s even reason to be optimistic about the defense. I know, OPU racked up huge rushing yards, but at least UCLA’s defensive line fought and held its own, and most of the Bears’ yards were the result of uncharacteristic missed tackles, which is something the Bruins can hopefully be coached out of. The key word being “hopefully.”

Either way, UCLA will have to outscore Arizona State this Saturday because the defense will likely bend. Whether it breaks remains to be seen.

Like UCLA, the Sun Devils are difficult to judge because they haven’t really played any good teams, except USC, who blew them out of the water. More than likely, they’re a pretty good team that will finish somewhere between third and fifth in the Pac-10, which will make them a stiff enough test for the Bruins.

Hmm, sounds familiar. Rare wins against quality opponents, cupcake-schedule to open the season, and a loss last week to a Pac-10 power? Arizona State should remind you a lot of UCLA, which is why this weekend will be a lot of fun. It took seven weeks, but the Bruins will finally play a game in which both teams are pretty evenly matched.

Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if the Bruins could knock Andrew Walter out of the game like they did last year, but we would never advocate hurting other players. Wink, wink. And even if Walter stays healthy, the defense should still be able to leave the offense in good position to win the game.

On offense, teams haven’t really been able to score at will against the Sun Devils, but they’re not really a shutdown defense either, so it’ll be interesting to see how effectively UCLA can move the ball. Cable’s playcalling has been questioned, so we’re probably going to see a more aggressive style to start the game, especially if the Sun Devils jump out to an early lead.

But no matter how good things might look now, there’s always history. You’ve heard of the “Curse of the Bambino.” Well, I have “The Curse of the Great-Start-Bad-Finish-We-Blame-Toledo.” Basically, it’s where UCLA has a great start, a poor finish, and blames it all on former coach Bob Toledo.

Does history repeat itself?

Well, we could compare this season to last year’s.

Good start?

Check.

Naive optimism for the end of the season and UCLA’s chances against USC?

Check.

Despite this, everyone still can’t wait for basketball season so they don’t have to hear about how USC is the top team in the nation?

Check.

First loss followed by string of match-ups against good teams?

Check.

Oh, poop.

If you notice, Bruce never said Cal once, except just now. Dang it! E-mail Tran at btran@media.ucla.edu.