As the holiday season approaches, UCLA football fans probably have "new head football coach" at the top of their wish lists. On Sunday, the school released head coach, Jim Mora, who had been the Bruins since 2012.
UCLA's closest rival is USC. But in the battle for Los Angeles college football supremacy, the Trojans have largely overshadowed everything that Bruins have accomplished.
"Jim Mora was supposed to be the coach to change that narrative," Andy Kamenetzky said.
Mora came to USC after several stops throughout both college football and the NFL, where he coached the Atlanta Falcons to play-off berth.
"Jim Mora was still considered this attractive head coach for recruits in that he could sell himself as offering a pipeline to the NFL. He was brash. He infamously declared, 'We own this town,' after beating USC in 2013," Kamenetzky said. "But looking back at it, their recent heights largely coincided with the period that USC was under sanctions because of the Reggie Bush scandal. Once those clouds parted, normalcy was restored."