TIME ON UCLA'S SIDE.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

They have three weeks to dream over in Westwood. Three weeks to do a lot of things.

That's a long time between football games, and it can work in a number of ways, positive and negative.

But given the current backdrop to this season, this is about as good as it's going to get for the Bruins. About as ideal a scenario as they could hope for, if they are to do the unthinkable - upset No. 1 USC.

Let us count the reasons.

UCLA is coming off its biggest victory during its two seasons under coach Karl Dorrell.

USC has to play its other rival game the week before meeting the Bruins.

The game will be at home in the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins will have three weeks to rest and heal injuries.

The coaches will have three weeks to craft their best game plan and install it.

For a team that is 6-4, this is as close to an aligning of the stars as it could imagine.

``I saw stars aligning about three weeks ago, but it didn't work out that way,'' Dorrell said.

UCLA started the season 4-1 but had been down that road with Dorrell last season. It lost its next two games.

Then on a day that appeared to turn their season, the Bruins shut out Stanford.

What happened next has yet to be logically explained by anyone currently residing on our planet.

The Bruins lost at home to Washington State and then made themselves bowl eligible with a stunning 31-29 victory last Saturday at Oregon.

The upset saved their season, if not averting plenty of heat in the kiln calling for Dorrell's ouster.

Now the Bruins are as confident as they have been in years. They have all this time for the injured to get healthy. All this time to focus on USC. To hone in on the upset of the college football season.

``I'm looking forward to this opportunity,'' Dorrell said.

Reasons to believe USC will again outclass the Bruins are clearly more numerous than those in support of an upset.

The Trojans, with a bye of their own this week, have won 19 consecutive games. They are arguably the most balanced team in the country. USC is sixth nationally in total defense and 15th in total offense.

USC seems clearly on its way to the Orange Bowl and opportunity to win its second consecutive national championship.

But at least the Bruins can point to a few things that support the dubious prospect of a victory.

This year, the Bruins have a real offense, one that is at least in the same neighborhood as USC's. This year, they can actually run the ball. Trouble is, they have trouble stopping the run.

Its young line and schizophrenic defense has had its moments, but not enough that you can count on it.

Meanwhile, USC will play host to Notre Dame next week, with the gutty little Bruins all snug in front of the television.

``The benefit we have is they play a game while we're not,'' Dorrell said. ``There's always the chance of something happening during the course of that game you can game plan or that can help.

``It gives us a chance to get a better feel for what's going on with what they're doing.''

Of course, if the Trojans knock the stuffing out of the Fighting Irish it won't do anything for the Bruins' psyches.

Three weeks without playing a game can also work against you. Timing can falter, a team can come out something less than sharp, that momentum from Eugene can fade.

``This can work against you,'' Dorrell said. ``That's why I'm very guarded about having three weeks off. I've never had three weeks off in any place I've been.''

There are normally long stretches without playing before a bowl game, so it's not like it's completely uncharted territory.

``It's bigger than a bowl game,'' Dorrell said.

The Bruins will be serious underdogs against the unbeaten Trojans, who appear so smooth, so supremely confident, so completely under control.

Yet given how the season has unfolded to this point, this is about as good a situation as the Bruins could desire.

``We have some momentum,'' Dorrell said. ``We're feeling good about ourselves. We have three weeks to prepare. They play an extra game.

``All those things are a great benefit to us, but it's still going to come down to playing football.''

The Bruins have three weeks to dream of how they'll play and one afternoon to pull it off. It's the best they could hope for.