UCLA NOTEBOOK: COMPUTER GAMES : BRUINS MAKE SOME PROGRESS IN BCS RANKINGS.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

The No. 2 Bruins increased their lead over Kansas State and closed the gap on Tennessee in the latest Bowl Championship Series rankings, and they can thank two computers for it.

UCLA moved from second to first in the Seattle Times rankings and from fifth to fourth in the New York Times power poll.

As a result, the Bruins' computer average - one of four components in the BCS poll - dropped from 2.33 to 1.75, and their lead over Kansas State expanded by a half-point in the overall BCS rankings.

The teams with the lowest BCS point total on Dec. 6 will play for the national title in the Fiesta Bowl. What seemed a remote possibility a month ago now seems all too real: an undefeated team may be left out of the national championship game.

``That's why I'm in favor of a playoff system,'' Bruins coach Bob Toledo said. ``If all three are undefeated . . . two (teams) are going to be happy and one is going to be disappointed.''

And that team could be the Bruins, despite their 1.24-point lead on Kansas State.

Why? Victory margin and schedule strength are crucial ingredients to the BCS poll. If Kansas State impressively defeats Texas A&M, which has the 13th-ranked schedule, while UCLA modestly beats Miami, which has the 73rd-ranked schedule, the Wildcats could make up the difference.

To secure a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, the Bruins need to gain one spot in either of the top-25 polls. (They are currently No. 3 in both.)

``If they get to No. 2 in one of the polls, that's a half-point difference in the BCS,'' said BCS co-creator Charles Bloom. ``That would really help.''

The final BCS rankings will be announced Dec. 6 at approximately 10 a.m.

No regrets: Toledo offered no apologies for quarterback Cade McNown's third-and-9 bootleg run with 30 seconds left - a play USC coach Paul Hackett believed was unsportsmanlike.

In fact, Toledo was surprised by Hackett's reaction.

``We threw six passes in the second half,'' Toledo said. ``If he was concerned about that one play, he's got a problem. That's his problem. There's a lot more plays he should be concerned about.''

McNown faked a sweep to the left and reversed his field, running 23 yards down the right side. Toledo said the decision to reverse was McNown's, but he added: ``I could have thrown a pass.''

As is customary, the coaches met briefly on the field after the game. According to Toledo, Hackett said, ``I hope (McNown) did that on his own,'' then failed to congratulate Toledo on the victory.

Recruiting update: Asi Faoa, a linebacker from Magnolia High School in Anaheim, gave UCLA an oral commitment Saturday.

Faoa, 6-5 and 220 pounds, received scholarship offers from UCLA and Kansas, according to Student Sports Magazine. He can play any linebacker position but views himself as an outside linebacker/defensive end in the mold of Danjuan Magee, Brendon Ayanbadejo and Santi Hall.

Faoa is the third player to commit to UCLA, following Venice quarterback J.P. Losman and Temecula safety Ryan Wikert.

Playing it safe: Toledo and offensive coordinator Al Borges stepped out of character when they ordered McNown to take a knee with a 17-point lead and 59 seconds left in the first half. UCLA had first down on its 27.

``I've gone for it in that situation, but I felt we were in total control and I didn't want to do anything to give them momentum,'' Toledo said. ``I'd do it again.

``(Sometimes) you have a gut feeling that you're in control, and I felt that way after the first quarter. I felt we could do what we need to do to win. I felt very confident.''

No more yellow: UCLA's improvement in recent weeks coincides with a decline in penalties. The Bruins committed five at Washington and two against USC.

Perhaps the most surprising statistic from Saturday's emotional game was the penalty total: five.

``So many penalties could have been called, but the officials did an outstanding job of letting the players decide the game,'' Toledo said.

BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Through Games of Nov. 21

Poll Comp

School AP U-E  Avg. ST Sagarin NYT  Avg. Skd QRnk L Tot.

1. Tennessee 1 2 1.50 2 3 2 2.33 14 0.56 0 4.39

2. UCLA 3 3 3.00 1 2 (2.25) 1.75 8 0.32 0 5.07

3. Kansas St. 2 1 1.50 3 1 3 2.33 62 2.48 0 6.31

4. Florida St 4 4 4.00 4 4 1 3.00 5 0.20 1 8.20

5. Texas A&M 6 6 6.00 5 5 5 5.00 13 0.52 1 12.52

6. Ohio St. 5 5 5.00 7 6 6 6.33 27 1.08 1 13.41

7. Arizona 7 7 7.00 6 7 7 6.67 51 2.04 1 16.71

8. Florida 8 8 8.00 11 9 9 9.67 20 .80 2 20.47

9. N. Dame 9 10 9.50 8 (12) 8 9.33 60 2.40 1 22.23

10. Wisconsin 10 9 9.50 10 10 11 10.33 65 2.60 1 23.43

Others: 11. Tulane 29.70; 12. Nebraska 30.77; 13. Arkansas 35.32; 14. Michigan 37.27; 15. Georgia 37.42; 16. Air Force 38.35; 17. Virginaia 40.99; 18. Oregon 41.00; 19. 41.77; 20. Miami 46.00.

Explanation Key

Poll Average: The average of The Associated Press media poll and USA Today-ESPN coaches poll. Others receiving votes are calculated in order received.

Computer Average: The average of The Hester & Anderson/Seattle Times, Jeff Sagarin's rankings and New York Times rankings. In order to prevent differences in individual formulas, a maximum adjusted deviation of no greater than 50 percent of the average of the two lowest computer rankings is utilized.

Quartile Rank: Rank of schedule strength compared to other Division I-A teams divided by 25. This component is calculated by determining the cumulative won/loss records of the team's opponent (66.6 percent) and the cumulative won/loss records of the team's opponents opponents (33.3 percent).

Losses: One point for each loss during the season.

CAPTION(S):

Box

BOX: BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (see text)