Barnett Fancied Ucla Until Rose Bowl Loss

Northwestern football coach Gary Barnett says in a new book that he almost accepted an offer from UCLA, then changed his mind after his Wildcats lost the Rose Bowl to Southern Cal 41-32.

“It didn’t tarnish the season, but it made me feel like we needed to come back and win it,” Barnett writes in “High Hopes.”

Barnett won numerous coaching awards after the Wildcats (10-1) beat Notre Dame, Michigan and Penn State before the bowl.