UCLA coach Chip Kelly likes to say that every game is the Super Bowl. It’s a mantra intended to steady his team’s focus and remind players that no game is more important than any other.
Kelly used the phrase while he was at Oregon to suppress rivalry hype or keep a heavily favored team engaged in its preparation for what was expected to be a blowout victory.
Its usage could take on a different meaning Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, where Kelly will coach a winless team against a small-conference opponent in what could be a half-empty stadium.