Gophers 'really excited' for first trip to Rose Bowl Stadium since 1962

Minnesota matchup with UCLA will mark a new-era of college football.

Nov 19, 2016; Pasadena, CA, USA; The Rose Bowl Stadium before the game between the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After knocking off No. 11 USC in a Big Ten showdown on Saturday, the Gophers will continue their West Coast matchups in the new-look conference and play in The Rose Bowl Stadium for the first time since 1962 against UCLA.

With the new structure of the College Football Playoff the Gophers' chances of playing in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 have never been slimmer, but this weekend they will have a chance to play in the stadium for the first time in more than 60 years.

"I think there are a lot of people here that are really excited about heading out to Pasadena and going out to the Rose Bowl and connecting memories and moments from their family's past, Gophers past, and that's really special. Life's about moments and memories," Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said Monday.

Minnesota's last appearance at the Rose Bowl came in 1962 after Big Ten champion Ohio State declined the invitation. All-American quarterback Sandy Stephens was named the game's MVP and the Gophers took down UCLA 21-3 for their first and only Rose Bowl victory.

Their most recent trip to face UCLA came in 1978 when the Gophers and Bruins played a home-and-home non-conference series. Minnesota lost that game to No. 18 UCLA by a score of 17-3, but it was played at the LA Memorial Coliseum.

The Rose Bowl Stadium is arguably the most iconic venue in all of college football, so it's hard to ignore its history, but Fleck and the Gophers will be forced to do that this week against the Bruins.

"Our job is to find a way to be 1-0 and find a way to play our best football game we played of the year against a good UCLA team that if you really study and watch them, they've got a lot of talent in every area," Fleck said.

UCLA is off to a 1-4 start this season, which is their first as a member of the Big Ten. They've lost their first three conference games by a combined score of 103-37. With so many challenging conference opponents left on the schedule, Minnesota cannot afford to overlook first-year head coach DeShaun Foster and the Bruins.