Ducks’ Bellotti rebuffs UCLA
By Brian Dohn
Article Last Updated: 12/21/2007 12:01:11 PM PST

Mike Bellotti has rebuffed overtures from UCLA and will remain head coach at Oregon, leaving Rick Neuheisel as the apparent front-runner to become the Bruins’ next football coach. An announcement is expected today.

Bellotti had met Thursday with UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero, who has been interviewing candidates since firing Karl Dorrell on Dec. 3.

Bellotti, the dean of Pac-10 football coaches, has a 105-50 record with Oregon and had the Ducks in the 2007 national-title hunt until quarterback Dennis Dixon injured a knee in November.

Neuheisel, the one-time UCLA quarterback, is the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator and a former college head coach at Colorado and Washington.

Neuheisel and Temple head coach Al Golden have had two rounds of interviews with UCLA officials.