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"Go Bruins", Bruin Football, Bruin Nation, Bruins, college football, football, Pac-12 Conference, Pac-12 South, Pasadena, Rose Bowl, UCLA, UCLA Bruins, UCLA Football, University of California Los Angeles, Westwood
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES (UCLA) – BRUIN FOOTBALL
First Season: 1919
All-Time Record: 620-437-37
All-Time Bowl Record: 16-19-1
Conference Championships: 17 (last one in 1998)
National Championships: One, in 1954
Heisman Trophy Winners: One – Gary Beban in 1967
First Game / First Home Game: Bowling Green at the Rose Bowl – Saturday, September 3, 2022, at 11:30 a.m.
Like I have previously stated…
I’m more optimistic regarding how the won-loss record of UCLA’s football team will look like at the end of this season that I have been in previous seasons,
And there’s one overwhelming reason for that:
The fact that those Bruins have arguably the easiest non-conference schedule in the country, and certainly the easiest non-conference schedule in their history.
In case my fellow members of Bruin Nation don’t already know this,
UCLA’s first three opponents – Bowling Green, Alabama State and South Alabama – are what are commonly known as “Gimme” and “Cupcake” games in which the Bruins should be winning by at least four touchdowns by halftime with the second and third string players seeing action by the fourth quarter.
The only concern I have about those three teams – and to be honest, it’s a slight concern at that – is that being the pronounced underdogs that they will be, those Falcons, Hornets, and Jaguars (respectively) will go onto the Rose Bowl turf with the mindset of “We have nothing to lose!”
Which is why Chip Kelly’s team, particularly Dorian Thompson-Robinson (DTR) and company on offense, cannot take them lightly and will need to go for the knockout early to keep any thoughts of the biggest upset in college football history – at least in the 21st century – from entering any of those three squads’ minds;
The goal for those first three contests needing to be that their starters will be able to rest during the fourth quarter due to the lead being so big.
Which is what I see happening.
At least the Alabama State game will be fun, being that they’re a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) with a outstandingly dynamic marching band to match. They will be the first HBCU school to ever play UCLA and the first one to ever play at the Rose Bowl, which will be a monumentous event;
I’m certainly excited to see that Marching Hornets Band from Montgomery.
As for the Pac-12 schedule…
Except for these two teams,
- Utah on October 8th
and,
- at Oregon on October 22nd
I see the rest of the Bruins’ conference games as quite winnable, with the “Trap Game” being,
- at Arizona State on November 5th
At the very least, outside of Utah and Oregon I see UCLA being favorites against the rest of the Pac-12.
Especially if the defense, particularly the pass defense, improves and comes through.
Which I think it will, or at least perform better than they have in the last few seasons.
Which is why – outside of the Crosstown Rivalry Clash against USC on November 19th in which I will say absolutely nothing about how I see that game unfolding and who I see winning until two days before kickoff – November 17th to be precise,
I am officially making these season predictions regarding the football team of my collegiate alma mater…
- NINE WINS (outside of USC)
- No lower than third place in the Pac-12 South and no lower than fourth place among the twelve conference teams overall, with a decent chance for third place overall
- A final ranking in the top twenty at worst with a good shot at being ranked in the top fifteen, with…
- A definite berth in either the Holiday (which they will play in this time!), Sun, or Alamo Bowls with a decent chance at the Rose Bowl or a New Year’s Six bowl game if everything goes perfectly
- With the offense, led by DTR, averaging anywhere from 45 to over fifty points a game
I feel I’m being optimistic in making these predictions, knowing that last year notwithstanding those Bruins, especially on defense, have always found ways to screw things up, blow leads late, finish with a losing record (as they had the previous five seasons), and leave me feeling anywhere from annoyed to just plain p****d off and looking forward to watching the UCLA gymnastics team’s meets to make me feel good about being a Bruin again.
I certainly hope and pray that DTR, the rest of the offense, and that defense can prove me right this year.