UCLA, Northwestern announce future schedule additions

UCLA and Northwestern are going to see quite a bit of each other. Well, they will in 11 years.

The two schools announced a home-and-home series in 2033 and 2034 on Wednesday. Northwestern will travel to Rose Bowl Stadium in 2033 and the Bruins will make the trip to Evanston to face the Wildcats in 2034.

The two teams haven’t faced off since 2005 when UCLA defeated Northwestern 50-38 in the Sun Bowl. Before that, the last matchup was in 1970. The two teams have split the six meetings from 1931-2005, but the Bruins have won the last three.

UCLA also announced it’s hosting UC Davis in 2027, meaning the Bruins are making big plans for the future.

UCLA is coming off an 8-4 overall record in 2021, including a 6-3 mark in Pac-12 action — the best season of Chip Kelly’s tenure. The Bruins also signed Kelly to an extension after the season, which put to rest any questions about a potential departure down the road.

More on Chip Kelly’s contract extension at UCLA

According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, Kelly’s new deal will pay him $4.6 million next season and $4.8 million in the following three years. The deal keeps Kelly under contract through the 2025 season.

Bolch also reported that Kelly has a retention bonus included in his new contract with UCLA.

“Retention bonuses are $1 million on Dec. 15, 2022, $1 million Dec. 15, 2023 and $1 million on Dec. 15, 2024,” Bolch tweeted.

Kelly’s new deal with UCLA also has a buyout that expires on Dec. 15, 2023.

“Chip Kelly’s buyout that expires Dec. 15, 2023, calls for him to make 70% of his salary and talent fee THROUGH THAT DATE, not for the entire four-year contract,” said Bolch.

News of Kelly’s extension originally broke just two days before Kelly’s buyout in his previous contract was set to drop to zero.

Kelly began his collegiate coaching career in 2009 at Oregon. There, he led the Ducks to a 46-7 overall record and four bowl game appearances. In 2010, Kelly and Oregon made it to the BCS Championship, where the Ducks ultimately fell short. After the 2012 season, Kelly was hired as the next head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kelly led the Eagles to a 10-6 record in each of his first two NFL seasons, making the playoffs once. He then went 6-9 in his third year in Philadelphia and was fired after Week 16 in 2015. The San Francisco 49ers then hired Kelly as their next head coach, but Kelly lasted just one season there after going 2-14.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.