Pac (11) Snapshot: UCLA Bruins
Overview
The mixed-bag that was UCLA’s season opener has thrown some preseason predictions for them into a bit of a tailspin. On the one hand, the Bruins secured their first non-conference win in Chip Kelly’s tenure, breezing to an easy 44-10 win over Hawaii.
On the other hand, their quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, looked woefully inadequate, completing just 10/20 passes for 130 yards. He didn’t need to defeat the Rainbow Warriors anymore, but if the Bruins are to rise and compete for the Pac-12 South, DTR will have to be light-years better than he was this past Saturday.
Toughest Game
They’re an enigma after a brutal 2020 season, but this week’s showdown against LSU is still that…a showdown against LSU. The Tigers put together arguably the most dominant single season in college football history in 2019 before the wheels came off last season, but this is still one of the most talented teams in the nation.
And while UCLA appears to be on the upswing, the disparity in talent between the two programs is still too wide to think the Bruins can hang.
Guaranteed Win
Well, they already had it, but I’ll still play along. Assuming the Bruins can wipe themselves off the mat in time, they do host Fresno State on September 18, wrapping up their non-conference slate with what should be an easy tune-up.
Trap Game
If UCLA will contend in the South, a four-week stretch early in the season is going to determine their fate. After Fresno State, the Bruins travel to Stanford, then host Arizona State. They also travel to Washington, then host Oregon.
But between the ASU and Washington games comes Arizona to town, setting up the leading candidate for “Well, that Pac-12 After Dark game came out of nowhere.” I mean, doesn’t that game just scream a 56-54, four-overtime thriller that no one outside the Pac-12 footprint will notice until the next morning?
UCLA needs to be careful; Arizona won’t have the talent to hang, but expect Fisch’s team to fight hard and give the Bruins all they can handle, especially if they’re looking ahead to the Huskies.
Record Prediction
8-4.
After Chip’s first three seasons, the Bruins would take 8-4 in a heartbeat. The progress they made in 2020 was evident, as all of their losses were last-second affairs; now, they look to close out those types of contests and compete for a division title.
They may still be a year away as Kelly continues to mold the program to his philosophies. Still, there’s no denying that as long as DTR plays at the level he’s projected to — which is, to say, much better than last weekend — the Bruins are a dangerous threat, week in and week out, for any opponent.
