The UCLA Bruins have constantly come close to winning the Pac-12 title over the past few seasons, but they always miss out, and they often fail to even win the Pac-12 South Division. They’re always in the hunt, but they falter in November. Can this season become something different? That’s the question everyone is asking in Westwood.
Biggest Team Weakness
The Bruins lack a physical and overpowering defensive front line. The Bruins get exposed on a regular basis, every year, by superior offensive lines. UCLA’s front seven, especially its front four, just can’t hang in the trenches against the very best in the Pac-12. It’s true that last year’s devastating loss to USC was made possible in part by offensive mistakes, especially turnovers, but for the most part, UCLA’s defense gives way against highly capable offenses. This team just doesn’t have the margin for error which can withstand below-average defensive performances. Unless or until the UCLA Bruins develop a much stronger defensive front, it will still be third or fourth in the Pac-12, in that “almost but not quite” category of teams which are good enough to contend but weak enough to fall short of real glory.
Biggest Team Strength
The Bruins’ foremost team strength is at quarterback. No one can say enough good things about Josh Rosen, a star recruit and a major national talent who learned a lot of lessons in his first season and should be able to get a lot better in his second one in Pasadena. Rosen is mobile, with a big arm, and a level of field awareness which a lot of his quarterbacking peers don’t have. Rosen is viewed as a complete package, minus the veteran presence. He might need one more year to put all the pieces together, but as long as he’s noticeably better than he was last season, UCLA should be reasonably satisfied. It’s the process of helping him out and getting contributions from everyone else on the roster which must become this team’s foremost task. Rosen is not going to be the problem with this team if it wobbles at all in 2016.
Schedule
The schedule is a nine-game Pac-12 schedule, which is always a little harder than the eight-game schedules other top conferences (minus the Big 12) play every year. The Pac-12 doesn’t have great teams, but it has a lot of very good teams. It’s a balanced league, so while every game is winnable for UCLA, just about every game is also one UCLA could lose if it’s not careful. The biggest games of the season rise above the others, though. USC is the Bruins’ annual rival and the likely impediment on the road to the Pac-12 South title. The UCLA Bruins have to figure out a way to win that game.
The other team the UCLA Bruins have to beat is Stanford. The Cardinal own the Bruins and usually destroy UCLA’s weak defensive line. This year, though, Stanford will be without veteran quarterback Kevin Hogan due to graduation. It’s a chance for UCLA’s defense to improve against the Cardinal. Wins in those two games should mean a Pac-12 title.
The rest of the schedule will be tricky too, though. They have to start the year at Texas A&M and while that won’t really impact their Pac-12 standings, it will still tell us a lot about the 2016 Bruins. Then they also have a road trip to BYU two weeks later, which won’t be easy. In the conference, they have to go to Arizona State and Washington State in back-to-back weeks, and one of those games is sure to produce a loss. They also have to go to Cal to end the season. Yes, they get their two biggest games at home but they’ll have a tough time avoid the landmines in the Pac-12 this season. This is a tricky schedule.
Outlook
The Bruins will be good, but will they be good enough to win the Pac-12? Stanford’s strength up front is hard to bet against. UCLA can’t be trusted against the Cardinal, though the Bruins might beat USC this year.
Projection: 2nd in Pac-12 South
