If you have been reading the last two articles on the schedule analysis (pt 1 here and pt 2 here) you will see that after close victories at Arizona St. and at home against Oregon UCLA now finds themselves at 6-0 and 3-0 in Pac-12 play. The Bruins control their own destiny for how for they go. UCLA is now a top 3 team in the nation and if they win out will be Pac-12 champions, as well as, one of the four teams in the first ever college football playoff. This week we will look at games 7, 8, and 9 of the 2014 season. It starts off with road games at Cal and at Colorado and finishes with a home game against the Wildcats of Arizona.
UCLA Schedule Analysis: Games 7-9
Saturday October 18: At California (time and broadcast TBD)
You have to feel bad for Sonny Dykes and the Cal Bears. They watched a painful 1-11 season last year and quite frankly aren’t that much better this season. The only good moment from last season was the emergence of freshman star QB Jared Goff. This kid is a stud and has future 1st round draft pick written all over him. He will give Cal a chance to win every game, but he is not going to be enough to beat UCLA.
Prediction: UCLA has not beaten Cal at Berkley since 1998, but that will change this season. UCLA wins by 2+ touchdowns and keeps the undefeated dreams alive.
Record: 7-0 (4-0 in Pac-12)
Saturday October 25: At Colorado (time and broadcast TBD)
Head coach Mike MacIntyre is doing a nice job rebuilding the Colorado Buffaloes, but this is not going to be the year the rebuilding process is complete. He has a good QB/WR combo in QB Sefo Liufau and WR Nelson Spruce, both of whom will help speed up this rebuilding process. However, this year they just do not have the depth or the talent to compete with the rolling Bruins.
Prediction: This will be closer than people think with the altitude and crowd noise playing some factor, but in the end I expect the Bruins to remain undefeated and win by 10+ points.
Record: 8-0 (5-0 in Pac-12)
Saturday November 1: Vs. Arizona (time and broadcast TBD)
If Arizona is able to find a solid QB this could prove to be a very interesting game in week 9. Rich Rodriguez has the most talented WR corps in the conference and they could cause major problems for the UCLA defense. Fabian Moreau and company will have to be ready for a busy night through the air. Also, Rich Rods unconventional 3-3-5 defense could cause some problems for the UCLA offense as well, so that will be something to look out for. In the end, however, it wont be enough.
Prediction: UCLA is just bigger and more talented and should be able to handle this tough Wildcat team. The Bruins remain undefeated with a victory.
Record: 9-0 (6-0)
After nine games the Bruins will still be sitting in the drivers seat in the Pac-12. At 9-0 overall, and 6-0 in the Pac-12, the Bruins will control their own destiny to the conference championship game. Bruin faithful really could not be thankful enough for this little three game stretch before having to play a very tough last three games. The three teams they play in games 7-9 are nowhere near the talent level of the final three opponents and should provide a nice little tune up before the final stretch. With three conference championship contenders waiting for them UCLA will need to make sure that they are rolling on all cylinders.
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