This week, I will preview the upcoming season of the California Golden Bears. Cal will lose quarterback Jared Goff, running back Daniel Lasco, safety Stefan McClure, and wide receivers Bryce Treggs, Darius Powe, Kenny Lawler and Trevor Davis. Cornerback Darius Allensworth and running backs Vic Enwere and Tre Watson will return for the Golden Bears. The starting quarterback position will be difficult to replace, since Goff is leaving the team. Backup QB Cole Webb will also graduate and there are three other quarterback, all going into their sophomore year. I think that Chase Forrest will assume the job at quarterback since he played in Cal's season opener, unlike the other quarterbacks.
Cal will play in the first game of the 2016 season against Hawai'i in Australia. This game will be played on August 27, a week before the rest of College Football begins the season. This will be an easy win for the pounding Cal offense, 63-21. After a bye week, the Golden Bears will travel to San Diego to take on the San Diego State Aztecs, who won the Mountain West Conference last season. Cal beat up SDSU 35-7 last year, and will probably beat them again 45-23. The Golden Bears' home opener comes against the Texas Longhorns, who botched a point after touchdown against Cal last year to lose 45-44. Texas did beat Oklahoma, a team that went to the Playoff, last year. Cal's offense will fall short in this close game 38-35.
Arizona State opens up Cal's conference schedule in Tempe, Arizona. The Golden Bears will pull off the 31-17 victory to advance to 3-1. The Bears come back home to take on the Utah Utes, in which I've got Cal winning 38-30. They will coast past Oregon State 49-24, but fall short to Oregon 56-48. The Golden Bears travel to USC after this. I've got the Bears winning their first against USC since 2003, 31-27. Washington will then defeat Cal 27-24. The final three games of the season will all be tough for Cal. Washington State will give Cal their fourth loss of the season by a score of 45-35. Stanford will defeat Cal 49-31 and UCLA will defeat the Golden Bears 42-28.
Cal will finish the season 6-6, just like Arizona State. The Bears went 8-5 in last season's rebuilding year. This season might just be short of a repeat of last season for the Bears. However, this season will test how dependent the Golden Bears were on Jared Goff, who is projected to be one of the top 10 picks in the upcoming NFL draft. Stay tuned next week, as I will preview the Colorado Buffaloes.
P.S. Sorry about the extra week's delay. It was Spring Break and I forgot to publish this post. So I decided to just make it this week's post.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Monday, March 14, 2016
2016-2017 Pac-12 Football Team Previews and Record Predictions: Arizona State Sun Devils
The next Pac-12 team I will preview is the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU will be losing quarterback Mike Bercovici and wide receivers DJ Foster and Devin Lucien, a graduat transfer from UCLA. On the defense, the Sun Devils will lose cornerback Lloyd Carrington and defensive back Jordan Simone. Running backs Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage will return for the Sun Devils. Their starting quarterback for this season may be Bryce Perkins, the younger brother of UCLA running back Paul Perkins.
Arizona State opens the season with FCS Northern Arizona. This will be an easy win for ASU, 49-7. They will receive their first true test against the pass-heavy Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tech's defense is really bad though. With that, ASU will pull away with a last-second field goal 37-34. UTSA is next for ASU in San Antonio. the Sun Devils will win this one easily, 52-27.
After an easy non-conference slate, the Sun Devils will probably be 3-0. First on the conference schedule is Cal, who beat ASU 48-46 on a last-second field goal last season. Cal is losing many of their star players, but that won't be enough to help Arizona State win. They will lose 31-17. Next up is USC. Arizona State could beat USC on a last-second touchdown, just like they did 2 seasons ago. This time, the score will be 41-38. The Sun Devils will be celebrating, but it won't help them against UCLA the next week. I'm picking UCLA to win 28-17. Now at 4-2, ASU will cruise to an easy 5th win against Colorado 38-14. By now, Arizona State should be in the rankings, but will lose to Washington State 52-48 in a high-scoring affair. Oregon will load up another high-scoring game against the Sun Devils, who will be forced to their fourth loss after falling 62-55, a similar score to last season's 61-55 Oregon victory. Arizona State will fall to 5-5 after losing to Utah on a late touchdown, 24-21. They will reach bowl eligibility by defeating Washington 31-24. Finally, Arizona will defeat ASU 35-17 in the Territorial Cup rivalry game.
This season will be another disappointment for Arizona State, who went 10-3 two seasons ago. They will make another low-tier bowl appearance at 6-6. Sorry, ASU fans, but the Sun Devils won't be a 10-win team this coming season. Next week, I will preview the California Golden Bears' next season. Please stay tuned for next week!
Arizona State opens the season with FCS Northern Arizona. This will be an easy win for ASU, 49-7. They will receive their first true test against the pass-heavy Texas Tech Red Raiders. Tech's defense is really bad though. With that, ASU will pull away with a last-second field goal 37-34. UTSA is next for ASU in San Antonio. the Sun Devils will win this one easily, 52-27.
After an easy non-conference slate, the Sun Devils will probably be 3-0. First on the conference schedule is Cal, who beat ASU 48-46 on a last-second field goal last season. Cal is losing many of their star players, but that won't be enough to help Arizona State win. They will lose 31-17. Next up is USC. Arizona State could beat USC on a last-second touchdown, just like they did 2 seasons ago. This time, the score will be 41-38. The Sun Devils will be celebrating, but it won't help them against UCLA the next week. I'm picking UCLA to win 28-17. Now at 4-2, ASU will cruise to an easy 5th win against Colorado 38-14. By now, Arizona State should be in the rankings, but will lose to Washington State 52-48 in a high-scoring affair. Oregon will load up another high-scoring game against the Sun Devils, who will be forced to their fourth loss after falling 62-55, a similar score to last season's 61-55 Oregon victory. Arizona State will fall to 5-5 after losing to Utah on a late touchdown, 24-21. They will reach bowl eligibility by defeating Washington 31-24. Finally, Arizona will defeat ASU 35-17 in the Territorial Cup rivalry game.
This season will be another disappointment for Arizona State, who went 10-3 two seasons ago. They will make another low-tier bowl appearance at 6-6. Sorry, ASU fans, but the Sun Devils won't be a 10-win team this coming season. Next week, I will preview the California Golden Bears' next season. Please stay tuned for next week!
Monday, March 7, 2016
2016-2017 Pac-12 Football Team Previews and Record Predictions: Arizona Wildcats
Many football conferences have already announced the schedules for each of their teams. The Pacific-12 Conference (known as the Pac-12) is one of these conferences. In my previous four posts, I have given a preview of UCLA's 2016-2017 football schedule, showing each team's final schedule from last season and key returning and leaving players. I will list each team's returning and leaving players as well as go over each schedule. Finally, I will predict each team's final record of the next regular season based on the team's average performance.
This week, I will preview the 2016-2017 football schedule for the Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats will be losing All-American linebacker Scooby Wright III, safety Jamar Allah, and wide receivers David Richards and Cayleb Jones. Quarterback Anu Solomon, running back Nick Wilson, cornerback Cam Denson and wide receivers Samajie Grant and Nate Phillips will return for the Wildcats.
U of A's season opener will be played at Phoenix Stadium (home of the NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals) against BYU. Even though the Cougars will lose many key players and have a different head coach, they will make it a tough season opener. I predict that Arizona will lose this game 35-31. Arizona's next game is against the Grambling State Tigers of the FCS. This should be an easy win for Arizona, who will pull away with a 66-10 win. Another cupcake game awaits for the Wildcats the following week. This time, the opponent will be Hawai'i, a team that really, truly sucks. Arizona will probably win this one 52-17.
Now that we've gone through the Wildcats' non-conference schedule, the next 9 games will be played against Pac-12 foes. So far, I predict Arizona to go 2-1 during their non-conference slate. Washington is next for U of A. Last season, Washington crushed Arizona 49-3. But this year, I will pick Arizona to beat Washington 27-21. After this is a trip to the Rose Bowl against UCLA. In this contest, I predict that UCLA will beat Arizona once again, this time by a score of 35-20. Utah comes after UCLA for the Wildcats in Salt Lake City. Knowing that Utah's big players are leaving, I've got Arizona beating the Utes 31-21. Arizona will play against USC right before their bye week. This game will probably end up being a close one, but I've got Arizona pulling away in overtime 44-41.
Arizona will go into their bye week with a 5-2 record. They have a well-timed bye week, because right afterwards, they will host the Stanford Cardinal, who I think will be #1 in the nation at this point. Stanford will probably breeze past Arizona again, this time by a score of 48-27. Up next is a trip to Pullman, Washington for a battle with the Washington State Cougars. WSU's passing consistency will probably push the Cougars past Arizona 34-21. Hanging just above .500 winning percentage, they will play against the Colorado Buffaloes. Arizona will win that game 45-14. There are only two more games after this. After Colorado, the Wildcats will travel to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers. Oregon State finished last in the Pac-12 last season, and it won't get any better. Arizona will win 59-20. Finally, Arizona will host Arizona State in the Territorial Cup rivalry. Arizona State is losing many of their star players, so I've got Arizona winning this game 35-17.
In conclusion, I predict that Arizona will finish next regular season with 8 victories and 4 defeats. Arizona went 7-6 last season with a bowl win against New Mexico. Seven wins is where Arizona usually ends up each regular season. All in all, I predict that Arizona will have an average season. Stay tuned for my preview on the Arizona State Sun Devils next week!
This week, I will preview the 2016-2017 football schedule for the Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats will be losing All-American linebacker Scooby Wright III, safety Jamar Allah, and wide receivers David Richards and Cayleb Jones. Quarterback Anu Solomon, running back Nick Wilson, cornerback Cam Denson and wide receivers Samajie Grant and Nate Phillips will return for the Wildcats.
U of A's season opener will be played at Phoenix Stadium (home of the NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals) against BYU. Even though the Cougars will lose many key players and have a different head coach, they will make it a tough season opener. I predict that Arizona will lose this game 35-31. Arizona's next game is against the Grambling State Tigers of the FCS. This should be an easy win for Arizona, who will pull away with a 66-10 win. Another cupcake game awaits for the Wildcats the following week. This time, the opponent will be Hawai'i, a team that really, truly sucks. Arizona will probably win this one 52-17.
Now that we've gone through the Wildcats' non-conference schedule, the next 9 games will be played against Pac-12 foes. So far, I predict Arizona to go 2-1 during their non-conference slate. Washington is next for U of A. Last season, Washington crushed Arizona 49-3. But this year, I will pick Arizona to beat Washington 27-21. After this is a trip to the Rose Bowl against UCLA. In this contest, I predict that UCLA will beat Arizona once again, this time by a score of 35-20. Utah comes after UCLA for the Wildcats in Salt Lake City. Knowing that Utah's big players are leaving, I've got Arizona beating the Utes 31-21. Arizona will play against USC right before their bye week. This game will probably end up being a close one, but I've got Arizona pulling away in overtime 44-41.
Arizona will go into their bye week with a 5-2 record. They have a well-timed bye week, because right afterwards, they will host the Stanford Cardinal, who I think will be #1 in the nation at this point. Stanford will probably breeze past Arizona again, this time by a score of 48-27. Up next is a trip to Pullman, Washington for a battle with the Washington State Cougars. WSU's passing consistency will probably push the Cougars past Arizona 34-21. Hanging just above .500 winning percentage, they will play against the Colorado Buffaloes. Arizona will win that game 45-14. There are only two more games after this. After Colorado, the Wildcats will travel to Corvallis, Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers. Oregon State finished last in the Pac-12 last season, and it won't get any better. Arizona will win 59-20. Finally, Arizona will host Arizona State in the Territorial Cup rivalry. Arizona State is losing many of their star players, so I've got Arizona winning this game 35-17.
In conclusion, I predict that Arizona will finish next regular season with 8 victories and 4 defeats. Arizona went 7-6 last season with a bowl win against New Mexico. Seven wins is where Arizona usually ends up each regular season. All in all, I predict that Arizona will have an average season. Stay tuned for my preview on the Arizona State Sun Devils next week!
Monday, February 29, 2016
Overview of UCLA's 2016-2017 Football Schedule (Games 9-12: The Final Regular Season Games)
UCLA will take on the Oregon State Beavers at the Rose Bowl after traveling to Colorado. The Beavers were the worst team in the Pac-12 last season. They started with a 26-7 win against FCS Weber State, a 35-7 loss at Michigan, and a 35-21 win against San José State. The win against SJSU was Oregon State's last victory. The Beavers lost all of their conference games, starting with a 42-24 loss to #21 Stanford. This was followed by losses to Arizona (44-7), Washington State (52-31), Colorado (17-13), #13 Utah (27-12), #23 UCLA (41-0), California (54-24), Washington (52-7), and finally, "Civil War" rival Oregon (52-42). They finished with a 2-10 record. The Beavers only lose one key player: star running back Storm Barrs-Woods. Quarterback Seth Collins returns with wide receivers Victor Bolden and Jordan Villamin.
On the following week, the Bruins will square off with their crosstown rival, the USC Trojans at the Rose Bowl. USC was the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 South Division in the preseason, sitting at #8 in the top 25. USC cruised past their Sun Belt non-conference schedule, beating Arkansas State 55-6 and Idaho 59-9 at home. Stanford was the first test of USC's season. USC failed this test, as they lost 41-31, even though they didn't play a single road game until after Stanford. The Trojans bulldozed Arizona State 42-14 in their first road game of the season. After their bye week, 17th-ranked SC lost to Washington 17-12 at home. The Monday afterwards, they fired head coach Steve Sarkisian and named former offensive coordinator, Clay Helton the interim head coach. This was the second time over the past 3 seasons in which USC fired their head coach in the middle of the season and hired an interim head coach. Anyways, USC lost 41-31 to #11 Notre Dame on the road, leaving them with 3 wins and 3 losses on the season. Because of their record, I thought USC would not be able to reach the postseason with games against Utah (a top 5 team at the time) and California coming up. But they wound up blowing out then-#3 Utah 42-24 at home and beating Cal 27-21. USC managed to reach bowl eligibility with a 38-30 win against Arizona at home. The Trojans escaped Colorado 27-24 on the road. The following week, USC re-entered the rankings at 24th, but had to play 23rd-ranked Oregon. Oregon's stampede offense crushed USC 48-28, giving the Trojans their fourth loss of the season. SC bounced back by beating UCLA 40-21 at home and taking the Pac-12 South crown. Once again, in the Pac-12 Championship, Stanford breezed past USC 41-22. The Trojans lost the Holiday Bowl to Wisconsin 23-21 and finished the season 8-6 and unranked. They will lose quarterback Cody Kessler and running back Tre Madden, but return running backs Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis as well as wide receivers Darreus Rogers and Juju Smith-Schuster.
UCLA's final opponent of the 2016 regular season is the California Golden Bears. Cal opened last season with a 73-14 demolishing of FCS Grambling State. During week 2, Cal beat up eventual Mountain west Champion San Diego State 35-7. They also won a showdown against Texas 45-44 on a missed point after touchdown (PAT) by Texas. A 30-24 win over Washington propelled the Bears to the rankings for the first time since 2009. Making sure they stayed, 24th-ranked Cal beat Washington State 34-28 in Berkeley. Now that the Golden Bears have proven they belonged in the rankings, they had to play their hardest game of the season at #5 Utah. The interception-plagued Bears lost 30-24, as quarterback Jared Goff threw 5 interceptions in that game, his most in his career. But Cal stayed where they were ranked, and moved up to 20th after their bye week. Next up was a trip to Pasadena against UCLA, who had just been blown out at Stanford. UCLA turned their season around by breezing past Cal 40-24. Back in Berkeley, USC granted Cal their third straight loss, defeating them 27-21. Oregon only made it worse for the Golden Bears, who now had a 4-game losing streak after falling 44-28. Cal finally reached bowl eligibility after a 54-24 win against Oregon State. The Bears were 6-4 and taking on rival #15 Stanford. Unfortunately, Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford offense overran Cal 35-22. After the Stanford loss, Cal had to take on Arizona State at home. The Golden Bears made a comeback from 21 points down and won 48-46. Afterwards, they accepted the bid for the Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force. Cal's air raid offense outplayed Air Force's dual option offense 55-36. Cal finished the season with the same record as UCLA: 8-5. Cal will lose many key players. Their biggest losses include quarterback Jared Goff, running back Daniel Lasco, and wide receivers Darius Powe, Bryce Treggs, Kenny Lawler, and Trevor Davis. Running backs Khalfani Muhammad and Vic Enwere will return for the Golden Bears next season.
These past 4 posts each go over all of UCLA's 2016 regular season opponents in chronological order, as well as their final results of the past season's schedules and impact players who will leave and stay with the team. I hope UCLA football will have a great season next year. Goooooooooooooooooo Bruins!!!!!!!!
On the following week, the Bruins will square off with their crosstown rival, the USC Trojans at the Rose Bowl. USC was the highest ranked team in the Pac-12 South Division in the preseason, sitting at #8 in the top 25. USC cruised past their Sun Belt non-conference schedule, beating Arkansas State 55-6 and Idaho 59-9 at home. Stanford was the first test of USC's season. USC failed this test, as they lost 41-31, even though they didn't play a single road game until after Stanford. The Trojans bulldozed Arizona State 42-14 in their first road game of the season. After their bye week, 17th-ranked SC lost to Washington 17-12 at home. The Monday afterwards, they fired head coach Steve Sarkisian and named former offensive coordinator, Clay Helton the interim head coach. This was the second time over the past 3 seasons in which USC fired their head coach in the middle of the season and hired an interim head coach. Anyways, USC lost 41-31 to #11 Notre Dame on the road, leaving them with 3 wins and 3 losses on the season. Because of their record, I thought USC would not be able to reach the postseason with games against Utah (a top 5 team at the time) and California coming up. But they wound up blowing out then-#3 Utah 42-24 at home and beating Cal 27-21. USC managed to reach bowl eligibility with a 38-30 win against Arizona at home. The Trojans escaped Colorado 27-24 on the road. The following week, USC re-entered the rankings at 24th, but had to play 23rd-ranked Oregon. Oregon's stampede offense crushed USC 48-28, giving the Trojans their fourth loss of the season. SC bounced back by beating UCLA 40-21 at home and taking the Pac-12 South crown. Once again, in the Pac-12 Championship, Stanford breezed past USC 41-22. The Trojans lost the Holiday Bowl to Wisconsin 23-21 and finished the season 8-6 and unranked. They will lose quarterback Cody Kessler and running back Tre Madden, but return running backs Ronald Jones II and Justin Davis as well as wide receivers Darreus Rogers and Juju Smith-Schuster.
UCLA's final opponent of the 2016 regular season is the California Golden Bears. Cal opened last season with a 73-14 demolishing of FCS Grambling State. During week 2, Cal beat up eventual Mountain west Champion San Diego State 35-7. They also won a showdown against Texas 45-44 on a missed point after touchdown (PAT) by Texas. A 30-24 win over Washington propelled the Bears to the rankings for the first time since 2009. Making sure they stayed, 24th-ranked Cal beat Washington State 34-28 in Berkeley. Now that the Golden Bears have proven they belonged in the rankings, they had to play their hardest game of the season at #5 Utah. The interception-plagued Bears lost 30-24, as quarterback Jared Goff threw 5 interceptions in that game, his most in his career. But Cal stayed where they were ranked, and moved up to 20th after their bye week. Next up was a trip to Pasadena against UCLA, who had just been blown out at Stanford. UCLA turned their season around by breezing past Cal 40-24. Back in Berkeley, USC granted Cal their third straight loss, defeating them 27-21. Oregon only made it worse for the Golden Bears, who now had a 4-game losing streak after falling 44-28. Cal finally reached bowl eligibility after a 54-24 win against Oregon State. The Bears were 6-4 and taking on rival #15 Stanford. Unfortunately, Christian McCaffrey and the Stanford offense overran Cal 35-22. After the Stanford loss, Cal had to take on Arizona State at home. The Golden Bears made a comeback from 21 points down and won 48-46. Afterwards, they accepted the bid for the Armed Forces Bowl against Air Force. Cal's air raid offense outplayed Air Force's dual option offense 55-36. Cal finished the season with the same record as UCLA: 8-5. Cal will lose many key players. Their biggest losses include quarterback Jared Goff, running back Daniel Lasco, and wide receivers Darius Powe, Bryce Treggs, Kenny Lawler, and Trevor Davis. Running backs Khalfani Muhammad and Vic Enwere will return for the Golden Bears next season.
These past 4 posts each go over all of UCLA's 2016 regular season opponents in chronological order, as well as their final results of the past season's schedules and impact players who will leave and stay with the team. I hope UCLA football will have a great season next year. Goooooooooooooooooo Bruins!!!!!!!!
Monday, February 22, 2016
Overview of UCLA's 2016-2017 Football Schedule (Games 7-9)
After the ASU game, UCLA will travel to Pullman, Washington to take on the Washington State Cougars. Last season, the Cougars had the most miserable season opener in the Pac-12. They lost to FCS Portland State at home 24-17. The Cougars defeated Rutgers in New Jersey 37-34 and Wyoming at home 31-14. They led undefeated #24 California for most of their next game, but fell short 34-28 in Berkeley, California. WSU defeated Oregon in double overtime in Oregon and breezed past Oregon State 52-31 at home. The Cougars began to look like a legitimate team after defeating Arizona 45-42 and almost upsetting #8 Stanford, but losing 30-28 on a missed field goal. WSU rolled to a 3-game win streak by defeating Arizona State 38-24, shocking #19 UCLA 31-27 at the Rose Bowl, and cruising past Colorado 27-3 at home. Due to quarterback Luke Falk's injury, the Cougars couldn't keep up with in-state rival Washington, falling in the Apple Cup 45-10. Washington State then won the Sun Bowl 20-14 against Miami. The Cougars' final record was 9-4. Wide receiver Dom Williams will graduate, but quarterback Luke Falk and wide receivers River Cracraft and Gabe Marks will return for the pass-happy offense of Washington State.
Next up for UCLA is the Utah Utes. Last season, Utah spoiled the opening game of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh era by defeating the Wolverines 24-17 in Salt Lake City. The Utes beat in-state rival Utah State 24-14 at home. Afterwards, Utah defeated Fresno State in Fresno 45-24. The following week, Utah began to receive a lot of national attention by giving #13 Oregon the biggest loss in program history since 1977. Utah pulled off so many trick plays in a 62-20 laugher in Eugene, Oregon. Utah jumped from 18th to 10th in the top 25 while Oregon fell from 13th to out of the poll. After forcing 5 turnovers in a win over #23 California and defeating Arizona State 34-18, the Utes were ranked #3 in the country. Many people were predicting that Utah would win the national championship since they were so good. But, all good things must come to an end, as USC proved by beating Utah 42-24. After wins over Oregon State (27-12) and Washington (34-23), the 10th-ranked Utes were shocked in double overtime by Arizona 37-30. The next game wasn't so good for Utah either. UCLA's defense stifled the Utes' offense in Salt Lake City, as Utah lost 17-9 and fell to #23. They beat Colorado 20-14 and Holy War rival BYU 35-28 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Utah finished the season 10-3, the only team in the Pac-12 South to have at least 10 wins. Utah might not be as good as they were this past season because they lose a bunch of their biggest players. They lose quarterback Kendal Thompson and Travis Wilson, running back Devontae Booker. However, they return running back Joe Williams and wide receiver Britain Covey.
UCLA will take a bye week after playing Utah. Afterwards, they will travel to Colorado to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado had a bad season opener too, losing to Hawai'i 28-20. The Buffs rode a 3-game win streak after that, beating up Massachusetts 48-14, surviving in the Rocky Mountain Showdown against rival Colorado State 27-24 in overtime, and shutting down FCS Nicholls State 48-0. Colorado lost 41-24 to Oregon, 48-23 to Arizona State, and 38-31 to Arizona. On the following week, the Buffs got their first conference win since 2013 by beating Oregon State 17-13. Colorado brought the momentum from the win against Oregon State to the Rose Bowl against UCLA. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the Buffs, who surged from an 18-point deficit only to fall 35-31. Stanford beat up Colorado 42-10 the following week. The next Friday, Colorado blew a 17-6 halftime lead and lost to USC 27-24 at home, ending the Buffaloes' postseason hopes. In that same game, CU starting quarterback Sefo Liufau got injured and was supported by crutches for the rest of the season. Backup QB Cade Apsay tried his best to maintain the lead, but USC had a strong second half to propel the Trojans to a victory. Washington State (27-3) and Utah (20-14) finished them off, as Colorado finished the season 4-9, having played 13 games. Colorado will lose two of their biggest playmakers in running back Christian Powell and Pac-12 leader in receiving yards Nelson Spruce. Quarterback Sefo Liufau will return along with running back Patrick Carr and wide receiver Donovan Lee.
Next up for UCLA is the Utah Utes. Last season, Utah spoiled the opening game of Michigan's Jim Harbaugh era by defeating the Wolverines 24-17 in Salt Lake City. The Utes beat in-state rival Utah State 24-14 at home. Afterwards, Utah defeated Fresno State in Fresno 45-24. The following week, Utah began to receive a lot of national attention by giving #13 Oregon the biggest loss in program history since 1977. Utah pulled off so many trick plays in a 62-20 laugher in Eugene, Oregon. Utah jumped from 18th to 10th in the top 25 while Oregon fell from 13th to out of the poll. After forcing 5 turnovers in a win over #23 California and defeating Arizona State 34-18, the Utes were ranked #3 in the country. Many people were predicting that Utah would win the national championship since they were so good. But, all good things must come to an end, as USC proved by beating Utah 42-24. After wins over Oregon State (27-12) and Washington (34-23), the 10th-ranked Utes were shocked in double overtime by Arizona 37-30. The next game wasn't so good for Utah either. UCLA's defense stifled the Utes' offense in Salt Lake City, as Utah lost 17-9 and fell to #23. They beat Colorado 20-14 and Holy War rival BYU 35-28 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Utah finished the season 10-3, the only team in the Pac-12 South to have at least 10 wins. Utah might not be as good as they were this past season because they lose a bunch of their biggest players. They lose quarterback Kendal Thompson and Travis Wilson, running back Devontae Booker. However, they return running back Joe Williams and wide receiver Britain Covey.
UCLA will take a bye week after playing Utah. Afterwards, they will travel to Colorado to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. Colorado had a bad season opener too, losing to Hawai'i 28-20. The Buffs rode a 3-game win streak after that, beating up Massachusetts 48-14, surviving in the Rocky Mountain Showdown against rival Colorado State 27-24 in overtime, and shutting down FCS Nicholls State 48-0. Colorado lost 41-24 to Oregon, 48-23 to Arizona State, and 38-31 to Arizona. On the following week, the Buffs got their first conference win since 2013 by beating Oregon State 17-13. Colorado brought the momentum from the win against Oregon State to the Rose Bowl against UCLA. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for the Buffs, who surged from an 18-point deficit only to fall 35-31. Stanford beat up Colorado 42-10 the following week. The next Friday, Colorado blew a 17-6 halftime lead and lost to USC 27-24 at home, ending the Buffaloes' postseason hopes. In that same game, CU starting quarterback Sefo Liufau got injured and was supported by crutches for the rest of the season. Backup QB Cade Apsay tried his best to maintain the lead, but USC had a strong second half to propel the Trojans to a victory. Washington State (27-3) and Utah (20-14) finished them off, as Colorado finished the season 4-9, having played 13 games. Colorado will lose two of their biggest playmakers in running back Christian Powell and Pac-12 leader in receiving yards Nelson Spruce. Quarterback Sefo Liufau will return along with running back Patrick Carr and wide receiver Donovan Lee.
Who would've expected the ball to end up on the
other side of the field? This was one of the trick plays
that Utah pulled off against Oregon in their 62-20
victory against the Ducks. (Key: Watch the top of
the screen)
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Overview of UCLA's 2016-2017 Football Schedule (Games 4-6: The First Conference Games)
After the BYU game, UCLA will return to the Rose Bowl to face the one team that Bruins just cannot seem to beat: the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford was ranked 21st in the preseason top 25, but lost their season opener at the Northwestern Wildcats. They defeated UCF (one of two teams to go winless last season) 31-7 in their home opener, and then shocked then-#6 USC 41-31 in Los Angeles. the Cardinal climbed back into the rankings, sitting at their preseason seat of 21st. After cruising past Oregon State 42-24 and Arizona 55-17, Stanford went on a bye week. After that, they crushed then-#18 UCLA 56-35, a record night for their sophomore running back, Christian McCaffrey. Don't forget about that catch by Francis Owusu (video is at the bottom). Moving on, Stanford jumped into the top 10 for the first time since the postseason of the 2013 season. The Cardinal beat Washington 31-14 and then survived against Washington State 30-28 on a botched field goal. Stanford beat Colorado 42-10 and jumped right back up to the top 10, only to lose to Oregon 38-36 on a failed two-point conversion. Stanford rebounded by beating their rival, Cal 35-22 and keeping the Stanford Axe. The Cardinal were ranked 9th and had to play against 6th-ranked Notre Dame. On the final play of the game, Stanford kicked a field goal to get win #10 of the season. They blew out USC in the Pac-12 Championship 41-22 to reach their third Rose Bowl game in the past four seasons. This season will be the fifth straight in which Stanford plays at least one football game at the Rose Bowl Stadium. Stanford does lose quarterback Kevin Hogan and running backs Remound Wright and Barry Sanders Jr., but they will still rely heavily on the run game, especially riding on Heisman contender Christian McCaffrey.
One week later, UCLA will host the Arizona Wildcats. Last season, Arizona opened with a 42-32 victory against the UTSA Roadrunners as #22 in the country. They were coming off of a Pac-12 South title with returning quarterback Anu Solomon. The following two weeks were easy for the Wildcats, as they defeated Nevada 44-20 in Reno and crushed FCS Northern Arizona 77-13 at home. The conference slate started off rough, as the 16th-ranked Wildcats were blown out 56-30 at home by 9th-ranked UCLA in College Gameday. UCLA beat BYU by one point the week before this showdown. Stanford added to Arizona's woes by beating up the Wildcats 55-17 in Northern California. Arizona recovered from these blowout losses by blowing out Oregon State 44-7 at home. They beat Colorado 38-31. Then, the season began to fall apart of U of A. The Wildcats lost three straight against Washington State (45-42), Washington (49-3), and USC (38-30). It seemed as if reaching the postseason would not happen for Arizona, as they were going into hosting 10th-ranked Utah. Arizona pulled off the 37-30 double overtime upset to reach their sixth win of the season. Unfortunately, even though the Wildcats beat Utah, they lost to in-state rival Arizona State 52-37. Next up was the New Mexico Bowl against the New Mexico Lobos. Yes, the Lobos were basically hosting the bowl game against Arizona, which is rare. Arizona won 45-37 and finished the season 7-6. Arizona will lose backup quarterback Jerrard Randall (who played against Stanford and most of the UCLA game) and wide receiver David Richards. Many key players will return for the Wildcats. Big returners include All-American linebacker Scooby Wright III, wide receivers Cayleb Jones and Nate Phillips, quarterback Anu Solomon, and running back Nick Wilson.
UCLA will play at the Arizona State Sun Devils after Arizona. Last season, ASU was ranked 15th preseason, two spots below UCLA's rank. They started off blown out 38-17 by Texas A&M in the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff in Houston. The Sun Devils fell out of the top 25 and stayed out all season. They barely beat FCS Cal Poly 35-21 in their home opener, but made a change in a 34-10 victory over New Mexico. ASU lost 42-14 to #19 USC at home. However, the Sun Devils beat #7 UCLA 38-23 at the Rose Bowl, which was still not enough to catapult ASU back into the rankings. Things seemed to be coming back together after a 48-23 win against Colorado, but Arizona State was to travel to #4 Utah. The Sun Devils had a temporary 18-14 lead over the Utes, but lost it as the Utes won the game 34-18. On the week of Halloween, ASU was to host Oregon in a game dedicated to Sun Devil legend Pat Tillman. But they lost 61-55 on a bad call in triple overtime. Washington State sent ASU below .500 winning percentage by beating the Sun Devils 38-24. Arizona State beat Washington 27-17 and rival Arizona 52-37 to reach bowl eligibility, but lost to Cal 48-46. The Sun Devils finished the season by losing the Cactus Bowl 43-42 to West Virginia. ASU will lose many key players. Quarterback Mike Bercovici and wide receivers DJ Foster, Gary Chambers and Devin Lucien (a graduate transfer from UCLA) will all being graduating. On the bright side, running backs Kalen Ballage (who did that bush TD run against UCLA) and Demario Richard will return as well as wide receiver Tim White.
Remember this catch? I still wonder how Owusu
managed to catch that.
managed to catch that.
Kalen Ballage's version of the "Bush Touchdown"
Monday, February 8, 2016
Overview of UCLA's 2016-2017 Football Schedule (The Three Non-Conference Games)
UCLA's new football schedule for the 2016-2017 football season has been officially released along with the rest of the Pac-12, which is known for tough football schedules with teams from other Power 5 conferences. Week 1 holds wonders and questions of teams and how good they may be during the season. What I typically do at the start of every season is check the rankings and look at the schedules of each ranked team. I try to predict the final regular season records given what I've analyzed. Usually, I predict UCLA will go through the regular season with 11 wins and 1 loss (always against Stanford, UCLA went 8-4 during last regular season). Unfortunately, with unpredictable upset losses, I am always wrong. Then, after the results of week 1, I try once again to predict the records of each ranked team. The Pac-12 had a rough start to last season during week 1. Then-#22 Arizona barely defeated struggling UTSA 42-32 at home. Then-#15 Arizona State was blown out by the SEC's Texas A&M 38-17 down in Houston. California beat up FCS Grambling State 73-14 at home. Colorado fell to Hawaii 28-20 in Honolulu. Then-#7 Oregon beat FCS Eastern Washington 61-42 at home. Oregon State defeated FCS Weber State 26-7 at home. Then-#21 Stanford lost to Northwestern in Illinois. Then-#13 UCLA defeated the ACC's Virginia 34-16 at the Rose Bowl. Then-#8 USC blew out Sun Belt foe Arkansas State 55-6 at home. Utah defeated Michigan of the Big Ten 24-17 at home. Washington fell short at then-#23 Boise State 16-13 and Washington State lost to FCS Portland State 24-17 at home (In case you didn't know what the FCS is, it is practically the group of lower division teams. The FBS is where all of the major teams are). Given that Cal beat up an FCS team, Oregon won a shootout against an FCS team, Stanford lost their season opener, UCLA cruised by a Power 5 team, and USC beat up a Group of 5 team, I thought UCLA was going to be the best team in the Pac-12. However, the Bruins kept getting hit with season-ending injuries on defense, which led to just 8 wins instead of 11.
The Bruins start fresh next season with many players back on defense, including defensive linemen Eddie Vanderdoes and Fabian Moreau. UCLA's first game of next season is at College Station, Texas, against the Texas A&M Aggies. The two teams have met four times before, with the series tied at two a piece. The last time these two teams met was in the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl in 1998, when former UCLA quarterback Cade McNown led the team. UCLA won that game 29-23. Last season, Texas A&M had a similar season as UCLA, also finishing 8-5. The Aggies started the season by blowing out Arizona State (same game as stated above). They cruised past Ball State (56-23) and Nevada (44-27) at home. Arkansas took the Aggies to overtime at Cowboys' Stadium, but A&M pulled off the touchdown-size win 28-21 (just like the year before). The Aggies defeated then-#21 Mississippi State and climbed into the top 10, looking like a playoff contender. However, A&M's hopes were gashed after their bye week, as eventual national champion Alabama clobbered the turnover and pick six-plagued Aggies 41-23 (Yes, I can watch more College Football than just UCLA and USC, I know what happened). This was also a home game for Texas A&M. Then-#23 Ole Miss added to their woes by nearly shutting out the Aggies 23-3. A&M fell out of the rankings once again, but rebounded with a 35-28 victory against struggling South Carolina. Sneaking back into the top 25, A&M looked to redo their streak of victories, but that was cut short as Auburn clipped the Aggies 26-10 at home. After two cupcake victories against FCS Western Carolina (41-17) and a floundering Vanderbilt (25-0), the Aggies fell short against LSU 19-7. They went to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl for the postseason against the Louisville Cardinals. But once again, the Aggies lost, this time, the score being 27-21. The Aggies lose starting and backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, who are both transferring. In turn, A&M will get the Oklahoma quarterback that beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl two seasons ago, Trevor Knight. Wide receiver Christian Kirk returns for the A&M offense.
Next on UCLA's schedule is the UNLV Rebels at the Rose Bowl. This will be UCLA's home opener next year. The two teams' met this past season in their first-ever football meeting. The then-13th-ranked Bruins won 37-3 behind a great game for NFL-bound UCLA running back Paul Perkins and a stifling UCLA defense. UNLV lost their season opener at Northern Illinois 38-30 before crumbling against UCLA. They were defeated at Michigan 28-7, but followed up with a walloping 80-8 victory against FCS Idaho State at home. They defeated their in-state rival, Nevada 23-17, but lost their next three games to San José State (33-27 in overtime), Fresno State (31-28), and Boise State (55-27). The Rebels' last victory of the season was against Hawai'i, 41-21. UNLV closed the season with losses to Colorado State (49-35), San Diego State (52-14), and Wyoming (35-28), with a final record of 3-9. The Rebels lose starting quarterback Blake Decker, but return backup QB Kurt Palandech, who played most of the game against the Bruins.
The Bruins finish their non-conference slate at the BYU Cougars, whom UCLA came back to beat 24-23 the past season. BYU opened the season with two last-second hail mary victories against Nebraska (33-28) and then-#20 Boise State (35-24, there was an extra pick-six after the hail mary). The Cougars lost starting quarterback Taysom Hill during the Nebraska game and went to backup quarterback Tanner Mangum, who threw both hail mary game winners. UCLA halted this streak of last-second victories as UCLA linebacker Myles Jack intercepted the late 4th down and 7 pass from Mangum. This was also Myles Jack's last play as a Bruin. BYU was ranked 19th when they lost to then-#10 UCLA. BYU was shut out at Michigan the following week 31-0. The cougars won five straight afterwards. These wins came against Connecticut (30-13), East Carolina (45-38), Cincinnati (38-24), FCS Wagner (70-6), and San José State (17-16). They lost to a flailing Missouri 20-16 to end their win streak. Missouri did not make a bowl game this past season. After blowing out Fresno State (52-10) and Utah State (51-28), the Cougars were headed to the Las Vegas Bowl, only to challenge their Holy War rival, the 22nd-ranked Utah Utes. Utah built a 35-0 first quarter lead and stopped BYU's surging comeback attempt to win 35-28. BYU finished the season 9-4, ending with a better overall record than UCLA. Taysom Hill leaves the team along with running back Adam Hiné and wide receiver Mitch Matthews. Tanner Mangum will return with wide receiver Mitchell Juergens.
The Bruins start fresh next season with many players back on defense, including defensive linemen Eddie Vanderdoes and Fabian Moreau. UCLA's first game of next season is at College Station, Texas, against the Texas A&M Aggies. The two teams have met four times before, with the series tied at two a piece. The last time these two teams met was in the Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl in 1998, when former UCLA quarterback Cade McNown led the team. UCLA won that game 29-23. Last season, Texas A&M had a similar season as UCLA, also finishing 8-5. The Aggies started the season by blowing out Arizona State (same game as stated above). They cruised past Ball State (56-23) and Nevada (44-27) at home. Arkansas took the Aggies to overtime at Cowboys' Stadium, but A&M pulled off the touchdown-size win 28-21 (just like the year before). The Aggies defeated then-#21 Mississippi State and climbed into the top 10, looking like a playoff contender. However, A&M's hopes were gashed after their bye week, as eventual national champion Alabama clobbered the turnover and pick six-plagued Aggies 41-23 (Yes, I can watch more College Football than just UCLA and USC, I know what happened). This was also a home game for Texas A&M. Then-#23 Ole Miss added to their woes by nearly shutting out the Aggies 23-3. A&M fell out of the rankings once again, but rebounded with a 35-28 victory against struggling South Carolina. Sneaking back into the top 25, A&M looked to redo their streak of victories, but that was cut short as Auburn clipped the Aggies 26-10 at home. After two cupcake victories against FCS Western Carolina (41-17) and a floundering Vanderbilt (25-0), the Aggies fell short against LSU 19-7. They went to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl for the postseason against the Louisville Cardinals. But once again, the Aggies lost, this time, the score being 27-21. The Aggies lose starting and backup quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray, who are both transferring. In turn, A&M will get the Oklahoma quarterback that beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl two seasons ago, Trevor Knight. Wide receiver Christian Kirk returns for the A&M offense.
Next on UCLA's schedule is the UNLV Rebels at the Rose Bowl. This will be UCLA's home opener next year. The two teams' met this past season in their first-ever football meeting. The then-13th-ranked Bruins won 37-3 behind a great game for NFL-bound UCLA running back Paul Perkins and a stifling UCLA defense. UNLV lost their season opener at Northern Illinois 38-30 before crumbling against UCLA. They were defeated at Michigan 28-7, but followed up with a walloping 80-8 victory against FCS Idaho State at home. They defeated their in-state rival, Nevada 23-17, but lost their next three games to San José State (33-27 in overtime), Fresno State (31-28), and Boise State (55-27). The Rebels' last victory of the season was against Hawai'i, 41-21. UNLV closed the season with losses to Colorado State (49-35), San Diego State (52-14), and Wyoming (35-28), with a final record of 3-9. The Rebels lose starting quarterback Blake Decker, but return backup QB Kurt Palandech, who played most of the game against the Bruins.
The Bruins finish their non-conference slate at the BYU Cougars, whom UCLA came back to beat 24-23 the past season. BYU opened the season with two last-second hail mary victories against Nebraska (33-28) and then-#20 Boise State (35-24, there was an extra pick-six after the hail mary). The Cougars lost starting quarterback Taysom Hill during the Nebraska game and went to backup quarterback Tanner Mangum, who threw both hail mary game winners. UCLA halted this streak of last-second victories as UCLA linebacker Myles Jack intercepted the late 4th down and 7 pass from Mangum. This was also Myles Jack's last play as a Bruin. BYU was ranked 19th when they lost to then-#10 UCLA. BYU was shut out at Michigan the following week 31-0. The cougars won five straight afterwards. These wins came against Connecticut (30-13), East Carolina (45-38), Cincinnati (38-24), FCS Wagner (70-6), and San José State (17-16). They lost to a flailing Missouri 20-16 to end their win streak. Missouri did not make a bowl game this past season. After blowing out Fresno State (52-10) and Utah State (51-28), the Cougars were headed to the Las Vegas Bowl, only to challenge their Holy War rival, the 22nd-ranked Utah Utes. Utah built a 35-0 first quarter lead and stopped BYU's surging comeback attempt to win 35-28. BYU finished the season 9-4, ending with a better overall record than UCLA. Taysom Hill leaves the team along with running back Adam Hiné and wide receiver Mitch Matthews. Tanner Mangum will return with wide receiver Mitchell Juergens.
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