UCLA Bruins – Syndication Server

UCLA Bruins have a lot to prove in early Big Ten ranking

It’s never too early for a “way too early” Big Ten power ranking! Things will change. Players will hurt the portal, players will transfer in, and injuries will happen but for the most part, we have a pretty good understanding of rosters after National Signing Day and so much transfer portal movement.

In each part of this series, we will unveil where each of the 18 teams in the new look conference begins. We started at No. 1 with the revamped Ohio State Buckeyes. Then, the Oregon Ducks come in at the second spot. Coming in at No. 3 were the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines, who are in a bit of a transition period.

At No. 4, we unveiled the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are returning a lot of talent from their 2023 roster. Then we made way for the old reliable, the Iowa Hawkeyes. At No. 6, another new addition to the conference, the USC Trojans. Next up at No. 7, the Wisconsin Badgers came in, followed by the Washington Huskies at No. 8 in the ranking.

Coming in at No. 9, another pretty consistent program with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. They come into the 2024 season as a real wildcard. Speaking of wildcards, there may not be a bigger one than the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They come in at No. 10 on the ranking.

Following Nebraska is the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at No. 11, coming off a bit of a breakout season in 2023 under head coach Greg Schiano. A team in transition, but an exciting one, is the Indiana Hoosiers. At No. 13 is the Michigan State Spartans, who are another team in transition. Then you have the Purdue Boilermakers at No. 14 who enter the second year under former Illinois defensive coordinator Ryan Walters.

Another new entrant into the new look Big Ten conference, the UCLA Bruins enter with a lot of uncertainty. New head coach DeShaun Foster brings a lot of optimism to the table, and is someone who loves the program and will do anything to help rebuild the proud Bruin tradition.

The problem is that the previous regime left this roster in a really bad spot, which is especially troubling while making the jump to the Big Ten. Offensively, there are some playmakers to work with, including wide receivers J. Michael Sturdivant and Kyle Ford. They must find solid quarterback play and rebuild the offensive line quickly.

On defense, the team is in even worse shape. Not only are they losing a ton of talent to the NFL but they also lost defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to USC this offseason. That side of the football will need to find an identity quickly.

Full Big Ten Rankings

Report: Chip Kelly to leave UCLA to become offensive coordinator at Ohio State

Chip Kelly finally got that coordinator spot he seemed to want, just didn’t know it would be with a fellow Big Ten school.

Another sitting head coach is leaving his post to become an assistant at another school. This time it doesn’t involve a Group of Five school but Chip Kelly leaving one Big Ten school for another.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Kelly will leave UCLA as the head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Current Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day played for Chip Kelly at the University of New Hampshire.

Less than 48 hours since National Signing Day came to a close, the UCLA Bruins will be on the hunt for a new head coach. Kelly on the other hand will inherit an offense full of top-tier talent and five-star wide receivers.

BREAKING: UCLA’s Chip Kelly is expected to become the new OC at Ohio State, per source. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day played for Kelly at UNH and later coached with him at three stops. https://t.co/PDDOB76rDq

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 9, 2024

It seemed that Kelly was interested in leaving UCLA at every turn. He was interested in returning to the NFL as a coordinator but missed out on a few opportunities. With Bill O’Brien leaving for Boston College per reports, this opened a spot with Ohio State.

UCLA is set to join the Big Ten as of Jul. 1, 2024, but the Bruins are not on the Buckeyes schedule next season. If they are to face off with Kelly on the opposite sideline, it would have to come in the Big Ten title game.

UCLA is now in the unenviable position of looking for a head coach with spring football just months away.

How to buy tickets for No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 5 UCLA

Want to watch a battle of two top-5 teams in person? Tickets for Friday’s matchup between No. 3 Colorado vs. No. 5 UCLA are available for as little as $14.

Coming off a massive 71-59 win against No. 8 Stanford, the Colorado women’s basketball team continues its Pac-12 gauntlet, with its second of three top-10 opponents in an eight-day stretch.

No. 3 Colorado hosts No. 5 UCLA on Friday, Jan. 19 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

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If you want to be a part of the action in person, inexpensive tickets still remain for this matchup of top-5 teams.

At the time of publication, the cheapest ticket available for the game is just $14 on Seat Geek.

If you’re looking for a more luxurious experience, the most expensive ticket to Friday’s game will only cost you $76.

Colorado continues the toughest stretch of its season with yet another top-5 opponent on Sunday, Jan. 21 when the Buffaloes host No. 4 USC.

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After fourth straight loss, is UCLA even an NCAA Tournament team?

Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins have lost four straight and lack the talent necessary to make a serious run, and could fall out of the NCAA Tournament picture.

Heading into December the UCLA Bruins were 5-2 on the season, including a 4-0 record at home with their only losses coming in the Maui Invitational to then No. 4 Marquette (by two points) and then No. 11 Gonzaga (by four points).

Sure the one point win over UC Riverside was less than convincing, but at the time there was little concern Mick Cronin’s very young team, littered with international players, wouldn’t find their way into being a top 25 caliber program and compete for second place in the Pac-12 behind Arizona.

The month of December, however, has been anything but kind to UCLA. The Bruins managed just 56 points against a struggling Villanova squad on the road, and then had a horrible shooting day in an eventual 67-60 loss to Ohio State in Atlanta.

Those two losses in a vacuum are not resume killers, but coming back home and falling to Cal-State Northridge (237th at KenPom) and then again to a seriously struggling Maryland team, who was up by 20 at times and eventually won by nine, is cause for real panic at the Pauley Pavilion.

Currently the Bruins are an astonishing 172nd in the NET rankings, with an 0-4 record in Quad 1 games and 0-1 in Quad 3. They are down to 84 at KenPom, sandwiched between future Big Ten partners Indiana and Minnesota, and have the 151st ranked offense in the country.

Cronin has discussed multiple reasons for this team’s struggles, including a lack of disciplined players which resulted in freshman Sebastian Mack losing his starting role for being late to a meeting, as well as complaints about the school’s lack of NIL funding which made making transfer portal additions a struggle.

If Cronin truly feels he’s incapable of building a roster that can compete heading into the Big Ten, will he jump ship? Could Louisville entice him with an offer this offseason assuming they move on from Kenny Payne? Would being closer to his hometown of Cincinnati get a deal done?

Those are all things worth monitoring this offseason, but for now Cronin and the Bruins have just one objective: right the ship enough to still go dancing in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The resume right now is, frankly, nowhere near an at-large bid, but picking up a handful of Quad 1 wins in conference play is certainly possible if this team can find a go-to scorer against teams like Colorado, Arizona State, USC, and of course Arizona.

UCLA has a few days off before heading to Corvallis to take on Oregon State on December 28 followed by Oregon two days later.

Picking up a pair of wins in the state of Oregon may not move the resume needle all that much, but it would at least end the calendar year on a high note for Cronin and the Bruins.

UCLA dispatches Boise State for hometown win in LA Bowl

Boise State came into Saturday’s game with a four-game win streak and took a two-score lead early, but the Bruins surged back to win.

UCLA got to play a bowl game right in its own backyard this season, and while Boise State jumped out to an early lead, the Bruins roared back for a 35-22 victory in the Starco Brands LA Bowl.

The Broncos had been riding an eyebrow-raising hot streak, winning their final four games culminating in a Mountain West Conference Championship victory over UNLV. Boise State kept the momentum in the first half, kicking three field goals before a short touchdown run by running back George Holani to make the halftime lead 16-7.

The Bruins would not be embarrassed on their home turf, however. Junior quarterback Ethan Garbers entered the game in the second half and jolted the UCLA offense back to life. He completed nine of his 12 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a 5-yard score to wideout Kyle Ford early in the third quarter to pull the Bruins within two points. After a pair of rushing touchdowns from TJ Harden, Garbers connected with J. Michael Sturdivant for a 40-yard touchdown.

The result of UCLA’s offensive avalanche, spurred on by Ethan Garbers, was 28 unanswered points and a 35-16 lead for the hometown team. A late touchdown for the Broncos didn’t lead to a full comeback,

Here are the best pictures from UCLA’s victory.

UCLA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hospitalized with broken hip

Former UCLA basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is slated to undergo surgery after falling and breaking his hip at a concert in LA on Friday evening.

Basketball Hall of Famer and UCLA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 76, was hospitalized after breaking his hip from a fall at a concert in Los Angeles according to his representative, Deborah Morales.

Abdul-Jabbar was slated to undergo surgery on Saturday after going to the hospital on Friday night. No other details about his condition have been released at this time.

Morales said Abdul-Jabbar was “deeply appreciative” of the Los Angeles Fire Department, which treated him at the scene, and the “amazing medical team and doctors at UCLA Hospital who are taking great care of [him].”

Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most prolific college and NBA players of all-time. While at UCLA, where he went by Lew Alcindor, he was a two-time AP Player of the Year and a three-time NCAA Champion – and is responsible for the NCAA not allowing dunking for a ten year period starting in 1967.

Abdul-Jabbar then became the first pick in the 1969 NBA draft and had an incredibly prolific professional career, holding the NBA scoring record for over 30 years before it was broken by LeBron James in February.

Report: UCLA close to dismissing Chip Kelly as head coach of the Bruins

Are we going to add to the coaching carousel as it picks up speed?

The coaching carousel is reaching maximum spin status with announcements of Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and Boise State all making changes at head coach of their football programs. It appears that we can soon add UCLA to that list of openings.

According to a recent report from Bruin Report Online, the school will likely fire Chip Kelly ahead of their move to the Big Ten starting in 2024. Kelly took over as head coach in 2018 and he has been a middling coach in his return to the Pac-12. He is just 33-33 during those six seasons. A far cry from the 46-7 run he enjoyed in four seasons at Oregon before leaving for the NFL.

The Bruins have suffered back-to-back losses to Arizona and Arizona State. Neither Dante Moore Jr nor Ethan Garbers were under center in the 17-7 loss to the Sun Devils. According to the USA TODAY Sports coaches salary database, Kelly is owed a buyout of almost $9 million.

This would make the third program that will have a new head coach when the Big Ten kicks off the 2024 season. UCLA would join Michigan State and Northwestern in that regard. Whoever takes over this program could have a five-star quarterback should he not choose to enter the transfer portal.

Players have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal following the firing of a head coach per NCAA rules.

Best Amazon Prime Big Deals Day deal for each team in the US LBM Coaches Poll

View our favorite Amazon Prime Big Deals Day deals for each team in the US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25.

The college football season is heating up and ranked teams are headed in all directions in the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma leapfrogged Texas after a convincing win over their rivals. Following suit was another riser in Louisville, who sent Notre Dame down the ladder after a big home win.

No matter what team you pull for, it’s the perfect time to show your support. Amazon Prime Big Deals Day has arrived.

Amongst the slew of deals available on Tuesday, Oct. 10 and Wednesday, Oct. 11, college football’s top-25 will be well represented in the Amazon savings.

Check out our list of featured Amazon Prime Day offers for each team currently in the US LBM Coaches Poll top-25 right here:

Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and Iowa athletes nominated for ESPY awards

LSU and Iowa will battle it out again, but this time they won’t be wearing basketball shoes or playing on the hardwood.

2023 ESPY award nominations have been announced and Florida, Oklahoma, LSU, and Iowa all have athletes nominated for awards. The 2023 ESPYs will air live on Wednesday, July 12, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC from Los Angeles.

LSU and Iowa will battle it out again, but this time they won’t be wearing basketball shoes or playing on the hardwood. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese of LSU will vie for position against Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, and Julio Rodríguez of the Seattle Mariners for the Best Breakthrough Athlete award.

Gymnast Trinity Thomas of Florida is nominated for Best Play for her perfect 10 which tied the All-Time NCAA record. She is the only Florida athlete represented in the nominations. She competes for the award against UCLA soccer player Ally Lemos with the perfect corner to tie the National Championship game and two other professional athletes.

Oklahoma Sooners softball and LSU women’s basketball are nominated for Best Team. The Sooners will also be represented as softball player Jordy Bahl is nominated for Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports along with Caitlin Clark, Izzy Scane of Northwestern Lacrosse, and Trinity Thomas.

Recipients of the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, and the Pat Tillman Award for Service will be announced next week.

UCLA’s first year in the Big Ten highlights intensity of travel

The UCLA Bruins are going to be racking up quite the air miles in their inaugural Big Ten season.

When UCLA and USC joined the Big Ten a lot of questions were posed about how the two California-based programs were going to be able to make everything work logistically. After all, prior to their additions, the furthest western team in the Big Ten is the University of Nebraska.

On Thursday, the Big Ten released the conference opponents each of the Big Ten’s 16-teams for the 2024 and 2025 seasons including that of UCLA and USC.

UCLA in 2024 drew Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, and USC are all at home but will travel to face Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Rutgers. In 2025, they’ll host Maryland, Purdue, Rutgers, and Wisconsin but travel to Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, and USC.

Their conference schedule is already enough of a journey. But when you add in the Bruins’ 2024 non-conference schedule, their travel schedule and the miles that they would total over the course of the season become quite intense.

So far for the 2024 season, we know UCLA will travel to Hawaii on August 31, and host Fresno State on September 14 before traveling to LSU on September 21. Then there is their conference schedule discussed above – trips to Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Rutgers.

With the help of Google Maps, we found a general estimate of how many miles UCLA will travel for each away game in 2024. The results are below;

Hawaii: 2,570 miles
LSU: 1,829 miles
Indiana: 2,078 miles
Iowa: 1,800 miles
Michigan: 2,260 miles
Rutgers: 2,781 miles

Total: 13,318

Of course, traveling just isn’t one way. Once you account for the return trip, the Bruins are easily racking up over 26,000 miles, nearly pushing 27,000 miles. Depending on if they make a bowl game and where that bowl game is located, they may easily clear the 27,000 mark on the season in 2024.

Hopefully, UCLA can get their players signed up with their airliner and get some air miles out of the season – it may be as rewarding as an NIL deal at that point considering how much traveling Chip Kelly’s program will be doing.

However, before UCLA has to worry about the 2024 season, they’ll look to finish their time in the Pac-12 off on a strong note. They are currently set to open up their 2023 season on September 2 against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.