The UCLA Bruins football program is beginning a new era as they transition to the Big Ten Conference. As such, the schedule will be much more difficult than it was the past few years in the Pac-12.
Phil Steele did his usual college football feature and compiled a list of the 10 toughest schedules for 2024 (subscription required). The Florida Gators landed on top of the list, but UCLA is right behind them as they embark on their new journey into the Big Ten Conference.
UCLA ventures into the Big Ten with a new head coach looking for a fresh start in 2024. Big Ten play starts almost immediately as after a season-opening trip to Hawai’i, they’ll be battling Indiana in LA during Week 2.
A huge matchup against LSU follows the conference opener before the Bruins take on a familiar face in Oregon, who is also in the Big Ten now. Penn State, Nebraska, Iowa, Washington and rival USC will all prove to be roadblocks for UCLA as the Bruins look to improve on their 8-5 season from one year ago. Somehow, they avoided Ohio State and Michigan on their regular season schedule.
It will be a big adjustment for DeShaun Foster and company in Year One, especially with a difficult schedule.