Tag: BIG Ten Conference

Fox Big Noon Kickoff on site for UCLA-Penn State

Fox Big Noon Kickoff is on site!

UCLA faces Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday at noon Eastern time. Yes, that is 9 am Pacific time for the Bruins, who also had a cross-country trip on top of that. However, Fox Big Noon Kickoff will be on site for the game, as Charlie Strella of Nittany Lions Wire mentioned.
Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff will broadcast live from State College, Pennsylvania, this Saturday, when the Nittany Lions play the UCLA Bruins in their Week 6 matchup. The game time was announced earlier this week for 12:00 p.m. ET, so we already knew it would be broadcast as Fox’s premier game of the week. However, after today’s announcement, we know the pregame show will also travel to Happy Valley.
It won’t be an easy game whatsoever for UCLA, who has been a big disappointment in DeShaun Foster’s first year and the Bruins first season in the Big Ten.

UCLA football are finalist for top-rated cornerback

UCLA is in the mix with some Big Ten schools to land a top-rated cornerback.

UCLA has had a rough time adjusting to the Big Ten this season, falling to #8 Oregon on Saturday 34-13, but the Bruins remain an attractive destination for high-end recruits.

According to On3, the number-one-rated cornerback in the 2026 recruiting class, Elbert Hill, has the Bruins on his shortlist of ten potential landing spots. Hill, from Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio, has several Big Ten schools on his radar including Michigan, USC, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, and UCLA.

Though the Bruins have not had the recent success as their Big Ten counterparts, with many seeing UCLA as one of the worst teams in the conference, Hill does not seem to agree. Head coach DeShaun Foster’s Bruins have underperformed thus far this season, but a strong finish to the 2024 college football season could give the Bruins a bump.

With a potentially up-and-coming roster and a great location, the Bruins still have a puncher’s chance to land one of the best prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.

UCLA QB1 up in the air for Penn State showdown

The QB questions remain for UCLA.

The UCLA Bruins have a difficult task on hand facing Penn State on the road in Week 6. On top of that, DeShaun Foster is unsure which quarterback will get the nod.

Ethan Garbers was unable to practice again on Wednesday, and it was backup Justyn Martin who got some run (h/t Greg Pickel of On3.)

“We’re able to get Jusyn Martin a couple more reps [at Wednesday’s practice],” Foster said. “Ethan took a lot of just mental reps today. Hopefully we’ll see what he can do [on Thursday].”

“He’s doing well,” Foster said of Martin. “[Wednesday] was [about] if we can get Justyn some more reps, just in case. I’m pleased with what he’s doing, commanding the huddle and getting guys lined up in the right position. Justyn is making strides and trending in the right direction.”

Garbers has not played well this season, but Martin getting his first start in Happy Valley would also be a tough draw for UCLA.

Dan Lanning’s thoughts on Rose Bowl ahead of UCLA game

Dan Lanning knows about the Rose Bowl.

The UCLA Bruins host the Oregon Ducks in a very difficult Week 5 showdown for the Bruins. They have not gotten off to a strong start whatsoever this season, and they face Penn State the following week.

The Rose Bowl is a historic venue, but it is nothing new for Oregon since they were Pac-12 foes before. The last time these teams met was in 2022 in Eugene, so now they return to the Rose Bowl.

Dan Lanning had some thoughts on playing at the Rose Bowl ahead of the Week 5 showdown vs. UCLA, per Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire.

“I just think back to my previous time being there. It is a special spot, right? The Rose Bowl is a special spot, so it’s always fun to go there.”

Even with UCLA struggling, Oregon should attract a large crowd, and the Ducks are bi favorites entering the game.

Photos from UCLA-Oregon’s 2022 showdown in Eugene

The last matchup was 2022.

In 2023, the UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks did not face each other. In 2024, Oregon comes to the Rose Bowl for the first-ever Big Ten Conference showdown between the former Pac-12 foes.

The last time these teams met was in 2022 in Eugene and College GameDay was on the scene. Both teams were ranked in the top 25, but Oregon got the 45-30 victory.

UCLA had Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Zach Charbonnet, and Jake Bobo on the roster. Oregon had Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, and other NFL players on the roster.

Here are some photos from the 2022 showdown between these two.

UCLA football drops second-straight game, fall to LSU Tigers

The UCLA Bruins fell to the LSU Tigers after a strong first-half performance.

UCLA’s loss to the #16 LSU Tigers on Saturday was a tale of two halves. After a strong start in Death Valley, the Bruins and Tigers were tied heading into the third quarter 17-17. Then, the wheels came off.

Falling to Brian Kelly’s Tigers 34-17, the Bruins suffered their second-straight loss of the 2024 college football season on the road and fell to the bottom of the Big Ten standings.

Despite a promising performance from quarterback Ethan Garbers, who finished with 281 yards on 22-36 passing with two touchdowns and an interception, the Bruins offense stalled during the second half. Shut out in the third and fourth quarters, UCLA’s lack of coaching experience was on full display, as they failed to make necessary in-game adjustments to improve the offense’s production and control LSU’s pass rush.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bruins offensive line and running game continued to flail, with the UCLA leading rusher Keegan Jones only tallying 22 yards on three carries. That said, their performance should inspire cautious optimism for fans.

Proving that they can be competitive with Top-25 programs if UCLA’s offense can balance the run and the pass, the Bruins should be able to stay in games against good opponents.

The Bruins next test will be on September 28th as they play host to fellow former Pac-12 rival Oregon.

UCLA’s game versus LSU could forecast 2024 season

In need of a rebound, the UCLA Bruins take on the LSU Tigers.

Though the UCLA Bruins are only 1-1 entering Week 4 of the college football season, their season already feels like it hangs in the balance. After a crushing Big Ten loss to the Indiana Hoosiers, the Bruins are looking to reset.

Unfortunately, UCLA travels to Death Valley to take on the 16th-ranked LSU Tigers this Saturday. At 2-1, the Tigers rallied after a close loss to USC in Week 1, setting the stage for another potentially dominant performance against the Bruins.

For UCLA, their tough test against LSU presents a chance to reclaim their confidence with a strong showing. The Bruins do not need to win, but head coach DeShaun Foster needs to silence the doubters and field a competitive team for all four quarters.

When looking at LSU’s recent games, the Tigers only beat Nicholls College, a little-known Louisiana FCS school, by 23 points. A week later, LSU outlasted unranked South Carolina by three points. To inspire confidence in fans and hope in the locker room, the Bruins need to be competitive and seize the moment to recapture some momentum on Saturday, something that could pay dividends for the team down the line.

ClutchPoints pegs Big Ten team as College Football Playoff contender

Can Nebraska make a run for it?

Are there any sleeper teams in the Big Ten Conference this season? Well, through three weeks of the college football season, we have seen some surprises, one of them being the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

Prior to the season, Shane Shoemaker of ClutchPoints compiled a list of dark horse contenders for the College Football Playoff, and he named the Nebraska Cornhuskers as one.

Nebraska

The Cornhuskers haven’t had a winning season since 2016. That makes them perfect dark horses for the College Football Playoff in Year 2 under coach Matt Rhule.

Typically, it’s the third year for teams under Rhule that have made them double-digit game winners. But in his previous stints at Temple and Baylor, the transfer portal wasn’t in existence. Plus, Year 1 at Nebraska for Rhule was better than any at those other schools as the team just barely missed out on making a bowl game last year.

All the hype with this year’s team comes not only from Rhule’s coaching expertise but also from highly touted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. That will be a lot to ask of a young quarterback in the Big Ten, who’ll have to go to Ohio State, USC, and Iowa. This is an interesting Nebraska team that, if they can figure it out offensively, could make some noise.

Dylan Raiola entering as the quarterback is a big boost for Nebraska, and he began with some Big Ten Conference honors in just a few starts.

Nebraska is now 3-0 with a tough tp-25 showdown against Illinois on Friday.

UCLA at 17 in pair of Big Ten rankings

UCLA toward the bottom.

The UCLA Bruins football program is off to a rough start in the 2024 season. After a 16-13 win over Hawaii in Week 1, the Bruins had a Week 2 bye before getting blown out by Indiana in the Big Ten opener at the Rose Bowl.

As such, they aren’t gaining any traction in the latest Big Ten power rankings.

Isaiah Hole of Wolverines Wire released his latest Big Ten Power Rankings, and UCLA is 17th ahead of only Purdue.

Record: 1-1

Hi/Lo: 17/18

Change: +1

Last game: Loss vs. Indiana, BLANK

Biggest win: at Hawaii, 16-13

It’s amazing how quickly UCLA fell off the map. Last year, there were stretches where the Bruins were ranked under the tutelage of Chip Kelly. But this team is not that. Indiana looked dominant against this Bruins team and it looks like what Indiana used to.

UCLA was also at No. 17 in the rankings by Kevin McGuire of Nittany Lions Wire:

UCLA’s Big Ten debut was spoiled with a demoralizing 29-point loss at home to Indiana. Welcome to the Big Ten, Bruins. It is not about to get any easier the next couple of weeks.

Purdue got blown out by Notre Dame, who lost to Northern Illinois the week before. UCLA faces LSU, Penn State, and Oregon coming up, so things might continue to be ugly.

Could DeShaun Foster be on the hot seat in 2025?

DeShaun Foster could be in trouble if things don’t change.

It has only been two games in the DeShaun Foster era as the UCLA Bruins head coach. However, neither game has been encouraging.

The Bruins barely defeated Hawaii 16-13 in Week 1. Then, they got blown out in a home game against Indiana with the Hoosiers having a new head coach in Curt Cignetti (although he was at James Madison before).

It has not been a good result so far for UCLA and Foster, and the hot seat buzz is already beginning. However, not for the 2024 season, but for 2025, as Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire wrote.

The hope is that Foster will recruit so well that the talent level at UCLA will rise. It is true that UCLA entered this season with low expectations in the Big Ten. The talent drain in Westwood combined with a rough Big Ten schedule were always going to be hard for the Bruins to overcome. When we refer to a coaching hot seat for DeShaun Foster at UCLA, we’re not referring to 2024. However, Foster is definitely coaching at a level which points to a 2025 hot seat if things don’t begin to change in Westwood.

Zeemk added more as well.

If Year 1 does become the 2-10 trainwreck we think it will be, Year 2 has to be at least somewhat respectable. Foster would probably need to go at least 4-8, maybe 5-7, to give people in and around the UCLA program the belief this program is heading in the right direction. If UCLA is 2-10 in 2024 and 3-9 in 2025, why would anyone within the program think Foster is worth trusting in 2026 and beyond?

UCLA will not make a move in 2024, that is almost certain. However, if things don’t improve in 2025, they might not have a choice. You never want to have that conversation, especially after two weeks, but it has been a disappointing start in Westwood.