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UCLA Bruins

7-6, 7-6 ATS, 8th Place in Pac-10

Odds to Win 2010 BCS Championship: +20000 at 5Dimes Sportsbook

The Bruins are coming off a winning year, but back to back 8th place finishes in the Pac-10. Now, the team is building on some very bright spots and becoming a legitimate competitor in the conference.

Offensive Outlook: Sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince will lead the Bruins into 2010. He completed 173 of 308 passes for 2,050 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions a year ago, despite suffering numerous injuries. The team’s top two wide receivers are also returning, in juniors Taylor Embree and Nelson Rosario. Embree caught 46 balls for 608 yards and two scores. Rosario snagged 42 receptions for 723 yards and two scores of his own. The 98th ranked rushing game from a year ago sees leading running back Johnathan Franklin return. Franklin ran for 566 yards and five scores on 126 carries last season.

Defensive Outlook: Last year’s defensive unit was fairly strong. Opponents gained 334 yards per game, with 191.2 of those coming through the air. Enemy points per game reached just 21.2, while foes only converted just 33.3% of third downs. Safety Rahm Morre is back for his junior year. He led the nation last season with ten interceptions. Depth at the skill positions won’t be a problem, but the talents of incoming freshman linebacker Josh Shirley will be lost this year before they are even shown off. Shirley is one of three freshmen who have been dismissed from the team due to their involvement in a felony theft case. He was the sixth ranked linebacker in the nation.

The Final Word: UCLA is a Pac-10 team on the rise. There are plenty of pieces in place on both sides of the ball that have had an offseason to improve. The biggest issue for the Bruins, though, will be the brutal schedule, with Houston, Kansas State, and Texas all appearing as out-of-conference foes. Prince can’t afford to get beat up as badly as he did last season. If the team can stay healthy through the first part of the schedule, there’s a chance UCLA could be a solid competitor. However, for a bowl game to be reached this year, they would need to win two of their non-conference games.

2010 UCLA Bruins Prediction: 5-7, 8th place in Pac-10

2010 UCLA Bruins Schedule
9/4 @ Kansas State
9/11 Stanford
9/18 Houston
9/25 @ Texas
10/2 Washington State
10/9 @ California
10/21 @ Oregon
10/30 Arizona
11/6 vs. Oregon State (N)
11/18 @ Washington
11/26 @ Arizona State
12/4 USC