UCLA Drops to #11 In The Polls
Aug 30, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Ishmael Adams (1) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Cavaliers in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
After escaping Virginia with a narrow and underwhelming victory, UCLA was dropped four spots in each of the national football polls, from #7 to #11.
Coaches poll: 4 Oregon; 10 Stanford; 11 UCLA; 14 USC; 16 ASU. Votes: UW 51, Arizona 5, Oregon St 5.
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) September 2, 2014
UCLA falls to No. 11 in AP poll: http://t.co/ihpTEHDkqi
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) September 2, 2014
The Bruins were favored by 21 points over Virginia in the Las Vegas sports books and were a trendy preseason pick among the national press to challenge for a playoff spot and possibly a national title. So, a performance like the one on Saturday, in which UCLA could only muster a single offensive touchdown against a Virginia team that went 2-10 last season, was always likely to cause a drop in the rankings for Jim Mora’s team and the four-spot drop is relatively generous, all things considered.
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In the grand scheme of things, though, movement in the early rankings has no real impact on the season. As long as UCLA sorts out its offensive line and scheme issues in the coming weeks — with which it seemed to make progress in the second half of the Virginia game, as noted by GJB writer Jake Merrifield — and continues to win, everything will sort itself out when it matters most.
A slice of humble pie might very well turn out to be what the doctor ordered for a team riding a massive wave of hype, a relatively new phenomenon in Westwood, going into the season. This drop in the polls and subsequent national skepticism might actually be the best thing that could have happened to UCLA’s 2014 contention chances.
Fingers are crossed here that the Bruins right the ship and get things back on track against Memphis this Saturday in the home opener!