UCLA Football: If the 2018 schedule is tough, what will 2019 look like?
The 2018 schedule is going to be brutal for the UCLA football team, but does it get any easier the following season? We look at what the Bruins will potentially face in Chip Kelly’s second season.
We have gone through the 2018 schedule over and over and it looks like the UCLA football team is in for a rough time. The good news is, since it is new head coach Chip Kelly’s first season, he will be given some leeway if things do not go very well.
RELATED: Ranking the 2018 UCLA football schedule from easiest to toughest
But then you have 2019 when he will be expected to start winning… will that be possible with the potential schedule that looms next season? I can tell you that it will be easier, but not by much.
Projected 2019 UCLA Football Schedule
Non-Conference (confirmed)
- Aug 31 at Cincinnati
- Sept 7 vs San Diego State
- Sept 14 vs Oklahoma
Conference (unconfirmed, in no particular order)
- vs Cal
- at Stanford
- at Arizona
- vs Arizona State
- vs Colorado
- at Utah
- vs or at Oregon State
- vs or at Washington State
- at USC
The non-conference schedule is set and it looks pretty similar to 2018’s non-conference schedule. Things start out with a road game at Cincinnati, which could be a tough one to start the season on, but then they are back at the Rose Bowl with consecutive home games.
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The only problem is that it is Oklahoma and San Diego State. The Sooners will naturally be tough, and San Diego State is possibly on the same level as Fresno State (one of the 2018 non-conference teams), so this might be easier based on the fact that OU is coming to the Rose Bowl, but it will still be extremely tough.
Then we get to the Pac-12 portion of the schedule. Listed above are the teams and the locations UCLA should be at for each contest. The only change that could occur is swapping locations for the games against Oregon State and Washington State.
And that brings us to a big change in the schedule… Oregon and Washington are dropped for Oregon State and Washington State. No matter if the Bruins go to Pullman or Corvallis in 2019, the competition is a step down from the Huskies-Ducks onslaught, so already, the non-conference schedule is easier.
UCLA also looks to have an easier home slate compared to 2018 as Cal, Arizona State, Colorado and OSU/WSU (depending on who is scheduled) come to town. But that also means that the road schedule is going to be harder than 2019 as the Bruins head out to Stanford, Arizona, Utah and USC.
Next: UCLA Football: 10 bold predictions for the 2018 season
For the most part, the Bruins’ schedule will be a lot easier, but not by much. The non-conceferecne alone makes this another treacherous venture, but hopefully the Bruins will fit into their new Chip Kelly system a lot better and ready to challenge for a conference championship.