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UCLA Football: 10 reasons UCLA will win the Pac-12 South in 2019

By Mike Regalado

PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 20: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during the first half of the NCAA college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Rose Bowl on October 20, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 20: Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins passes the ball during the first half of the NCAA college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at the Rose Bowl on October 20, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

A Favorable Schedule

The Bruins will still have to navigate a tough schedule, but it will not be as bad as last year. All of their easier games are at home and their away games might benefit them. Playing at Washington State in September is much better than them in November. A Thursday night game at Stanford seems like the perfect set up for a streak breaker. And a game at USC, its possible there will be more Bruins fans at that game than Trojan fans. Wins against several conference foes are possible, but will they have enough to win them the South?

The Coaching Staff Now Has a Year Together

What is even better than the players learning how to play together? Having the brain trust be on the same page. It was evident as the season went on that certain position groups were improving (some faster than others), but then it led to the team collectively coming together. It is apparent that this staff is not just evolving their game plan, but they are taking the time to develop their players. With that in mind, imagine what they can do in seasons 2 and 3 and 4 and so on.

Related Story. UCLA Football: 2018 coaching/position grades via the B-Team Podcast. light

DTR 2.0

As much as the majority of the UCLA fanbase wanted Dorian Thompson-Robinson to start from Day 1, what happened in 2018 might have been the best thing for him. Not the getting injured part, but the evolution part, especially since he was able to learn from Wilton Speight. DTR has the athleticism, but to learn the nuances of being a team leader from Speight will help the soon-to-be sophomore. He has the muscle, now he has the brain (well, more of the brain). In addition, he now knows what he is going up against in the Pac-12.

A Happy, Healthy, Violent Linebacking Crew

Unless UCLA reels in a few more LBs for signing day, they will still have issues with depth heading into next season, but it will not be as bad as this past season, hopefully. That depends on the health of the team. In 2018, the LBs took the most hits when it came to injuries. They lost Josh Woods, Jaelan Phillips, Mique Juarez, and Je’Vari Anderson at some point in the season. Now imagine all of them back, mixing it up with Keisean Lucier-South, Krys Barnes, Tyree Thompson, Elijah Gates, and Lokeni Toialoa… scary.