Go Joe Bruin examines the 2019 UCLA football schedule and ranks all 12 regular season games from the easiest to the most difficult.
The UCLA football team has another demanding schedule to navigate through in 2019. Though the Bruins should be much improved from 2018, they are still going to have to deal with a lot of good teams this year.
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With that in mind, Go Joe Bruin looks at each one of the Bruins’ 2019 opponents and ranks each game by difficulty based on opponent, location and date. Let us begin.
12. Vs. Oregon State, October 5
Oregon State is a team in transition. For most teams in flux, that means a dip in production as they rebuild. For Oregon State, a team that is historically one of the worst in the Pac-12, they will continue to struggle. Add in the fact that this game is early in the Pac-12 schedule for the Bruins and we should see UCLA get a convincing win.
11. Vs. Colorado, November 2
Colorado is another team in transition. Even though the Buffaloes beat the Bruins pretty badly in Boulder last season, it came before their epic collapse as they lost seven straight games to end 2018. That forced CU to fire Mike MacIntyre and bring in Mel Tucker to try and lift Colorado, but will they have enough to beat the Bruins in early November? With UCLA improving and possessing home field advantage, this should be one of the less challenging games for the Bruins.
10. At Arizona, September 28
UCLA typically has trouble when traveling to Tucson, but this season might be a bit easier as the Wildcats are still trying to find their way under second-year coach Kevin Sumlin. This contest will not be a walk in the park, but the Bruins should be able to get the win.
9. Vs. California, November 30
Speaking of a team that has trouble playing at another location, Cal historically does not do well at the Rose Bowl, so that is one point for UCLA. The Golden Bears have shown that they can pounce on opponents with their defense, but their offense still has a lot of work. We also have to consider that this is the last game of the season and both UCLA and Cal will be looking to build their resume for the postseason and try to get this win. It will be tough, but this should be one of the easier games for the Bruins. What does that say about the season as a whole?