The UCLA football team have done a great job of scheduling qualities opponents for future seasons, but Go Joe Bruin has five more suggestions for future opponents.
In the next 11 years, the UCLA football team will be taking on some quality opponents, including LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Auburn, and Wisconsin.
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We here at GJB would like to see the Bruins continue to schedule fierce opposition, especially if Chip Kelly is still in town. Though the non-conference schedule is booked up until 2025, it is never too early to get an agreement going with other programs for 2026 and beyond, so here are five teams we would like UCLA to schedule in the future.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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I know this will never happen because the Irish have already locked up games with two other Pac-12 teams (Stanford and USC), but I want revenge. The last time UCLA and Notre Dame locked horns in a home-and-home battle was back in 2006 and 2007. In ’06, the Bruins went conservative in the final minutes of the game and gave up a late touchdown in South Bend. The following year, the 0-5 Irish (who were losing games by an average of 24.0 points) were heading into the game against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl. They won, 20-6. I. Want. Revenge.
Boise State Broncos
Now that the anger is out of the way let us shift gears to a game that could bring some intrigue to West Coast football. Setting up a series with Boise State is something that has never happened before. The history between both teams consists of one game in which the Bruins won 38-7 back in 1999. But that was before the Broncos were something to be feared. A series in the current era would bring some interest from around the college football world.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
I know we recently had a series with Nebraska, but we should bring it back simply for one reason: Scott Frost. The newest Huskers coach is not only building his program from the ground up like Chip Kelly, but he is also a disciple of Kelly. Both are masterminds when it comes to offense, so to have these two go at each other will be a treat for the college football loving world.
South Carolina Gamecocks
The Bruins are going to tangle with a few SEC teams in the future, but I think they should have a few more battles and South Carolina seems like the perfect fit. Like the Boyz-2-Men song “Motown Philly,” the Gamecocks are, “not too hard, not too soft,” making them an ideal non-conference opponent. Additionally, the next time, these two teams meet will be the first.
Clemson Tigers
I had thought about having UCLA face Alabama, but the Crimson Tide are an obvious choice. Besides, everyone wants to schedule Alabama. So why not go after the new kid on the block and start a home-and-home with Clemson?
The Tigers have stepped up to the challenge of overtaking Alabama as the best program in the country, so if Kelly and the Bruins want to play some quality competition, Clemson is the obvious choice.