Light years ahead
How important is it to have returning guys in key positions with extensive experience? Guys like Taylor Embree, Jeff Baca, Rahim Moore, Nelson...
UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel: "All that should be advantageous. All of that should be. We're at a place now where, Day 1 of spring ball this year as opposed to Day 1 two years ago is going to be light-years ahead. But what does that mean? Will we be better on Saturdays in fall? Able to help a defense that now has to go through some growing pains? That's what remains to be seen given the schedule we have. We have arguably one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, and we all know we have the toughest conference schedule in the country. All of that remains to be seen. But, I would be disappointed if we aren't an improved program in year three over year two."
UCLA and other Pac-10 teams will continue to have a problem getting to the national championship in FB until they are willing to schedule at least one D1-A (whatever they're called now) in the middle/end of their schedules (Florida) or two, like Alabama.
Also, while Rice is on the schedule, UCLA should be playing all the bottom feeders from the big conferences. The non-conferecne schedules of SEC, in particular, and even the Big-12 and Big-10 are geared for the names school to play a big name school.
The key is to have a 2-0, or 3-0 record going into conference, with another gimme in the middle as a breather.
Get the Vanderbilts, Iowa States, Dukes to come in the beginning and Our Lady's College of the Bleeding Knees as a tuner before a Pac-10 bad boy.
The days of 'pride in schedule' are over if UCLA is serious about going after a national chanpionship.
"Get the Vanderbilts, Iowa States, Dukes to come in the beginning and Our Lady's College of the Bleeding Knees as a tuner before a Pac-10 bad boy."
Iowa State would have beaten UCLA last year. Ask Nebraska how much of a patsy they were losing to them in Lincoln. Nebraska would have beaten us also.