Q: Last week, you mentioned the “soft part of the schedule.” Does that mean we can acknowledge a hard part, or maybe strong opponents? Do you think people overreact to wins and losses without regard to the strength of the opponent?

A: I don’t think anyone was ignoring the fact that some opponents are more difficult than others. Players and coaches certainly like to talk that way, but even they certainly recognize the difference between a top-10 team and a conference cellar-dweller.

Sometimes the quality of certain wins or losses doesn’t become clear until later in the season, when said opponent either outperforms or falls below expectations. But Arizona State still doesn’t look like a top-tier team, and Stanford rolled over UCLA so completely that it’s hard to take much solace in the level of competition. All that said, I think the fact that there are so few games in a football season makes it easy to draw incorrect conclusions from a small sample size.

Q: Can you rank the remaining opponents in order of difficulty for the Bruins? Does UCLA win out?

A: In order from most to least difficult: Utah, USC, Washington State, Colorado, Oregon State. I would not pick UCLA to beat Utah, but the Bruins should probably be favored against everyone else. Wouldn’t be shocked if they dropped a second game too, however.

Q: Did Ishmael Adams move back into the starting CB position with the injury to Fabian Moreau?

A: He’s played there, but UCLA’s been moving its defensive backs around a bit lately. Against Cal last week, the Bruins moved Johnny Johnson into the starting lineup for the first time and used Marcus Rios at the other cornerback spot. We could see that nickel formation a bit more the rest of the way, though not necessarily to start the game.

Q: What is your gut feeling on Kenny Clark? Do you think he will jump to the NFL after this year?

A: I think he leaves. I don’t think that’s a foregone conclusion, but he’s good enough to leave and get drafted in the first round — especially given what he’s shown in his last few games. He could opt to stay if he receives a lower grade in his draft evaluation, or if he just really likes being at UCLA, but the fact that so many of his teammates have gone down could push him in the other direction too.

Q: Can you explain Myles Jack’s insurance policy? Now that he got hurt, does he get all that money?

A: Only if he falls far enough in the NFL draft. The key is that he has a “loss of value” rider in his policy, so rather than just insuring against total disability, he’ll get paid if he suffered an injury that sufficiently depresses his expected draft position. In this case, it sounds like he’s in line to collect the $5 million if he falls out of the first round.

I’m not privy to the exact language of Jack’s insurance policy, but it seems unlikely that he would get the full amount if he goes at, say, No. 35 overall. It’s difficult to collect on these types of policies, and former USC receiver Marqise Lee even sued his insurer this past March after they denied his claim. Former Oregon cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is expected to be the first player who collects on loss-of-value insurance, but his injury is serious enough to keep him out for the entire 2015 season.

Q: Other than senior center Jake Brendel, do you think UCLA will lose any offensive linemen to the NFL after this season?

A: I think there’s a good chance Conor McDermott could leave early. He grayshirted and redshirted, and just turned 23 last week. That’s how old Xavier Su’a-Filo was entering the 2014 NFL draft, and the Morris Trophy winner even cited age as a factor in his decision back then. McDermott also lost an early portion of his UCLA career to shoulder injuries, and has had a couple of knee sprains this year. I think that risk will be a major consideration for him.

Q: Brett Hundley obviously fell a lot further in the draft than anyone expected. Had he known he was going to be a late-round pick, do you think he would still leave early? If he stuck around this year, where would we be?

A: I think he might have left even with the benefit of hindsight. If anything, he might have gone pro even earlier. Hundley had already made clear back in January 2014 that his redshirt junior year would be his last. Coming back for one final run certainly wouldn’t have helped improve his stock; a three-year starter is who he is.

Is UCLA a significantly better team right now if it still has Hundley? I’m not sure. Rosen can’t make some of the plays that Hundley did, but he has a better instincts and vision as a pocket passer. Anyway, the Bruins’ biggest problems have been on defense rather than offense. Hundley wouldn’t have helped them tackle Christian McCaffrey or Jerrard Randall.

Q: Of all the players that took a redshirt this year, who do you think will make the biggest impact next year coming off the redshirt sitting period?

A: There a lot of candidates, but I’m inclined to pick out defensive end Rick Wade. Part of that is positional need. Even if Wade doesn’t become a starter next fall, he’ll almost certainly factor into the rotation. It’s hard to get a read on what type of player Keisean Lucier-South until he puts on more weight. Cornerbacks Colin Samuel and Dechaun Holiday also showed a lot of promise in camp.